What a rag

[dodge trucker]

just posting here instead of starting a new thread, to keep it from getting buried 50 pages back once again, but had to do much of the same to this 1200 I am working on for somebody else, as detailed within these last 23 pages. I hope thats' OK because it does relate to "two ton"s experience and commentary.

owner ruined the clutch in short order (was a non reinforced disc and only ever used to mow with) with new Kerber clutch driver and plates...

found wallowed holes in clutch fork hanger and fork itself... I fixed it similar to what is shown earlier in thread, I used 4, 3/8" X 3/4" OD shaft collars... though when I was looking thru the hardware section at Menard's for an idea on how to beef this up, I got to thinking that a sleeve off of a car alternator (where the mount bolts pass thru) would have the right ID, and being I have a chop saw I could make my own collars. I welded them onto the outside of the hanger bracket holes and the inside of the fork.
I also made the bottom of the fork on this unit more of a "U" shape, instead of an "L," by use of 1/8X3/4" metal bar stock, welded onto fork from the bottom, to where it flares out near start of pass-thru hole for driveshaft. I did run that added metal, all the way to where the vertical lip on that side of fork, ended.
also, I found that the washer was missing between spring and fork on adjustment rod... The spring was poking thru clutch rod hole. I had to "unscrew" it from the hole provided for the adjuster rod in the fork.... when I had it apart before, I never had that adjuster rod out of the fork, would not have removed it this time either, had I not discovered the spring winding thru that hole. so must have been there like that, from the guy I got it from, before I sold it.

On this machine, I went back with OEM reinforced disc, new T/O bearing and sleeve, new teaser and cup, new spirol pins all along, and new blue clutch spring. only things reused, were the driveshaft itself, (no wear, as I have seen in various illustrations on this site, just a few pits under where the main spring rode on driveshaft) and the trans end coupler with the ball bushing. both were in good shape, no slop noted.
Being the clutch plates only had 25 operating hours on them, from brand new, max, I simply resurfaced them on a belt sander, did not take much.... just wanted to get rid of the off- center "stain," leftover from the last disc.

and there are a lot of "little bits" on one of these tractors, that add up to a lot of play, within the clutch apply system. didn't really think of that issue til I found out I had to re replace the clutch and saw this thread, as I was reassembling each component, it was like "I remember seeing something on the OCC site about that". there was some backtracking needed but none required disassembling the clutch and driveshaft a 2nd time. any welding and dressing/ grinding that had to be done on the fork, was able to be done with it being "trapped" along the driveshaft, before reinstalling the assembly into the machine.

It has been a while (not counting, when I originally put this tractor back together, like 1-1/2 years ago) since I did my last CC gear drive clutch... which was on another 1200. On that one, I originally went with an aftermarket "stress proof" shaft, which instantly bent like a swooping jump rope and broke within a couple minutes of initial fire up.... went back with a brand new oem stock driveshaft and no problems since, on that one.... but because of the years since I did that one, I have a little "CRS" going on.... that was before I knew anything about the "cradle mod" and I used GM sway bar link bushings.... on this tractor I mounted the engine solid.... with the mounts that were originally bought, for that 1st machine. and yes I did do the cradle mod, when I 1st put the fresh engine and 1st new disc in place, about 1-1/2 years ago...

but what I DO remember, from when I did that other 1200 (NOT the same tractor as I have been farting with recently, but it is owned by the same guy as the one I am currently fixing up) I did not put the spring clips back on with that clutch. At the time I redid the clutch on that 1200, I mentioned on what ever tractor forum I was on at the time (I hadn't yet heard of this one) that I left them off, and you would have thought I did a cardinal sin....

yet here on this forum, I hear of people leaving those out all the time. I did buy 3 new ones along with the rest of the clutch parts for it.... and have them here.
I have heard that you only use a spring clip on one of the 3 driver pins, I have heard that they are needed on all 3 driver pins, and I have heard not to replace those, leave them off. Confusing. Which is right? and why? does it depend on intended use of machine? I wondered if the lack of those was what led to the original disc that I put on THIS tractor having a short life. Is there a difference in what is recommended with regards to those little clips based on metal reinforced vs non reinforced disc? the engine is going back in tomorrow. hopefully I get some feedback, before I reinstall the engine.
and 1 more thing... with the blue spring in place, I am surprised that the force needed to release the clutch, isn't stiffer than it is.

aside from these questions/ observations, pretty much the job went just like you see among the previous 23 pages. to merge this thread with Merk's clutch thread would be a good sticky for future members that have to do this job. except I would hope that anyone else going thru this repair would do so without the "Tim Taylor" moment, that I experienced... blood... arrgh arrgh that happened while building the wooden jig, that itself is meant to be able to take the danger out of compressing that spring and driving the spirol pin into the shaft without launching the assembly into oneself....