Blocking the clutch pedal when parked?

[oldnslo]

I made a wooden wedge to hold clutch down on old M Farmall so could hand crank to start in the winter. Never concerned about clutch rusting since rarely sat for more than a few days between use. Always left tractors in gear and with clutch released was parking brake since have had brake pads freeze to drums.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Have an 1965 power wagon outside that the clutch would stick when not used in months. Starter could start the truck in low gear and driving a short distance with brakes would free it up. Ditto on M59 clutch pedal hook.

Yep, put in neutral, make sure it's running good. Kill it, put in gear, start it up and drive around with clutch pedal down. Ive probably got well over 50 vehicles with clutches in them. Only dealt with one stuck one, and it wasn't mine. Just put a hot battery in it, going to get brake fluid out of shop. Ole boy started cranking right then. I'm waving my hands to stop. It was in gear and a fence was right in front of him. Don't know where he thought he was going. BOOM, broke the starter ring off the flywheel. I just stretched the welder out there and welded that ring back on. I wasn't getting into pulling an engine on a dump truck. I let it go. After I welded it, neutral, got it running, backed it up, killed it, put in forward, drove with clutch pedal down, on and off the go pedal, popped loose, and they drove it to a new home.

 

[etpm]

Leaving any machine outside in the weather for years brings about several varieties of deterioration. Worrying about clutches rusting onto flywheels is too far-fetched for anyone's reasonable concern.

When I bought my Yanmar YM2310 the clutch disc was rusted to the flywheel. The tractor hadn't been driven for two years before I bought it. There is a hook on the tractor that is supposed to be used to hold the clutch pedal down if the tractor is not going to be driven for a month or so. I was lucky that I was able to free the clutch disc from the flywheel without splitting the tractor. Yanmar didn't provide that hook just for fun.
Eric

 

[ultrarunner]

Leaving any machine outside in the weather for years brings about several varieties of deterioration. Worrying about clutches rusting onto flywheels is too far-fetched for anyone's reasonable concern.

I have ran into this several times but always after the customer had parked on dirt for more than a year…

My guess is humidity is a factor?

 

[5030]

Before I retired I drove a big truck here in Michigan hauling steel (8 axle trailer, 3 axle tractor) and while I had a dedicated trailer I pulled 95 percent of the time, when it was in for a major service I had io drop my trailer in the repair bay and hook to a spare trailer out back in the yard and invariably the brake shoes would be rusted to the cast steel drums (remember when a trailer is parked and not hooked to a tractor, the air supply to the brakes in zero so the brake shoes are tight against the drums, kept there by the springs in the brake cannisters. Anyway, I'd have to crawl under the trailer with the service air engaged and hit each drum (16 in total) with a 5 pound drilling hammer to dislodge the brake shoes from the drums and that always occurred in the dead of winter and I always froze my butt off too. One of the joys of driving a big truck.

Railroad trains operate the same way (braking), btw. Service air has to be supplied to each train car to allow the brake shoes to back off the car wheels but unlike a big truck, the brake shoes on a train car apply brake force on the outside of the steel wheel, not on the inside of a brake drum so they rarely rust and get stuck. Trains also operate at the same release pressure as a big truck, 90 psi, with a maximum air governed pressure of 130 psi.

Lots of useless information but I want to share anyway.

 

[2515R Dude]

Mine came with a metal hook to hold the clutch pedal down. I really only use it when filling up the fuel tank as it lets me sit my 8 gal tank on the floorboard without having it tip over.

Great tip, I always struggle with the tank while fueling and completely forgot about this hook.
Thanks for the reminder

 

[ptsg]

Great tip, I always struggle with the tank while fueling and completely forgot about this hook.
Thanks for the reminder

It really helps. With my tank, is right on the edge from tipping over, while it's would probably fine, I know for sure the moment I turn my back on it, the thing will tip and make a mess. It's just how it works.

With the pedal down, I can get almost the full tank on the floorboard.

 

[CH4Ohio]

You guys got me wondering if I was supposed to be using the little hook that swings up to catch the clutch pedal. I went through the manual for a Kubota L. It shows that hook in a diagram in both the "Operating" and "Maintenance" section but doesn't mention it.

Finally, at the very back under "STORAGE" this diagram is printed again, and it reads, "If you intend to store your tractor for an extended period of time, follow the procedures outlined below." Number 7 on the list is "Keep the clutch disengaged. If the clutch is left engaged for a long period of time, the clutch plate may rust, making clutch disengagement impossible at the next operation."

This overall storage procedure involves a general once-over, changing the oil, greasing exposed hydraulic cylinders, removing the battery, and putting blocks under the axles to get the tires off the ground. So while Kubota does recognize the potential for the clutch to seize up, I'd say this only applies to really long-term storage.

 

[old and tired]

....If the clutch is left engaged for a long period of time.... this only applies to really long-term storage.

What time frame defines "long period"?

I assume the Pacific North Coast would also be different than the dry air of Arizona!

I used to never use the clutch lock and it might be 5 or 6 months before getting back to my tractor. I decided that using the lock was better than ever having to deal with a stuck clutch.

 

[CH4Ohio]

What time frame defines "long period"?

I assume the Pacific North Coast would also be different than the dry air of Arizona!

I used to never use the clutch lock and it might be 5 or 6 months before getting back to my tractor. I decided that using the lock was better than ever having to deal with a stuck clutch.

I agree with you. But it's significant that Kubota only recommends this in the context of a "long period" where you'd consider putting the tractor up on blocks.