T353 shuttle shift lever problem

[eddiekro]

The pivot for the forward / reverse lever is welded in place. The effort to shift has become increasingly hard until finally the pivot shaft broke. My neighbor welded it back in place but low and behold it's broken again within a few weeks. Has anyone else experienced this and if so how did you ultimately fix it?

 

[ptsg]

I was checking the parts manual and looks like it uses a cable for the shuttle shift. That would be the first thing to checkout, to see if it moves freely as those tend to get stuck over time since there is no really good way to lubricate.

 

[eddiekro]

I was checking the parts manual and looks like it uses a cable for the shuttle shift. That would be the first thing to checkout, to see if it moves freely as those tend to get stuck over time since there is no really good way to lubricate.

Thanks ptsg, I have checked that but not very thoroughly. I did notice it operates smoothly when the pivot shaft is correctly and firmly in place. I'm thinking as the pivot shaft becomes loose it begins to bind. My issue right now is welding the shaft again or looking for an alternative fix. It's not as if I can buy a larger assembly and replace that because the shaft is welded to the frame that supports the dash / steering

 

[ptsg]

Wondering if the pivot shaft can be welded to a small plate and then have the plate bolted to the frame using probably 4 bolts.

Welding the pin back in place can be tricky and hard to have good weld.

 

[eddiekro]

Agree PTSG. I took it to a local fabricator and for now he welded the shaft back in place, however if it comes loose again we came up with a plan to add a U-shaped support on both sides of the shaft to prevent the over torqueing of the shaft.
I do appreciate the feedback.

 

[ptsg]

Cool! At least you got it fixed for now and already have a plan in case it fails.

Thanks for giving us an update on the situation. We often don't get to hear if the issue got fixed or whatever happened. So it's nice get some feedback.