I had this under another thread with the wrong title. I asked moderators to fix the title, but so far no update, so starting again now that I have more info.
With the tractor on jack stands I put it in low and shifted in/out of front drive with and without the clutch engaged. No difference, no grinding gears. Got off with tires turning (oh well, no helper, what can you do?) and noted the drive shaft wasn't doing a thing. Fiddling carefully with the shifter, it feels "firm", but I think that's maybe from the detents and just the shaft bushing. Searching turned up a PDF service manual, which was of little help for the specific diagnostic, but it does provide the exploded diagram of that assembly. Just based on what I observe, I am guessing that the "shoe" (#50 for those with the same manual) is sheared or otherwise not functional. It's not clear, but the shoe seems to be the sliding element that translates rotational motion into linear motion for the sliding engage. Looks like anything else should provide some sort of feedback when engaging while turning.
Does this make sense, and has anyone ever seen this? Looks like a visual is possible by removing the transmission top plate, but I'm not about to attempt that this late in the evening. If no dire warnings turn up here, and nothing else comes up to interfere, I'll likely go in from the top tomorrow after noon or so when my awning (on the East side) has it under shade.
Other than the excessive blow-by, which is major work regardless of cause, this is the last non-functional item on the tractor. If I can work this out, then I think it's a good candidate for rebuild or transplant. I've seen that the 850D and 950D are near bolt-in replacements with significant upgrades (not the least of which is force circulation of coolant), so with rebuild kits near $1k, and running motors only a bit more (and hoping I don't get one just as bad), I may be looking into that between now and the Fall (earliest time I would want to tackle the rebuild).
Related question:
Is there a decent service manual out there with full system diagnostics like you find in Automotive manuals. Would be nice to have an ordered check list for "front drive does not engage" from most likely (and/or easiest to test) on to less pleasant alternatives. I've got OEM shop manuals for all my other vehicles, makes this downloaded Kubota service manual look like a grade school primer.
With the tractor on jack stands I put it in low and shifted in/out of front drive with and without the clutch engaged. No difference, no grinding gears. Got off with tires turning (oh well, no helper, what can you do?) and noted the drive shaft wasn't doing a thing. Fiddling carefully with the shifter, it feels "firm", but I think that's maybe from the detents and just the shaft bushing. Searching turned up a PDF service manual, which was of little help for the specific diagnostic, but it does provide the exploded diagram of that assembly. Just based on what I observe, I am guessing that the "shoe" (#50 for those with the same manual) is sheared or otherwise not functional. It's not clear, but the shoe seems to be the sliding element that translates rotational motion into linear motion for the sliding engage. Looks like anything else should provide some sort of feedback when engaging while turning.
Does this make sense, and has anyone ever seen this? Looks like a visual is possible by removing the transmission top plate, but I'm not about to attempt that this late in the evening. If no dire warnings turn up here, and nothing else comes up to interfere, I'll likely go in from the top tomorrow after noon or so when my awning (on the East side) has it under shade.
Other than the excessive blow-by, which is major work regardless of cause, this is the last non-functional item on the tractor. If I can work this out, then I think it's a good candidate for rebuild or transplant. I've seen that the 850D and 950D are near bolt-in replacements with significant upgrades (not the least of which is force circulation of coolant), so with rebuild kits near $1k, and running motors only a bit more (and hoping I don't get one just as bad), I may be looking into that between now and the Fall (earliest time I would want to tackle the rebuild).
Related question:
Is there a decent service manual out there with full system diagnostics like you find in Automotive manuals. Would be nice to have an ordered check list for "front drive does not engage" from most likely (and/or easiest to test) on to less pleasant alternatives. I've got OEM shop manuals for all my other vehicles, makes this downloaded Kubota service manual look like a grade school primer.
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