861 Powermaster Ring Gear Replacement

What you do need to do is to lift up on the steering wheel with a cherry picker or come-along. With the bolts that attach the steering gear pedestal to the bell housing removed, you will be able to lift everything up half an inch, which is more than enough room to roll the back half away from the front half.

If you don't have the factory service manual, I suggest you go to the New Holland web site and order one up. It describes the splitting process in great detail.

I don't remember if I replaced the O-rings on the hydraulic pump manifold, but it would be a good idea to do so.

Good luck.

As for replacing the clutch, personally I would leave it alone if it's working OK and there's plenty of material left on the plates. A lot of guys have posted horror stories here about installing rebuilt or even new factory clutch assemblies and finding out they weren't adjusted right or had other problems. The thing is, if you get a bad rebuilt clutch, you probably won't know until you put the tractor back together. It's highly unlikely that the rebuilder will reimburse you for your time spent splitting the tractor a second time.

I replaced the ring gear in my 4000 (basically the same as a 961) about nine years ago. I was going to change the clutch, too, until I priced a new unit. It was over 600 bucks then, I think it might be close to a grand now. I decided that I would be money ahead to leave the old clutch in, even if it meant another split in a couple of years. So far, the old clutch has held out. Your mileage may vary.

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If your double clutch is working, I suggest you leave it alone. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!