Manual trans. / shifting question
 

When I start out in 3rd gear, the clutch seems to slip a little, while the tractor is getting up to speed, which seems normal I suppose, with such a high gear.

I'm wondering, would it be better to start out in 2nd, and shift to 3rd after the tractor is moving? It seems I recall that we up-shifted on the fly (2nd to 3rd only) with some of our old tractors years ago. I'm not sure if this is possible or recommended with the Cub tranny. I'm just thinking it could possibly be easier on the clutch. Any thoughts appreciated.

Josh P

Start in 3rd. Shifting on the go is not a good idea in a tractor without syncronizers between the gears, such as these are.

your spring is weak, and clutch plates likely worn unevenly, possibly warped. A good clutch will spin tires on blacktop in 3rd. I didnt find out intentionally by the way!

i had the same problem and later found the spring was actualy broke worked fine in all gears except for third changed out the spring and starts out in third no problem :beerchug:

Yeah, I should have mentioned it's probably time for a clutch rebuild. A new driveshaft, friction disc, teaser spring, main spring, throwout bearing, and spirol pins, along with having the pressure plates trued up on a lathe, will make your tractor ready for another 35 years. Since your tractor is a QL, it would also be a good idea to replace the engine mounts if they are bad and do the cradle mod to prevent future issues; if the engine mounts go bad, the clutch will get torn up in a hurry.

I agree with Matt its time for a clutch rebuild, you cant shift them because you could possibly break a gear.

Hey thanks for the info, guys. Yes, I was reading about the cradle mod for the Quietlines, and would like to do that and the steering upgrade eventually, whenever it's apart for something major.

My mechanic friend was here today,and we just did a tune up & oil change, and checked everything out. I think I over reacted about the clutch that first day I got it and started out in 3rd on a grade in the grass. He's a pretty experienced mechanic, and seems to think the clutch seems fine, and will not need work for a while, but at this point I'll run it a little and see how it does, and maybe do the clutch & some upgrades next winter.

Everything seems to run excellent, and very smooth and quiet. The rubber is still good, where the engine covers mount against, and I was surprised at how quiet it really is. I have tinnitus anyway, so I'm really glad to have found a QL.

JP

How do you guys know it's a QL, I didn't see him mention it?

Do you use 3rd a lot? I didn't find that I'd use it much when I last had a gear drive.

Yes it's a QL. I made a recent post about it with pics, so thats probably how they knew.

I wont need 3rd alot, but mostly when I'm goin back and forth to a garage I have which is just down the street. I won't really be using it under load, just point A to point B once in a while.

JP

I see your other post now, very nice tractor.