L3300 PTO rear won't disengage

selta

New member

Equipment
L3300 w/ loader & backhoe
May 18, 2024
7
0
1
WA
Hello!
Newbie to the forums here :)
Late last year, I bought a well used L3300 which had about 2750 hours on it. Overall it ran well with minimal issues. It had a loader and backhoe, both of which have come in handy for me.

I recently bought a rotary cutter, and for the first time took off the backhoe. Pain free process, that. I noticed though, that the rear PTO never turned off. I hopped back onto the tractor and ensured that the on/off lever was in the OFF position. Even moved it to ON then back to OFF in case something was just stuck. When moving it to ON, it has some friction/resistance, but not a lot (I'm mostly used to old Oliver tractors and similar where it was a bit more force to get the PTO engaged). I checked the cable and it seems secure / not broken, and the lever moves freely at the housing (where it connects - up near the filter). I'm not sure it's moving enough, but, it does move probably about an inch, give or take. I attached a couple of photos of it in both positions. Is my problem as simple as adjusting this? I've read other posts (which is what led me to register here - seems to be an awesome community) which mention similar issues with L3300s and needing to split them, which I'm not at all inclined to do since I've never done it before.

This tractor does have a mid PTO as well, and I made sure that the Mid PTO selector lever was set to disengage, but I didn't crawl under it to see if it's always-on as well.

The rear PTO does disengage when the clutch pedal is depressed.

I also found two blue wires coming off a contact switch for the rear PTO lever. I assume this is a safety to prevent the tractor from starting if the PTO is engaged, and the previous owner wanted that bypassed for some reason. I can't find what those should connect to though, so I may just leave them as-is unless they serve another purpose. Yes, I'll always ensure the PTO is disengaged, and if I can find what they connect to, I'll fix it up :)
 

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North Idaho Wolfman

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The PTO engagement on that is not mechanical it hydraulic, that is valve.
You need the WSM to find out what is happening or what is not.
Being stuck on is not normally the way they fail.
 
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selta

New member

Equipment
L3300 w/ loader & backhoe
May 18, 2024
7
0
1
WA
Interesting. How does one get their hands on "WSM"?
 

selta

New member

Equipment
L3300 w/ loader & backhoe
May 18, 2024
7
0
1
WA
Ok, got my hands on WSM. I think I found some clues in my first quick skim. I don't want to come across as argumentative or anything here buuuut....
I didn't realize it, but the L3300 could be optioned with both an Independent and a Transmission PTO. Given that my rear PTO disengages when I push the clutch in, that is leading me to believe I have the Transmission spec'd version. That'll be annoying when mowing, but, I can deal with it.

Also, looking through it, it does look like the Transmission PTO version doesn't have the clutch that the Independent one would. So I think my only real option is actually to try adjusting that and see if it works. If not, it'd be time to split the tractor, and I won't be doing that... or paying the (guessing very high) shop time for it.
 

eserv

Well-known member

Equipment
BX24, A1000 Kubota Generator
May 27, 2009
2,140
139
63
Hardisty, Alberta
Ok, got my hands on WSM. I think I found some clues in my first quick skim. I don't want to come across as argumentative or anything here buuuut....
I didn't realize it, but the L3300 could be optioned with both an Independent and a Transmission PTO. Given that my rear PTO disengages when I push the clutch in, that is leading me to believe I have the Transmission spec'd version. That'll be annoying when mowing, but, I can deal with it.

Also, looking through it, it does look like the Transmission PTO version doesn't have the clutch that the Independent one would. So I think my only real option is actually to try adjusting that and see if it works. If not, it'd be time to split the tractor, and I won't be doing that... or paying the (guessing very high) shop time for it.
It could be that the spring is broken that pushes the lever out of gear. They broke fairly regularly! Or the lever is seized where it goes into the housing
 

selta

New member

Equipment
L3300 w/ loader & backhoe
May 18, 2024
7
0
1
WA
It could be that the spring is broken that pushes the lever out of gear. They broke fairly regularly! Or the lever is seized where it goes into the housing
Thanks for the ideas! I looked in WSM and I don't see a mention of a spring. Can you elaborate on that a bit? if it's easy or simple to get to I'll check that out.
The lever seems to move, though I don't know what the full range of motion should be, so it could be that it's not moving enough.
 

eserv

Well-known member

Equipment
BX24, A1000 Kubota Generator
May 27, 2009
2,140
139
63
Hardisty, Alberta
Thanks for the ideas! I looked in WSM and I don't see a mention of a spring. Can you elaborate on that a bit? if it's easy or simple to get to I'll check that out.
The lever seems to move, though I don't know what the full range of motion should be, so it could be that it's not moving enough.
Spring 020 in this diagram
 

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selta

New member

Equipment
L3300 w/ loader & backhoe
May 18, 2024
7
0
1
WA
Spring 020 in this diagram
Perfect, thank you! I haven't looked on my tractor just yet, but, I'll check it out tomorrow or Tuesday. Found the part on messicks already too. Hopefully it's something as simple as that :)
 

selta

New member

Equipment
L3300 w/ loader & backhoe
May 18, 2024
7
0
1
WA
Well, unfortunately, it's not the spring. The cable (and lever it's attached to, part 30 in that diagram PDF) move freely, and if I move the lever with my hand, it snaps right back into position. So I think it might be something deeper, and, I don't think I can be fussed to deal with that (or pay a shop to).
 

selta

New member

Equipment
L3300 w/ loader & backhoe
May 18, 2024
7
0
1
WA
For those following along, or who come by later with similar...
I took it apart as much as possible without splitting the tractor. Everything moves fine, nothing is frayed/broken, and it all fits together (i.e. not even loose) fine. Put it all back together, and, still not able to disengage the rear PTO.
That's where I'm walking away from this issue :). I'm sure there's a path forward to getting it working, but, I'm also sure it's either time intensive, or money intensive (or both). At some point I'll just get a new tractor, so sinking the money into this isn't worth it at this point. I'm a bit bummed that a tractor with good service history, always barn kept, and overall had an easy ~2700 hours has this issue, but, crap happens sometimes.