Farmall H grinds in all gears except 5th

Thomas Keiber · Oct 3, 2008

I have a 1941 farmall H it is functional minus the grinding of the gears. It seems like a main gear is the problem. The noise gets worse when you drive the tractor up or down hill. Do I have to split the tractor to fix it? Or can I access all the gears after taking of the top plate off. And how heavy is the top plate?
And do I need any special type of tools to work on the gears? Any help is appreciated

Thanks, Tom

Brownie 450 · Oct 4, 2008

You can check for bad rear axle bearings by jacking up each side individually & taking note how much the axle/ wheel moves as the wheel leaves the ground [vertical play].
While you have it on the jack, roll that wheel & listen for noise in the differential.

Janicholson · Oct 4, 2008

It probably has countershaft bearings, and or constant mesh gears that are either worn, or damaged from rust. Many transmissions get water in the case then sit and rust, quite often unevenly. Roller and ball bearings are particularly subject to this damage. Another issue is the metal fragments from decomposing bearings and gears contributing to added wear (becomming in effect an abrasive slurry. The top is heavy enough to require three or four people, or a suitable lifting device. The trans and differential can be stripped to the walls with the tractor intact. The liftall needs to be removed to allow the clutch shaft to be removed. Get a good blue ribbon manual, and an IT manual to be confident. JimN

John M · Oct 4, 2008

Honestly, I only have one tractor that doesnt do any of that. It spent 50% of its life on a saw mill, 40% in the weeds and the other 10% in my barn. But since you seem to think there may be a problem, then there probably is some wear in there somewhere, be it gears or bearings or both. First thing Id do is check the level of gear oil, make sure its full.

MN Rick · Oct 4, 2008

A little grinding is somewhat normal if you dont wait a second or so after depressing the clutch. One other possibility that hasnt been mentioned. Occasionally you will get a buildup of clutch material, rust, dirt, grease ect on the flywheel around the outside of the clutch plate causing just enough drag on the plate to keep it from stopping. Over the years, I've split a number of them only to find good clutch parts.

Owen Aaland · Oct 4, 2008

The only part that is now longer turning when in 5th as compared to the other gears is the front mainshaft bearing. There is also no load on the countershaft in 5th as there is when in the other gears. Do you hear the noise when idling in neutral with the clutch out?

The front mainshaft bearing can be replaced after removing the Lift-All pump, driveshaft coupler, front input shaft yoke, and the input shaft assembly.

The front mainshaft bearing is often referred to as the transmission pilot bearing. Look back through some of the older threads and you will see a lot of discussion about it.

riverbend · Oct 4, 2008

Tom,

How about a few questions ?

How long have you owned this tractor ? Is the noise something new ? By grinding, do you mean a crunching sound when driving at a steady speed ? Or do you mean when you are trying change gears while moving ? If it is not a crunching sound, is it more like a howl or whine ?

Now a few answers.

These tractors were made to be worked on by farmers in their barnyard. If you like mechanical things, they are fun to work on. You do not need any special tools, but if you are going to remove the hydraulic pump, a welder ( to make the handles) and a strong friend are very useful. You can remove the gearbox top cover by yourself with a come a long. If the noise is really a crunching sound, it is probably bearings. If it is whining, you should wear ear plugs when operating your H.

Greg

Farmall H grinds in all gears except 5th

Thomas Keiber

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Brownie 450

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Janicholson

Well-known Member

John M

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MN Rick

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Owen Aaland

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riverbend

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