grinding gears

Don"t worry about it, you"ll figure it out.

On tractors with a "crash" gearbox, like all three of those, you've got two choices:
1. Come to a complete stop before you shift.
2. Learn to double-clutch.

The 560 should have a "sweet spot" as some others have described where you can go from 4th to 5th without double-clutching. 5th is geared so high in a 560 that it's tough to start from a complete stop, even with the TA back.

I grew up on the exact same tractors. My Dad had me driving as young as 4, obviously well-supervised. "Don't grind the gears" was soundly beaten into my head long before I made it to 14...

The first step in learning how to shift is to understand how a transmission works. The grinding is caused by two gear circumferences running at different speeds. Ideally you should try to match the speed of the mainshaft with the speed ratio of the countershaft even as both are accelerating or decelerating. That can be done with timing, throttle control, and clutching. Variables include load on tractor, terain, and grade.

To put it simply, it is an acquired skill that will take some time to learn. You will find that downshifting will be the easyiest to learn because the throttle won't have to be moved. Some shifting on the go is impossible if the loads on the tractor are high. Just stop the tractor and select a new gear. These are the times you wished you had a good TA.

Synchomesh gear clutches were invented in the '20s to simplify shifting. Trucks didn't get them until the '50s. Tractors were even later. Some Roadranger truck trannys are still built without them. These manual transmissions are shifted without using the clutch on many of the gear changes. It's all done with throttle control and deft shifter movememt and range selection once the vehicle is underway in first gear.

If your father won't or can't show you how, you should seek out an oldtimer who might really enjoy teaching a beginner how to shift, particularly if it's not his tractor.

Double clutching is done by depressing clutch and moving transmission to neutral, while in neutral you adjust your engine rpm and quickly drop clutch out, so as to bring in put and out put shafts of transmission to same speed. It will then go in gear without grinding. With the truck you have momentum to carry you through this. The tractors don't have that.

Now I will give you a little advise. Of the Farmalls I listed on my farm, each and every one of them would start away with loads to be hauled on road in road gear. All you need do is start away on low side of TA and when you get some speed shift up on TA. It is a good idea to throttle back as you shift TA up in high gear, it reduces the jolt. On the field work side of the tractor use, I always stop to shift gears, which is almost never. You see, a Farmall with TA has the torque to work an implement all day and never shift anything but TA or foreward to reverse. People have always growled about Farmalls being hard to shift, and being the last to go syncramesh or power shift. Those were the people that didn't realize, Farmall had way more torque than any other tractor. Your dad is right you don't need to grind gears. Just realize how little you need to shift gears, and you will find little time is wasted stopping to shift.

Try double clutching: clutch once when you pull out of one gear, let it up and clutch again when you drop it GENTLY back indto the next.

You'll get it. Your dad is just tryin' to teach you the right way is all. Sounds like a smart man.

Allan

Try double clutching: clutch once when you pull out of one gear, let it up and clutch again when you drop it GENTLY back indto the next.

You'll get it. Your dad is just tryin' to teach you the right way is all. Sounds like a smart man.

Allan

steveormary

steveormary