Clutch in or out?

[bwssr]

So, I have a new l3200...3 weeks now..I only get up to the land once a month or so. Should I park the tractor with the clutch pedal depressed and locked or just let it stay let out? I have..soon to be sold a Yanmar that the clutch is froze...I sure don't want this issue with the new one.
Thanks all!
Bruce

 

[The Toolman]

Park it where it can't get wet or humid. No Dampness if Possible, thats your problem.

Out, you have a chance of it rusting to the plate or flywheel----In, you have a good chance of weakening the clutch springs over that length of time an the clutch will slip when ya need it. Pick yer Poison......

 

[bwssr]

man...near Houston we ALWAYS have humidity....I'll just run her often. Thanks!

 

[Stumpy]

While solving the symptom not the problem you could tie the clutch down when putting it away and prevent the disc from rusting to the flywheel. However I wouldn't because when springs are stored under high loads then tend to normalize slightly in this new shape. The result is the spring is weaker and slightly shorter when unloaded. Also you would be risking the throwout bearing rusting to the pressure plate fingers.

You store it outside I take it? You can do better by parking it over ground that doesn't hold moisture. Concrete with a slope being the best and a muddy low spot being the worst. Cut yourself a grade with your new machine and then pour a slab on a slight angle so it drains well.

Also Vic mentioned a trick the other day for unsticking rusted clutches. Start the tractor in gear and get it to a straight away with some room and a surface with decent grip. Shut it down and start up again in a medium gear (you want to get up above 5mph) and set your throttle lever to 3/4. Once you're up to speed put the clutch in and slam on the brakes. It'll probably stall once or twice but that ought brake it free. Be careful not to lock the brakes. It shouldn't be a problem at low speeds like this but fish tailing something with that high a center of gravity is nothing to fool around with. I nearly flipped a four wheeler with rear brakes once fishing tailing it.

 

[284 International]

If your other tractor had the clutch rust in, I don't see why a different one wouldn't be more of the same. The Yanmar may have 30 years of use on it, but the process of corrosion is what it is. Like the others said, cut a place for a slab, but I would be hard pressed to not block the clutch if I knew it had given me trouble before. The Yanmars and old Kubotas used to come shipped with a special block of wood to partially depress the clutch when storing the machine.

As Stumpy said, there are also some tricks to getting the clutch unstuck. If nothing else, it may help you fetch more money for the Yanmar.

 

[bwssr]

Thanks folks...I do have a covered area were I park, and is sandy lumy soil..is drains well and fast.

 

[RDR]

With the humidity around here it doesn't matter if it is in a shed or not. My tractors sit outside with no problem. Some tractors have more problems than others. Don't know why.

We had 3 trucks sitting in the same shed. The 1960 Ford V8 and 1977 straight six never stuck. The 1964 V8 would stick. I would start it and warm it up. Then I would start it in 1st gear, drive out on the road with the clutch depressed. I would shift into 2nd, clutch depressed and floor it. It always broke loose by 3rd gear.

 

[The Toolman]

A lot of it has to do with the material they use to make the clutch disc itself also.