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re; bent screwdriver


dav-1

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i have a Landlord stuck in gear, maybe 2 gears as it will not budge and will not go into neutral. i have just watched Zippo's video on the screwdriver. my question is; after using the bent screwdriver to get the trannie shifting right, is it fixed? or is this an emergency repair until the trannie can be split and internal work done in it?

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The problem that is resolved with the bent screwdriver trick is usally caused by not coming to a complete stop before shifting gears.

I had one tractor that it never again was a problem but had a second tractor that jammed again.

Most people I spoke to who have used the screwdriver method have never had a problem again. 

Edited by fishnwiz
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thanks. that is exactly what caused the problem- shifting while rolling forward. i have only been inside one of these gearboxes once, to change a broken tube. i would rather not go inside one again

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I don't blame you on going in.

The screwdriver trick can be a little tricky  at times. I have had both good and bad experiences while using it. Be sure to watch Zippo video a few times so you know beforehand what it is your trying to achieve.

Best of luck!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Who's this mysterious Zippo dude? lmao....The problem won't return so long as you are sure to positively shift and only when stopped. What happens is the ball on the shift rod and the shift gate on the tractor are "close to perfect" when the tractors are new. As they age, the tabs wear and the shifter ball wears, giving you a tiny window where you can actually create an X shift instead of an H shift, and this is when you get between gears. So, positive H shifts and the problem won't return. Zip~

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1 hour ago, ZippoVarga said:

Who's this mysterious Zippo dude? lmao...

Some guy who visits the site from time to time when he is not out shooting videos of garden tractors!sm00

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Just now, ZippoVarga said:

Ohhhhhh!!! Are his videos any good? I've heard he can be a Douche lmao666

I'ld say yes. Don't know about Douche Imao ?

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2 hours ago, ZippoVarga said:

Who's this mysterious Zippo dude? lmao....The problem won't return so long as you are sure to positively shift and only when stopped. What happens is the ball on the shift rod and the shift gate on the tractor are "close to perfect" when the tractors are new. As they age, the tabs wear and the shifter ball wears, giving you a tiny window where you can actually create an X shift instead of an H shift, and this is when you get between gears. So, positive H shifts and the problem won't return. Zip~

I have ran into this problem driving older vehicles with a "3 on the tree"

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1 minute ago, Missouri Blacksmith said:

I have ran into this problem driving older vehicles with a "3 on the tree"

After the worn column linkage on an old Ford Falcon cost me two transmissions by hanging between gears, I cut a hole in the floorboard and put in a Hurst floor shifter...  666

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33 minutes ago, 720nut said:

yeah, power shifting, it'll do her every time.  I know 666

Way off topic, but this is the best shifter (stock or aftermarket) that I've ever used.  My '62 Vette with a Borg-Warner T-10 tranny came with it stock.  Spring loaded with NO REAL GATES -- just grab it and jam it toward a corner.  So short that the distance of the "throw" was not an issue.  Pull up on the reverse lockout when needed...  

st-200_67.jpg

I could power-shift the 327-340hp from 1st to 2nd and it would torque twist and lift the left front tire about a foot off the ground.... bone stock.  

For some reason, the column shifters on old Fords seemed more unforgiving than the Chevies.  On the Chevies, the weight of your hand/arm was enough to hit 2nd.  On Fords, you had to maneuver the gate on the H pattern... and it was an expensive lesson to learn! :)

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3 hours ago, 720nut said:

I'ld say yes. Don't know about Douche Imao ?

Did not know Zipp did some of his vids  with  french subtitles? 

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5 hours ago, Kent said:

After the worn column linkage on an old Ford Falcon cost me two transmissions by hanging between gears, I cut a hole in the floorboard and put in a Hurst floor shifter...  666

My first 3 cars were Falcons (spent a total of $15 for all 3) and I had to do the same thing, but I popped for a cheap floor shifter, and it worked great and could even power shift it ("power shifting" with a 1962 Falcon 2dr sedan 6cyl would drop a whole second off your 5 min 1/4 mile time).  I never wreaked a transmission but many times I had to pull over after shifting into 2nd and go under the hood and untangle the linkages.  1st gear the shift lever was in my lap and in 2nd the shift lever was over center straight up and down.

Edited by MikeES
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I was a student in college, taking Auto Mechanics, so this was probably in 1976. I drove a taxi in Norfolk, NE for a week.  The fleet consisted of worn-out late ‘60s Chevies. One had the ol’ three-on-the-tree shifter. I was instructed that to shift it w/o getting it stuck in two gears, when coming out of 1st, tap reverse, then down & up to 2nd. No problem, right? Well, One night I dropped off a drunk vet at the Regional Center.  Old institutional buildings, poor lighting, and just plain spooky.  As I started to leave, stuck it in 1st/2nd. Called in on the radio, he told me to NOT MESS WITH IT, he’d be right out. I had rebuilt a 1946 Ford, so I figured I could see if I could fix it, save him a trip.  Got out, fiddled with it, got it fixed in about a minute. Called him back, said it was okay.  He told me to STAY PUT.  He got there, saw it was fixed, then CUSSED ME OUT for messing with it! I told him I was a mechanic, I knew what I was doing.  He told me to take the taxi back to the shop and go home. I did, he never called me in to drive anymore.

Later I bought a 1966 Ford Custom 500. 6 cylinder, three-on-the-tree. Shifter was messed up, so I had a Hurst “T” floor shifter with the aluminum handle installed. I had a broken right hand so couldn't do it myself.  It was winter, I had a partial cast so I could not wear a glove, and that shifter was COLD! My girlfriend, Shari (now wife), was good at crocheting so I had her crochet a cover for the handle. We were at her parent's house that weekend, had been dating about 4 months. As she was crocheting a grey "something" about 6" long and an inch in diameter, her Dad asked her what it was for. She replied, "It's for Gary's, uh, [she couldn't think of the word "shifter"], thing."
He roared with laughter, and I quickly informed him what it really was for!

Edited by Hick
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Ya know I was just thinking that the bent screw driver would also work on a Hurst shifter to align the shift rods.

So really we're not far off line with this topic, just bigger vehicle. Just my $.02

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I remember a shift problem when Iwas in college in 1961.  I had a 1956?  Sunbeam Talbot convertible and the linkage for reverse broke - I was too and probably couldn't find parts anyway.  An unbent clothes hanger snaked down through the floor and bent to the lever on the transmission worked well -- well it worked anyway.  Got me through until a few years after graduation and a thrown rod.

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23 hours ago, 720nut said:

Ya know I was just thinking that the bent screw driver would also work on a Hurst shifter to align the shift rods.

So really we're not far off line with this topic, just bigger vehicle. Just my $.02

Yeah I didn't mean to hijack this thread. I don't know much about tractors/ garden tractors but I used to be a mechanic and I try and relate the two when trying to understand how to repair them.

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IMO

That's what sets THIS site apart from the rest....no such thing as "off topic " or hijacking.  Just a bunch of good ol boys jacking our jaws about good times and items we all can relate to. Just like it would be if we were all sitting around a members shop BSing....Eventually the answers you seek are revealed but in a round about way! dOd

 

Edited by fishnwiz
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8 hours ago, fishnwiz said:

IMO

That's what sets THIS site apart from the rest....no such thing as "off topic " or hijacking.  Just a bunch of good ol boys jacking our jaws about good times and items we all can relate to. Just like it would be if we were all sitting around a members shop BSing....Eventually the answers you seek are revealed but in a round about way! dOd

 

Well said !

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