Need advice on soaking and free-ing 420c steering clutches

[TI420]

Hi - I am a new crawler owner - just bought a '57 JD 420c with a loader and a ripper from a friend. I have alot of experience with antique car restorations, boats, tractors, etc. - I'm your slightly-above-average gearhead and I guess it's just a matter of time before you end up with a crawler... I purchased this to mess around on some land I have in upstate New York.

At any rate - I did buy the crawler from a good friend who has driven it around and all since he's owned it. Here is the current status - about a year ago, the steering clutches were stuck and they rammed the bucket up against some obstacle and got them unstuck and were able to steer and drive around. Since then, the crawler has been sitting outside, and now it runs, moves forward and back, and all the hydraulics work, but the steering clutches are stuck again - they have not yet tried to unstick them again...

I'm hoping since they were free a year ago, that we'll be able to unstick them again, but before we try that, I'd like to soak them for a while and I have some questions about that. First - I have heard of using diesel or kerosene - which is best and why - or is there something else that is even better? Second - soaking the multi-plate clutch seems like it would maybe free-up sticking parts, but at the same time swell the discs - or does this not happen due to the nature of the disc material? And third - based on them being free a year ago - what are the chances this will work? Is it a case of "you'll be fine if it's only been a year" - or is it more like "a year is WAY too long and you are screwed."

Thanks in advance for the help - I also have a couple questions about the tracks, etc. - but I thought I'd start with this! Thanks Again! - Chuck

[Lavoy]

Neither product is the best, here's why. The discs are rusted together, and nothing really dissolves rust effectively other than water or acid. Second, if you soak a fiber disc with a petroleum product, it will stay in there forever, and sooner or later cause the clutch to slip if the clutch does unstick.
First what you need to do is pull both covers on the clutch housings and look at the pressure plates. If the fingers on the pressure plates are compressed down to or almost to the pressure plate frame, the fiber discs have absorbed moisture and swelled up. In this case, there is no fix other than to remove the finals and disassemble the clutches, and replace them.
I would doubt that you will get them free in any case after a year of sitting outside unless you are in a real dry climate. You may also find that you can no longer adjust the steering clutches due to the rust that has formed on the rest of the parts. In the long run, you are better off to pull the finals, then you will be able to inspect everything in there and repair as necessary. It is not a bad job, just time consuming, and some heavy parts.
Welcome to the crawler world,
Lavoy

[Jimmy in NC]

Chuck-

Congrats and welcome!

I'd just like to second what Lavoy said. Pull it down and see exactly what you have. I found it's the best way to understand what's inside is to see it all apart. There's nothing tricky and nothing you shouldn't be able to get apart rather easily.

You may find you just clean it up inside and put it back together after adjusting a few things. It would give you the oportunity to look at the steering clutch housings and final drives and look for cracks and such. Trust me you'd rather find cracks early and get them repaired before they become big problems.

Also would like to point out that a John Deere parts and service manual are must haves. You may also find that a 40 service manual compliments the set nicely. I know I couldn't live with out all three.


Jimmy in NC