Farmall M clutch adjustment remaining?

It's been a long time since I got into an M clutch, so I can't recall exactly how the adjustment in the linkage is set up (i.e., which way to turn the nuts), but you do use that adjustment to set up your free play. You don't do it at the fingers.

You don't say whether you have the hydro reservoir on the tractor. If not, you can remove the cover plate below to see which way your adjustment is moving the throwout bearing. You might even be able to peek around the reservoir if you have one, or around the hydraulic piping where it comes out the side. I just don't remember. There may also be an access hole on the side where you can get a look in there to see which way you're going.

Is the clutch slipping, or are you just trying to adjust the freeplay to specs?

If so and the clutch is holding fine, you should be good to go for a while.

As for how long it will last . . . How much adjustment do you have left? If you're at the extreme on reducing your free play, the friction disc might be quite thin and due for replacement before long.

But it's not unheard of for the fingers to be out of adjustment. I've seen one so bad that the throwout bearing never stood a chance of contacting the fingers on an otherwise perfectly good clutch, but that was an extreme and unusual case.

If the clutch isn't slipping, the freeplay is within specs, and you still have room to reduce the freeplay for more wear yet, you should be good to go for a while.

Loaded tires and the like will make your tractor feel heavier on the clutch but, in the end, she'll be right.

You mention a grinding, which could be matter of rivets in the clutch facing grinding against the flywheel or the pressure plate, but I think that's a remote possibility. (If it is the case, yes, you need a new clutch disc, and as long as you've got the tractor split, you might just as well adjust or replace the cover and pressure plate. More likely it's the gears in the tranny running up against themselves. A Farmall thing, not to worry.

Please do remember that theese trannies are not synchromeshed. The only way to put the old darlings into ANY gear is to stop, clutch, and let the driveshaft come to a rest before going into gear. Except that that last little crunch before going into any gear is a given on these tractors if you haven't held the clutch pedal down long enough. Pick any gear you want, but don't harbor any notions of shifting up through the gears. At least quietly.

Bottom line . . . If your freeplay is alright at the pedal and she goes ahead under a load okay, you're fine. If, in getting the freeplay right, you found yourself running out of thread, then replacing at least the disc and, as long as it's split and you're in there, the pressure plate/cover is the route to take. If she's holding fine where you are with some room for further wear, I'd say don't touch a thing after you've got the freeplay where you're happy with it.

I hope I've helped.

Yes.

Lawd, I wish I could remember which way those threads turned! If you've got lots of thread left in the direction you were going to tighten up the free throw then, yes, you've got lots of wear left. If you're runnin' out of thread in that direction, then you need to be thinkin about havin' a clutch disc and/or cover on had. But I think the former is probaly gonna be the case. Unless you have big plans aout draggin' five 16s around next spring.

I think the question was about clutch wear, not slipping. And he started with too much free play. So if the fingers are moving closer to the bearing from disc wear, and he had too much free play to start with, my guess is the spring is there and working. And a cup of coffee says he has plenty of disc for a while, as long as it isn't fouled and/or slipping.

Whatsay we wait and see how Chadd replies to my question above about any slipping?