AUTO 18 FEL CLUTCH TO ENGAGE ARK 550 WORN OUT?

[wheelhorse-c-161-1979 117]

Well as I fix one thing on my good ol' 1973 auto 18, the next weakest link needs attention.

 

The tractor an ARK 550 was working like a charm as I moved chords of wood from on old oak that had fallen.

 

Then all of a sudden when I engaged the clutch lever on the left side of the tractor, to engage the hydro  pump powering the ARK 550. The FEL stays down. No motion at all.  It appears that the pulley that is some type of clutch directly off of the front of the engine doesn't engage and drive the belt anymore.  I'm not sure exactly what the protocol is. So before I make things worse wanted some feedback on someone who went down that road.  I took a few pics of the problem area. What do I take apart and where do I start?  

 

Thank you again for your guidance and wisdom!

 

Jack

["D"- Man 827]

Have you checked to see if the hook assembly is intact?  The reason I ask is because it seems from the pics the inner and outer clutch plate facings are both showing plenty of pad thickness, if the hook assembly part #103036 {shown in the pics I have attached to this post} is broken this may be the problem.  

[pfrederi 17,742]

Did you try adjusting the engagement rod?

 

[wheelhorse-c-161-1979 117]

Thanks the quick help.

I tried adjusting the engagement rod but it is maxed out so there's no more room to go. What did work as a temp fix was to push the rod end which has the spring, and put pressure sideways pushing it towards the right side of the tractor.

I'm not sure what #103036 is from your pic, but that is one georgous looking engine!

I'm gonna have to hunt down the manual that describes that part.

[Austin860 82]

I have that piece twin is talking about laying around somewhere If ya need it. Let me know, austin. To tighten it, you have to disconnect the pto yolk, and thread the bolt farther in. Then it should press tighter to plate.

[wheelhorse-c-161-1979 117]

Hi Austin, thank you for that I'm trying to find the 73 Koheler 18hp manual so I can see how to take it apart.

[Marv 924]

The hook Twin is referring to is shown in the picture on the right. It is directly below the silver bolt head on the red plate. It is possible the threads in the plate have worn out from the hook being loose and finally gave away. That would mean there is no longer an anchor for the yoke so the yoke could not force the clutch to engage.

Marvin

[wheelhorse-c-161-1979 117]

Yes the hook assembly seems ok, though I'll check it again. I found the manual with the breakdown. If the rod is fully extended, what other adjustment options do I have? If the clutch is worn out, is it possible to put new clutch padding on?

 

Is there a way of tightening the clutch? I have uploaded the diagram. Perhaps someone can give me some tips on how to get the pully to spin again when lever is engaged. Thanks again

Jack

[Marv 924]

If bearing #14-22 is bad or an ear on 14-21 is broken off it might cause your problem.

Marvin

[wheelhorse-c-161-1979 117]

Well guys, the beauty of old school stuff is that just about anything can be fixed with a a screwdriver clamps or plyers.

By just turninf the clutch rod which has a natural bend in it, all of a sudden my hydro pump started working again.

A great day of clearing out lots of logs!

Then.... All of a sudden I lost all hydro power to the ark 550 bucket. The bucket just went limp. The arm raises up and down perfectly, but the hydro cylinders for the bucket suddenly stopped working.

My guess now is its probably the main controller?

Any hunches? Slowly but surely I'm replacing one part at a time and rebuilding this horse!

Kinda reminds me of the old Johnny Cash song where he built his own cadddy one part at at a time, except it's costing me lots of dimes lol. Not a problem, I fully expected to have to keep replacing the weakest links for a while to get this 41 year old horse running like a four year old.

Thanks for any pointers on the bucket hydro failure.

Jack

Edited October 20, 2014 by wheelhorse-c-161-1979

[pfrederi 17,742]

Assuming your do not have hydro fluid spurting out somewhere and the reservoir is full then it certainly sounds like the valve bank has a problem. Does the control handle move about the same as always and try to spring back to neutral position?

[wheelhorse-c-161-1979 117]

Yes, both control handles seem to move fine, springing back. The lift one raises the arm up and down, but the bucket pivot arm does nothing. The bucket just remains limp.,

Is the controller valve a simple disassemble and reassemble?

Thanks.

[pfrederi 17,742]

In my case Clint said it best when it comes to hydraulics..."a man has got to know his limitations".   I take things like that to a hydro repair place.... a big one that has garbage trucks, snow plows etc. parked out side...

[wheelhorse-c-161-1979 117]

I hear ya loud n clear!!!    Hydraulics is above my pay-grade  I know i could probably buy a replacement from northerntool but I'd like to keep the  ol' horse as stock as possible!

I'll keep you posted.

 

Jack