I have been using my L3000DT loader and boxblade for two years but needed to mow now. I put on the bushhog but when I pushed in clutch and moved PTO lever back to turn on PTO, it grinds so bad and won't mesh. I guess there is another clutch or something froze up. Any ideas on how to get it working properly?
PTO grinds
- Thread starter dirtdevil
- Start date
Welcome to the site. Is your tractor a hydrostat drive? If so, your main clutch might be stuck to the flywheel even though you have the clutch pedal pushed in. Drive the tractor in gear and while the tractor is moving, push the clutch pedal in to try to un-stick it from the flywheel. Has the tractor been sitting just before this issue? Does it sit outside?
Yes, it is a gear tranny. Yes, it has unfortunately sat outside. The clutch works fine for traveling in any gear but just will not let me engage the PTO shaft. The PTO has not been used for about two years and it did work fine then. The other day, after motor had warmed and it would crank promptly, I timed it just right once so as to engage PTO as motor fired. Then mowed about an hour with many start and stops. Then when finished I restarted motor but it still would not let me engage PTO without the severe grinding so I did not and will not force it anymore. I there a separate adjustment for the PTO clutch or a way to get it unfreeze from the flywheel if that is the problem?
If I remember correctly I believe the L3000 has a two stage clutch. Often times with a two stage clutch you can shift and chage threw the gears just fine but it'll give you problems engaging the pto. I know on my dads L275 the clutch was going and to engage the pto youd have to shut the tractor off, yank the pto lever over and fire it back up with the pto in gear. Never really a smart idea but it got him by for the time being.
kubotasam
Well-known member
Equipment
B2410, B7100dt, B7500,Woods BH750,Landpride 2660RFM, Tiller, B2781 Snowblower
If you can figure some way to load the pto shaft with the clutch in you might be able to break it free. If you could borrow a pto chipper and use it for a while with the clutch in it might break free. Or how about using your bush hog with the tractor coasting down a hill with the clutch in and still mowing. My old Dodge Power Wagon used to stick the clutch once in a while. I would drive it around the field for a while with the clutch down and it would eventually break free.
That might work with a single stage clutch but I don't see it working with a two stage clutch. He said he can shift threw all the gear, just cant engage the pto which tells me the clutch is about to go.
The only other way I would think to free the PTO clutch up, other than taking the tractor apart, would to do what you did to get the pto engaged then while the mower is running, push the clutch in and throttle up and down the engine quickly from low speed to full speed still with the clutch pushed in. Might just break it loose.
kubotasam
Well-known member
Equipment
B2410, B7100dt, B7500,Woods BH750,Landpride 2660RFM, Tiller, B2781 Snowblower
That is what I was saying. Find some way to get a load on the pto with the clutch in. I bet running a chipper would break it free.
He said he's been using the loader and box blade for 2 years, which tells me he can shift threw all the gears and change direction just fine. Then he said he went to put the bush hog on and tried to engage the pto and it was grinding. Which tells me that the 2 stage clutch is gone and wont fire the pto. This is not an issue of a clutch being stuck. The first stage of the clutch to operate the pto is on the brink of going out.
If the pto wont engange with a heavy ass bushhog on the surely it won't load up and break anything free if he sticks a chipper on it.
If the pto wont engange with a heavy ass bushhog on the surely it won't load up and break anything free if he sticks a chipper on it.
I was able yesterday to again timed it just right while cranking and engage the pto for the attached bushhog. While transmission in neutral and the bushhog going and clutch pedal pushed in, I reved the engine numerous times and sometimes let clutch pedal in and out. But after doing this routine for 5 minutes, I disengaged pto. Then with pedal in tried to re-engage pto but the situation had not changed and he grinds the gears. So does anyone know if this means the portion of the clutch for the pto is bad for sure or just froze to the flywheel and may somehow come loose with some future attempts and start working?
I had successfully tried jumping interconnect wiring and starting tractor with pto engaged with a bushhog. But that did not break it loose after much mowing with many clutch actions. I had a heavy equipment mechanic come by and he pulled starter, wedged large brass stock against flywheel teeth and with me having clutch in, he tried with a long bar to turn pto output shaft. (be sure key or engine stop is off). That was unsuccessful but a good idea.
So a week later I put on a friends tiller and started engine with pto engaged. I tilled about a quarter acre with many clutch actions. Still no luck. I had to return tiller and after just let tractor sit a week. I was about to call mechanic to come back and split it. I had to move something yesterday with the bucket and just decided to try engaging pto once more. Low and behold it had freed up and working now! I am going to buy some lottery tickets and also use that pto more often instead of letting it sit with that box blade on it for two years.
Thanks to all that gave me ideas and opinions.
So a week later I put on a friends tiller and started engine with pto engaged. I tilled about a quarter acre with many clutch actions. Still no luck. I had to return tiller and after just let tractor sit a week. I was about to call mechanic to come back and split it. I had to move something yesterday with the bucket and just decided to try engaging pto once more. Low and behold it had freed up and working now! I am going to buy some lottery tickets and also use that pto more often instead of letting it sit with that box blade on it for two years.
Thanks to all that gave me ideas and opinions.
WoW.... What a last ditch miracle! My B3200 was supplied with this small block of wood to keep the clutch dis-engaged if the tractor is going to sit for a long time. You depress the clutch pedal and put the block on the underside of the floor board between the clutch pedal and the floor board.
My old 356 Porsche would do that once in a while but it broke loose relatively easy. Man, You dodged a big money bullet!
My old 356 Porsche would do that once in a while but it broke loose relatively easy. Man, You dodged a big money bullet!
kubotasam
Well-known member
Equipment
B2410, B7100dt, B7500,Woods BH750,Landpride 2660RFM, Tiller, B2781 Snowblower
Congratulations!!! I thought it was just a stuck clutch and was hoping you could get it to free up. What I would do is to connect your bush hog and with the engine running and the pto engaged slip the pto clutch by partially engaging it a few times to polish the rust from the flywheel and clutch disk.
Be careful not to do this to much or you could heat the clutch up and damage it. I would do it a few times each day for a few days. You want to get the rust off or it could stick again.
Be careful not to do this to much or you could heat the clutch up and damage it. I would do it a few times each day for a few days. You want to get the rust off or it could stick again.
Make sure you have the throttle as low as it will let you go. On my 7950 if the throttle is not at low idle the PTO will grind.
I recently purchased an L275 with the same problem. I hope running torque on the pto shaft with the clutch in will free the pto clutch friction disk from the fly wheel or what ever it rubs on. I have never seen one of these dual action clutches apart. In theory it should work given enough jolts, jerks, yanks and gently persuasive comments.
Other than that it is a great little work horse. 875 hours. 1730 FEL. 4x4. power steering. new tires. stored inside most of it's life. a little sunfade in places. no rust. comfortable to operate. plenty of power. came with a 5 foot brush hog
My guess is that a post hole digger in an ozark pasture might loosen up that clutch.
I really like how simple it is and it seems very sturdy.
Other than that it is a great little work horse. 875 hours. 1730 FEL. 4x4. power steering. new tires. stored inside most of it's life. a little sunfade in places. no rust. comfortable to operate. plenty of power. came with a 5 foot brush hog
My guess is that a post hole digger in an ozark pasture might loosen up that clutch.
I really like how simple it is and it seems very sturdy.