Mr2mike83 71 #1 Posted December 31, 2020 Hi guys new here. I have what I believe is a 1960 suburban 400? And it runs pretty good, has a tucumsen engine with electric start (Not currently hooked up). The tractor runs and drives and does shift into all gears. However it seems like the shifter is really loose and sloppy. Are they all like this or is there something worn/out of adjustment with mine? I did read something about another model tractor about dog point set screws but not sure if that applies to my model? Any help would be appreciated. thanks, mike 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,055 #4 Posted December 31, 2020 Welcome to the forum. The biggest cause of a sloppy shifter is the roll pin (item #51) in the shifter/donut has sheared. The pin shares the rear of the same hole as the dog-point set screw. Place the transmission in neutral before you remove the shifter so it is ready to go back in. The 933168 roll pin for the shifter donut 5/32" x 13/16" Replaced by 32121-114 spirol pin Could also be a poorly adjusted dog-point set screw (item #53). 1239 dog-point set screw 1/4-20 x 3/4" 1 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 48,834 #5 Posted December 31, 2020 (edited) Mike Appears you have a 1960 550 there. and a nice restoed one at that. Yes there should be a dog point set screw under the shifter boot. Put it in neutral and remove it. 1/8 inch allen wrench and a 7/16. Remove the shifter and inspect the hole in the upper shifter ball for wear. Inspect the dog point for wear and replace if required. Check the lower shifter ball for wear. When reinstalling tighten the dog point till snug. Do not overtighten then back off on it abit and snug the lock nut. You need a new dog point I sell them for a buck. Garry is quicker but if the roll pin is not present the shifter has been most likely been replaced with a later one. Later ones the ball is welded on with just a hole for the dog point. There is a fix if the hole is wallowed out Edited December 31, 2020 by WHX24 2 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lane Ranger 10,968 #6 Posted December 31, 2020 (edited) Yes the shifter ball end itself can wear so much as to be sloppy when shifting -after 60 years of wear not unexpected! A good welder can add some metal to the ball and round it out from the flattened or worn spots. Edited December 31, 2020 by Lane Ranger 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr2mike83 71 #7 Posted December 31, 2020 Thanks for the quick reply’s guys! I am hoping to get some time on it this weekend and investigate the shifter issue. I’ll take some better pictures and post them. Is there anything risky about pulling the shifter out? Or is it pretty straight forward. Seems simple looking at the diagram. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maxwell-8 4,277 #8 Posted December 31, 2020 5 hours ago, Mr2mike83 said: WOW, that's a nice one! Oh yeah, Welcome to Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr2mike83 71 #10 Posted January 2, 2021 Hey guys I pulled the shifter and the dog point set screw was slightly worn. So I ordered a few of them from McMaster. The shifter ball definitely has some wear but not to bad I don’t think. What has me more concerned is the inside of the case looks like it is full of mud. I am going to fill it with diesel a few times and flush it. When I re fill should I use straight 90 Ford mineral oil or can I use 80w-90? From what I understand some oils can damage brass components etc. is this a concern for these transaxles? The Ford oil say safe for brass. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. mike 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr2mike83 71 #11 Posted January 3, 2021 Well I just ran 5 gallons of diesel through it. Filled it once then drained, filled again and let sit for 3 hours then drained. Then I filled it and ran through the gears with engine running and drained. Then filled and drained a few more times. I guess it is as clean as it is going to get without disassembly. Just need to get gear oil to fill it with now 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr2mike83 71 #14 Posted January 3, 2021 I may try weld some metal on the ball and reshape it. Trying to decide if it would be better to do it with tig or mig. I’d hate to mess it up, guessing shift levers aren’t readily available Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr2mike83 71 #17 Posted January 3, 2021 That’s what I pulled out when I started 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr2mike83 71 #18 Posted January 3, 2021 There are small flat spots but don’t show up good in pictures. Not sure how much better a perfect shifter ball would feel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr2mike83 71 #19 Posted January 3, 2021 Also noticed axel seals are dripping with diesel in there. They may or not leak with 90w oil. Are the seals available if they do? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 48,834 #20 Posted January 3, 2021 Sounds like you are better equipped to do repairs than we excpected Mike. Forgive us but we do not know what newbies are capable of doing! If you repaired the shifter from post 17 to post 16 you are indeed our hero. More than likely the root cause of sloppy shifting. Yes diesel will seep out more than 80-90 will. You did the right thing on flushing tho. You are not going to mess it up ....Hang with us and we will not let you. We know these trannys inside and out and yes we can help you to try and find parts if needed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Brandt 4 #21 Posted January 22, 2021 Hi. You can get oil seals and some other parts at wheelhorsepartsandmore.com 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
