MF135 - adjusting the clutch for PTO operation

[MTemp]

Hello all.
Have just got a 1976 MF135 Perkins diesel (not Multipower - see photo below) with standard (non-ipto) PTO - 3 positions for the lever, forward for ground drive, back for live drive and neutral in the middle. Has been well cared for, but I suspect not much PTO use in the past few years. I have adjusted the clutch pedal to the correct ¾" gap per the manual.
I seem to have some issues with engaging/disengaging the PTO drive, with seemingly random things occurring.

Goes like this....

Stopped - lever can be moved to all three positions smoothly and easily.

Engine running at tick-over PTO lever in neutral. Depress clutch. Lever will go forward to ground drive, but grates badly and will not go back into live drive.
Lever back to neutral, engine off. Lever will now only go forward and neutral - will not go into live.

Leave for a few minutes. Can now get all three positions again.

Move lever to live drive and start tractor. Live drive operational. Lever can be moved to neutral, but now not forward into ground drive.
Lever back to neutral, engine off. Lever will now only go back and neutral - not forward.

Leave for few minutes. Can now get all three positions again.

Etc Etc.

Seems intuitively that something is sticking (the second clutch plate?). Any tips/thoughts on what's going on, and what I can check/do to improve things.
I have a workshop manual on order and it should arrive next week.

Thanks
Mick

 

[Birdhunter1]

On the 135 my dad used to have I found when the gears would grind and it was difficult to shift I would rev the engine and drop it to idle real fast then shift as it is winding down. I don't know what was going on internally but it seemed to help. For the 20 years I spent on that machine I don't recall ever using the ground drive pto except on a mounted seed spreader.

 

[Arc weld]

It's not uncommon to have to play with the clutch a little to engage the PTO. That's one nice 135UK!

 

[MTemp]

Need one more post to add a link so here goes ....

 

[MTemp]

And so ....

I adjusted the PTO plate spacing per the link below (I went for 1.4mm because I have a piece of sheet steel that thickness; slightly more than the 1.3mm recommended in the link) and all works fine. Goes into and out of live drive without any grating etc.

Massey Ferguson | Pressure Plate Settings

Easier to do than I expected - there isn't much space through the opening, but the bolts came undone easily enough despite being quite tight, and adjustment was simple.
Anyway, the cover was missing, so I just need the new cover to come and that should be job done.
Thanks

 

[richardlc]

Very helpful. What cover do you mean? Is this easily accessible? Many thanks.