[AT] Bad Tractor Day UPDATE

[STEVE ALLEN]

Gentlemen,

Some of you may remember that, last November, I posted about a problem we had with our '51 JD A.  I am including most of the post to refresh everyone's memories:

----- Original Message -----

When time came to crank up the '51 JD A, we went through the normal process--check oil, grease, gas in tank, touch up the plugs, check for condensation in the oil (none found), etc.  Turned on the key, turned on the gas, and hit the started pedal:  the starter just spins.  Try again once or twice.  Same.

In the past, we have every now and again had it spin once or twice, but never had it failed to engage on the third try. Must be a bad patch of teeth.  So we took the spare steering wheel and the ratchet, and we popped the center cover off the flywheel cover, and we turned the flywheel.  Hit the pedal.  No engagement.

I pulled the cap screws off the cover while I had my son disconnect the battery.  I crawled under, and had him push down hard on the pedal while I peeked in with a flashlight.  What I say dismayed me:  the teeth are chewed up all the way around.  I had him spin the flywheel.  A few places had mostly intact teeth--say a loss of about 3/16 or a quarter inch at most.  Some stretches had teeth chewed up all the way to the center.

----- New Message -------

OK, so, we finally had time to look more deeply into this (This year has not at all been friendly, from the weather to Covid to losing half our staff at work, really putting a crimp on my time).  Someone suggested that the starter drive gear was not extending all the way out, so we disconnected the battery cable, and I got down on the ground with a flashlight to look into the starter head to see if the gear was, in fact, not coming all the way out.

What we found was surprising:  The gear IS coming all the way:  it is getting good to very good engagement despite the corner chewed off all the teeth:  at least 1/2' or 5/8' on every tooth.  So we hooked the battery back up, and I warily watched as my son hit the starter lever.  The problem is that, once the drive gear engages, it doesn't turn.  When you let go and it retracts, it spins, but, when the drive gear is engaged with the ring gear, the shaft spins but not the drive gear.

I assume there is a pin that locks the drive gear to the shaft.  I need to open up the manuals to look at how the starter drive is put together.  Then we need to drop the starter and get it on the workbench (actually, first we need to clear the workbench ;-) ).

If anyone has done this job, I'd appreciate hearing from you.  I suspect that parts are out there, given the common nature of the starter, but I'd also appreciate any leads anyone has on them.

Right now, I still have 3 tractors, and none of them can work.  The'49 A still needs its flywheel replaced, and it has now developed a flat rear tire that needs attention.  The '47 B is trapped behind the '49 A--which is up on blocks--and its rear tires need attention, also.  And the '51 needs starter work.

*sigh*

The "original" Steve Allen