Questions about a Farmall 300

First let me say that I"m currently into yellow tractors, but, my neighbor has a really nice 1956 300 sitting in his pasture that he"s not going to do anything with and it"s driving me nuts. The engine was just rebuilt about a year ago, the tin is excellent and it"s all there. The only problem is it won"t move. No matter what gear you put it in, it just sits there when you release the clutch. We removed the clutch disc and looked all that over and that"s fine. Does anyone have an idea where to go next. He said he"ll sell it to me for a really good price but I would really like to have some kind of idea what I might be getting myself into. I can"t stand seeing such a nice machine just sitting there. Any help appreciated.

If the Torque Amplifier is not working (on the reduction position) it will not move. If the TA has a handle (some get removed) it will be on the left side of the operators platform and just in front of the axle. It is about 30" tall, and has a flipper release on the back side of the hand grip. Put this lever forward if it is back.
(do not do this with it running, do it before trying it.)
The TA in direst drive has a small clutch (similar to the main clutch, but not as big) which drives the whole tractor in direct drive.
If the TA clutch and ramp and rollers are both out, it will not move either position of the levers. This is the most likely issue.
A TA rebuilt will cost about 650 to 700 W/O labor. Sense you had the clutch out already, you know how to split the tractor. The TA repair requires splitting one housing rearward. of the first split. If the TA levers and linkages are removed it may be necessary to remove some inspection cover/s to look at movements. If it is a TA delete tractor (which is unlikely) the above info will not apply.
A twisted out axle keyway on either side will also produce no movement of the tractor.
Blown internal trans gears, or differential gears are also possible issues, but less likely.
Do some diagnostics and get back to us. JimN

Thanks, Jim. That's a lot of information and I'm going to file it away in case I buy the thing. He said I can have it for $500. If I do have to rebuild the TA, I'll have $1200 in it just to get it moving. I don't know much about Farmalls so I don't know what a restored 300 is worth. When I finish with it, it'll be ready for the parade and/or the farm. What do well restored 300s sell for?

Real restore full nut and bolt. 3000 to 4000.
Good user with paint 2000+ with good tires. JimN

Is it possible that it is just stuck in two gears? If that is the case it is a simple and EASY fix, just remove the shifter and realign the shifting forks. There is alot of answers to this on this forum

I'd say $500 is a steal. Buy it and check more into the problem. My Dad has a 1956 300 that used to be Grandpa's. He used to have a problem with it getting stuck in two gears, I can't remember how he fixed that, but maybe that is whats wrong with yours. Also make sure the TA is in hi-range in case it slips.

TA is only $700 if you replace the whole thing, if that's the problem. Just replacing ramp and rollers, and maybe clutch, is a lot less than that.

If it was stuck in two gears, it would stall when you let out the clutch. Sorry to dash your hopes on that one.

The thing about the clutch is, you can't tell by looking if it's good or bad. My Super H's clutch (same as 300) wouldn't release. I took it out and it "looked fine." Could not tell the difference between it and a new clutch.

Pop out the shifter assembly. Build up the tip of the lever. If you've got one without a problem it helps to have it handy to grind the freshened one to the right shape. It's possible the pins may be worn. My SM has the one pin replaced with a 1/2" bolt. Some drilling required.