MF 35 clutch cover bolt size

[congo181]

Hi all.
New here, so go easy on me and my Fergy!
Trying to fit a front loader to the old girl (the tractor, not the wife) and there are some bits missing it seems.

I have 3 studs which I am pretty sure are used to bolt the main cross member onto the tractor at the clutch inspection plate.
Firstly, I need 4 studs, and secondly, 2 of them are seized solid.

So to the question: Whats the thread of the holes in the clutch inspection cover on a MF35?

Cheers, and nice to be here,
Jim

 

[shona13]

G,Day congo181.
Firstly may I welcome you as a new member to the forum and I am sure others will join me in doing the same and you will no doubt enjoy the interaction and the interesting subjects that are all here ,from chainsaws to lawnmowers and everything in between again welcome.
Answer to your questions ,the Studs are 5/8 " UNC (11 TPI)X 3 " LONG.
To remove the seized studs use a 24 inch stilson although seized they are seized into cast and generally it does not take much to get them undone ,just Grunt a bit harder , Make sure before fitting new studs that the holes have been thoroughly cleaned out that is no debris left in the holes when fitting the new studs maybe use some loctite thread locker to stop them coming undone as generally with a front end loader this part of the frame gets a good workout ,anyway that is the answer to your question .
Happy Days .
Hutch.

 

[congo181]

Hi Hutch and thanks for the reply.
The bolts in the tractor are not siezed, only the nuts that are on 2 of the loose studs that came with the front loader (yet to be fitted).
As there are only 3 studs, 2 of which are alreday siezed (I even tried gas on them), I'll probably just get 4 new ones. Is it dry under that clutch inspection plate dya know?

Also, the studs have different threads one end to the other - I have assumed that they are supposed to replace the 4 cover bolts, and the the loader cross-member is held onto the studs with nuts.
I wonder why the different threads though?

Cheers for your reply anyhow - I'll go but some studs and nuts tomorrow.
Jim

 

[shona13]

G,Day Jim.
That is correct the studs are 3/4" UNC one end and 3/4" UNF the other end If you are near a massey dealer you can still buy them .The nuts are 3/4 " unf of course and they should be either NYLOC or METALOCK type ,stops them coming undone.
The different threads are to do with the securing strength of the stud ,cast iron being a brittle metal works better with the coarse thread which has a deeper profile and more metal between the threads,
when you get the new ones compare them and you will see the difference.

Yes it should be dry inside the clutch housing when you take the plate of ,if the rear crankshaft seal on the engine or the gearbox input shaft seal are leaking there will be a little oil in there,undo the plate slowly

Happy Days
Hutch.

 

[shona13]

G,Day congo181.
After re reading my reply. Mistake .
The loader studs as said in my initiall reply are 5/8" NOT 3/4" Diameter, the Draw bar mounting plate is 3/4 ".
happy Days.
Hutch.

 

[congo181]

Hi Hutch.
I did spot the two sizes given. I have taken one of the bolts out to check and they are indeed 5/8" but its still nice to have confirmation.
My local MF dealer doesnt have the studs in stock, and the online one wants £3 +vat each.
The bolts holding the plate on are at least 2 1/2" each, which I am considering using to hold the cross member on insead of the studs. What dya think?
Jim

 

[shona13]

G,Day congo181.
I would suggest using the studs they being stronger in the fact that they are high tensile and are possibly less likely to loosen of when in use, if there is a Caterpillar Dealer near you ,you could possibly buy studs from them if not buy high tensile bolts Grade eight would do, measure everything up the bolt holes in the transmission housing should be 1.1/2" deep measure with a screwdriver and measure the thickness of the loader frame then work out the MAXIMUM LENGTH bolt you can use dont forget spring washers Caterpillar make good strong Washers allow 1/4 " clearance in the length of the bolts and when you have the loader fitted and everything is good remove one bolt at a time and apply some loctite Thread locker the blue one then you can get the bolts out if need be or alternativly make some lock washers out of 1/8 " sheet metal maybe an old hillman mudguard would do.
there ya go .
happy Days.
Hutch.

 

[congo181]

OK - studs it is then.... You've persuaded me No Hillman around - what about a morris minor?

One of the rams just let go its old (very very old) hydraulic fluid all down my left leg - deep joy! Good job the wife is out
How bad can rams get and still work? Mine have lots of rust patches on them - shame they were left extended when dumped in that field.

 

[shona13]

G,day congo181.

The minor would do but the tin is not as thick !!!!!:laughing:.

The ram ,you can go a couple of ways both require the ram or rams to be stripped down once stripped the rams can be ground and rechromed ,this usually cost an arm and a leg.

The other way is to buy material ,Ram steel can be bought standard size already hard Chromed and most good machine shops can machine the material using the old one for measurements,
You would still need to replace the swiveling track rod /ram rod end as described earlier, not forgetting to replace all seals at the same time .

I did at one time use a ram repair compound it was a long time ago and i seem to, remember it was much like The plastic metal products available from motor factors
this usually comes with instructions like roughing up the area of concern and reshaping with a file and finishing of with fine emery it did work and I did not hear back from the customer ,So did it work or not ????? it would not cost that much to try it of course strip the rams down and replace ALL seals.

Happy Days.