M clutch replacement

I need to replace the clutch on my 1948 Farmall M. Does anyone know what service manual or supplement covers this procedure in detail?

The I&T IH8 manual covers it.

Unfortunately, I&T manuals don't cover ANYTHING with much detail. As a general rule, the most help it gives you is, "remove the clutch."

If you're looking for a step-by-step "Time Life" book on replacing the clutch, you won't find it. Even the IH service manuals were written for a trained/experienced mechanic.

Fortunately, it's pretty obvious what needs to be done once you look. There aren't that many parts in there, and a few minutes of studying the setup should yield a "Ohhhhhh! That's how it goes together!" epiphany if you're mechanically inclined.

The disk and PP can be removed W/O splitting.
Remove the belly pump, Remove the Coupling to the trans input shaft, If the PP has three bolt holes in the rearward facing surface at each lever, remove three (120 apart) bolts from the PP to FW, and put them in these holes. This compresses the clutch allowing fredom of motion.
Pull out the clutch shaft (it does come out!!)
and remove the PP and disk. Note the direction of the disk!!
The only issue is that the FW cannot be refaced while in the tractor, so if it is deeply scored, it will need to be split to machine it. Tiny scoring that is barely able to be felt with a fingernail is OK. JimN

Huh?

I'm LOL a little at "Fortunately, it's pretty obvious what needs to be done once you look." It reads like the line in some of the manuals (both IH and I&T) that goes something like, "Steps for removal of the whatchamacallit will be evident upon removal of the whatzit." I've hit that dead end more than once! But, these old girls are pretty simple in their construction, and a book or two, a little noodling, and some common sense in regard to both safety and the fine art of wrenching will usually get a job done. All that and coming here for guidance when you're stumped.

I think Par 188-200 in the I&T IH-8 actually go into a good bit of detail on clutch R&R, and more so on Hs and Ms (197-200) than on As, Bs and Cs. It starts with the removal of the belly pump, with a reference to the section to get you through that, how to use three cover bolts to unload the clutch, and goes so far as to list what all has to be removed by those folks "lucky" enough to be working on an M that requires it. I don't see what's lacking.

As far as the IH manuals, the Blue Ribbon Service Manual for the A&B is pretty weak on clutch info, and I don't know that those for the C,H or M should be any better in that regard. They do reference the service training guide for clutch service, which is carried both by the store on this site and by Binder Books. Having never seen that manual, I could only guess whether it has any better step-by-step guide to R&R than the I&T. Could be that it only deals with issues like specs and tolerances, turning of flywheels and the like, but it may also detail procedures and order of work to get the belly pump out of the way and splitting in those cases that that is necessary. Maybe someone who has one will chime in, as $30some is a bit chancy to shell out for something that may not have what you want in it for information.

Yes, any manual specific to these tractors will assume some level of experience or training. They weren't written for a fellow whose first venture into a motor or clutch or transmission is on one of these tractors. They won't tell you what size or type wrenches to use. They won't have any instruction on safe jacking, blocking and hoisting. They don't warn you how heavy the belly pump is. My view is that those gaps are filled in by the contributors here sharing their experience and tips, stuff that isn't in the books. We sort of take the place of the IH training program for their techs.

The other thing I've found awfully useful to have around when I get into projects like that is the parts catalog. H had some odd names for things, and names that might apply to two different things you might see while lying under the tractor. The manuals sometimes have limited parts diagrams that apply to some of their procedures, but the parts catalog can be a wonderful and useful thing when those diagrams are inadequate and don't answer your question.

So I guess I agree, there is no single Better Homes and Gardens manual. With or without experience backing you up, it sometimes takes two or three books to analyze a problem and fix it.

I wold add a trick I learned on this site.

When reinstalling the pump, use long threaded rods to slowly lift the pump while you guide it into place.

I just finished mine yesterday on a 1949 farmall m. I ended up replacing the bearing to. I did it all without splitting the tractor and like yours I have the 11 inch disk. Let me know if you have any questions and I can walk you through it. Puting the pump back in was the hardest. I did it by myself with out any lift or rods but wouldnt suggest it.

Thanks for the info guys. I've got the general service manual and a parts catalog, and a bit of experience from having the M for 5 years or so, but this is the first clutch I've done. I'll check the references you mentioned and will keep you posted.

Can you do it on a Super M (No TA) the same way? It has a 12" plate...

(quoted from post at 17:21:02 04/07/09) Can you do it on a Super M (No TA) the same way? It has a 12" plate...

Click to expand...

No - not on a Super M with the 12" clutch.
mike