Directional reverser

[Bob Singer]

I just bought a 1957 ? John Deere 420 crawler that had been sitting in a barn the last few years. I have done some work on it such as replacing the wiring, water pump, tune up parts and a lot of cleaning. It is now running, but only in reverse. When I try to put the directional reverser in forward I get a loud grinding noise. If I push hard it will move a few inches forward, with the loud noise. I have the shop manual. It says that I need to split the engine and transmission two inches to look inside. Is there anything else I can do? Will I be able to make the split without taking off the tracks?
Also the hydraulic fluid is leaking badly just above the reservoir tank. I tried tightening the nut, but it won't tighten>
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Bob Singer

[Lavoy]

If it is grinding, the clutch disc must be dragging, there should be no rotation of the input shaft as you are trying to shift. If the shaft is spinning it will grind, same effect as if you had not pushed the clutch in.
Lavoy

[Lu47Dan]

Bob , The nut compresses a rubber seal that seals the return line to the tank . If it is leaking from above than the seal in the end plate of the valve assembly is probably leaking . You will need to take the valve body off to get to the seal . The tank on mine is bolted to the center frame , so IF you are going to split the crawler to check out the reverser the whole valve and tank need to be removed . It would be a good time to change that seals . JMTC Dan

[Bob Singer]

Bob , The nut compresses a rubber seal that seals the return line to the tank . If it is leaking from above than the seal in the end plate of the valve assembly is probably leaking . You will need to take the valve body off to get to the seal . The tank on mine is bolted to the center frame , so IF you are going to split the crawler to check out the reverser the whole valve and tank need to be removed . It would be a good time to change that seals . JMTC Dan

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll take another look at it.
Bob

[Bob Singer]

If it is grinding, the clutch disc must be dragging, there should be no rotation of the input shaft as you are trying to shift. If the shaft is spinning it will grind, same effect as if you had not pushed the clutch in.
Lavoy

Thanks for the quick response. I'm assuming I have to split the crawler to get to the diverter. Can this be done without taking the track assembly off? Are you aware of anyone in Central Ohio that I could pay to work with me on this? It is starting to get beyond my capabilities. I have it in my building that has a concrete floor.
Your help is greatly appreciated.

Bob

[Lavoy]

IF the reverser is grinding, the shaft is spinning, this is not the fault of the reverser.
Lavoy

[Lu47Dan]

Bob , first things first . like Lavoy said if the reverser is grinding with the clutch pedal pushed in then the drive shaft from the clutch to the reverser is still turning . This can be caused by improper clutch adjustment , there is a free play adjuster on the left hand side of the center frame of the crawler . Your clutch pedal should have 1" of free travel , if the free travel is more than 1" than most likely the clutch is not fully disengaging when the pedal is pushed all the way in . This allows the drive shaft to spin and the reverser gears to clash when you attempt to shift it .
Another thing that can happen is the clutch plate sticking to the flywheel or to the spline on the drive shaft . These can sometimes be cure by pushing against an immovable object to break them loose while working the clutch pedal . Do not ram the object just nose up to it and work the clutch . It has worked several tractors but it invariably damages the clutch plate and it will need replaced .
One last thing . The reverser requires you to have the clutch pedal depressed and the crawler stopped BEFORE shifting the reverser . Just to make sure we are on the same page here .
The adjustment procedure for the free travel is section 120 - 10 - 1 in SM2019 .
Take your time and ask questions here , and you should be able to do the work required to figure this problem out . Dan

[bulldozerman]

I currently have the same problem with the hydraulic system, leaks all over and the nut doesnt tighten anymore, i purchased a cork like seal, and a rubber bushing type seal from the john deere website for like $20, after looking at the parts manuel a few times, just havent had the time to put them in. Just one more thing to add to the mile long to do list.
Branden

[Bob Singer]

Bob , first things first . like Lavoy said if the reverser is grinding with the clutch pedal pushed in then the drive shaft from the clutch to the reverser is still turning . This can be caused by improper clutch adjustment , there is a free play adjuster on the left hand side of the center frame of the crawler . Your clutch pedal should have 1" of free travel , if the free travel is more than 1" than most likely the clutch is not fully disengaging when the pedal is pushed all the way in . This allows the drive shaft to spin and the reverser gears to clash when you attempt to shift it .
Another thing that can happen is the clutch plate sticking to the flywheel or to the spline on the drive shaft . These can sometimes be cure by pushing against an immovable object to break them loose while working the clutch pedal . Do not ram the object just nose up to it and work the clutch . It has worked several tractors but it invariably damages the clutch plate and it will need replaced .
One last thing . The reverser requires you to have the clutch pedal depressed and the crawler stopped BEFORE shifting the reverser . Just to make sure we are on the same page here .
The adjustment procedure for the free travel is section 120 - 10 - 1 in SM2019 .
Take your time and ask questions here , and you should be able to do the work required to figure this problem out . Dan

Thanks for all the help. I will check into everything you advised this weekend. It is greatly appreciated.
Bob