Ford 3910, Grinding Shifter newbie question

[Ellie]

Hi! I'm new here, please be gentle.

A lady down the road is selling a Ford 3910 and I went to look at it today.

The loader, pto, and rear hydraulics checked out, but I wasn't able to get in gear. I'm wondering if this is a tractor IQ test I'm failing, or if it's broken.

There are two shift levers, a gear selector and a hi-lo. I can engage either one fine, but if I try to put the other one in it grinds the gears and will not engage. I have the clutch, the pedal on the left side, pressed, but grind, grind, grind. I thought maybe the clutch was busted, so I shut it off, and engaged both gears. With the clutch depressed I can push the tractor. With the clutch released, I can't. I think this means the clutch is ok.

So, the $10,000 question: Am I an idiot, or is it broken?

Unrelated and probably irrelevant information. The tractor has 3600 hours and an aftermarket loader on it. There is a minor fuel leak at the injection pump. I "think" it's probably a line, but I have to drop the loader to verify. It's been sitting for a while since the owner's husband passed, but it started right up. She's offering it for 10 -12k negotiable including a disk, two bottom plow, box blade, kodiak bushhog, spike aerator and field ripper.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Hi! I'm new here, please be gentle.

A lady down the road is selling a Ford 3910 and I went to look at it today.

The loader, pto, and rear hydraulics checked out, but I wasn't able to get in gear. I'm wondering if this is a tractor IQ test I'm failing, or if it's broken.

There are two shift levers, a gear selector and a hi-lo. I can engage either one fine, but if I try to put the other one in it grinds the gears and will not engage. I have the clutch, the pedal on the left side, pressed, but grind, grind, grind. I thought maybe the clutch was busted, so I shut it off, and engaged both gears. With the clutch depressed I can push the tractor. With the clutch released, I can't. I think this means the clutch is ok.

So, the $10,000 question: Am I an idiot, or is it broken?

Unrelated and probably irrelevant information. The tractor has 3600 hours and an aftermarket loader on it. There is a minor fuel leak at the injection pump. I "think" it's probably a line, but I have to drop the loader to verify. It's been sitting for a while since the owner's husband passed, but it started right up. She's offering it for 10 -12k negotiable including a disk, two bottom plow, box blade, kodiak bushhog, spike aerator and field ripper.

Thanks in advance for the help.

I believe the transmission is the Ford 8 x 2 and it is not synchronized so there is a lot of gear clashing when you shift, particularly "on the go". With the tractor at a complete stop, can you shift the gears? Since you are not familiar with tractors, don't expect them to shift like a standard transmission on a car unless they are synchronized.
You better verify the problem with the "pump leak" because if it's not simply a leaking line, pump work can be expensive.
Did the engine start easily? is the batteryand the electrics working correctly?
Does it have a block heater or a Thermostart starting aid?
Since it has a FEL, check the front end nd the steering partcularly well. FEL's are hard on these machines.
The 10 Series Fords are good simple machines. This one has a few more hours than i would like but comes with and a lot of extras. It coud be a good buy, depend on the shape of the basic machine and the implements. I would think that $10K is a good ball park value for a 3600 hr tractor IF the tranny issue and the fuel leak aren't real problems and the implements are in good woking order.

 

[Ellie]

With the tractor at a complete stop, can you shift the gears?

Negative. I was not able to shift into any forward or reverse gear with the engine running, even at a dead stop.

You better verify the problem with the "pump leak" because if it's not simply a leaking line, pump work can be expensive.

Will do. I need to back it up to drop the FEL to get to it.

Did the engine start easily?
Yes, on the first try. The block was cold too, so no funny business.

Is the batteryand the electrics working correctly?
I got 10.? volts off, 9.2 cranking, 14.2 volts running. The lights and dash indicators work, one of the "don't run over me I'm a tractor" taillights was disconnected. I fixed it.

Does it have a block heater or a Thermostart starting aid?
It has a block heater, but it was not plugged in. I'll check to make sure it works.

Since it has a FEL, check the front end nd the steering partcularly well. FEL's are hard on these machines.
Am I just looking for bent/worn bits, or something more in depth?

The 10 Series Fords are good simple machines. This one has a few more hours than i would like but comes with and a lot of extras. It coud be a good buy, depend on the shape of the basic machine and the implements. I would think that $10K is a good ball park value for a 3600 hr tractor IF the tranny issue and the fuel leak aren't real problems and the implements are in good woking order.

Thanks for the reply.
-Ellie

 

[Birdhunter1]

Sounds like a decent price on it only considering all the stuff that comes with it. The hours seem a bit high and likely the clutch is worn, might be able to adjust it might not. My 3910 has about 2200 hours on it and sometimes it is finicky to go in gear like that, you might try to rev it up then drop it to idle and it will probably shift into gear. On mine I am using the foot throttle alot when doing loader work and this is kinda what I do.

The gear lever is the one on the right, the range lever (hi-Neutral- Low) is on the left. The fuel leak is likely a line going into the pump if the tractor is running good.

 

[tom4018]

If it has been sitting a while the splines may be stuck on the shaft, if you can you may try operating it some to see if it helps.

 

[Ellie]

Thanks for the replies all. I'm going back up next weekend to have a look.

How much play should there be at the top of the clutch? The pedal has 2-3 inches of free travel before I "feel it".

-ellie

 

[tom4018]

1 to 1.5 inches should be about right, I know that is what the 30 series manual calls for.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Negative. I was not able to shift into any forward or reverse gear with the engine running, even at a dead stop.



Will do. I need to back it up to drop the FEL to get to it.

Did the engine start easily?
Yes, on the first try. The block was cold too, so no funny business.

Is the batteryand the electrics working correctly?
I got 10.? volts off, 9.2 cranking, 14.2 volts running. The lights and dash indicators work, one of the "don't run over me I'm a tractor" taillights was disconnected. I fixed it.

Does it have a block heater or a Thermostart starting aid?
It has a block heater, but it was not plugged in. I'll check to make sure it works.

Since it has a FEL, check the front end nd the steering partcularly well. FEL's are hard on these machines.
Am I just looking for bent/worn bits, or something more in depth?



Thanks for the reply.
-Ellie

The battery should read near 13V +/-0.2 V but you say it started well and at 9.2V while cranking is a good voltage under load.

Regarding the clutch issue, try pumping the clutch several times and seeing if you can get the gears turning to allow engagement of the gears. I probably have the same tranny on my Ford 4610 and it's difficult to engage whe cold sometime unless I do that. Have you looked at the tranny lube? I believe it uses UTF, not heavy gear oil. If that doesn't work, take the cover off and look at the shift forks. they maybe worn, bent etc. Take pictures as it could help with diagnosis.

Regarding the front end, watch the wheels when the tractor is moving and look for wobbles, shimmy, and at the rod ends for loosness and wear. Look at the pivot pin for looseness and wear. Do this before you take the loader off. If you can use the loader to lift the front end off the ground then you can see the slack in the pivot pin as you take the weight off the wheels.

To check the block heater, just plug it in and after about a half minute, you sure hear it sizzle. they are easy to replace and cost ~$30 so that's not a big deal.

have you checked the coolant? it should be clean with no oil in it. Start the engine and let it warm up. Look for bubbles in the coolant indicating a leaking head gasket as a minimum.

 

[Birdhunter1]

1 to 1.5 inches should be about right, I know that is what the 30 series manual calls for.

That is what the manual for my 3910 says.

 

[mostly_gas]

Since the tractor has been sitting what are the chances the clutch is frozen? Try starting it with the trannie in gear, just have plenty room in front of it