I’ll have more time in the coming days to observe and fiddle based on your advice. I’ll follow up after if explored some things, I’ve got a few thoughts from your info and advice. Thanks, I’ll be back
Ok, so I’ve got the PTO just about fixed/adjusted to where it almost doesn’t grind at all, and if you go pretty slow when engaging it , it doesn’t grind. Very happy about that. Acting on the information in these posts I had a much better idea of what was supposed to be happening and wasn’t. As far as the PTO clutch the linkage which I had previously adjusted (unsuccessfully ) wasn’t as much the issue as the lever it connected to that goes into the side of the transmission mid area. That arm was very sloppy where the 2 linkage’s connected. This tractor is very “used” and probably had a million adjustments over time by plenty of people. Someone had tried to fix a sloppy connection point with a plastic piece.. it looks like a milk jug cap(?) which might have worked along the way but not sure and certainly wasn’t long term or right. I made a brass “bushing” to fit and it’s much more solid now with basically no sloppy movement. I could, and may, keep adjusting it but it works much better now.
The travel clutch is still a little “short on linkage travel” but I discovered that if I put the gear shift into a rearward gear, 1 or 3, then moved it into 2 or 4 it hardly grinds. I know it’s not fixed, but until I do more it’ll be better than not doing anything different.
I was able to finish my mowing for a few months so I’ve got a little time to do a few things. I’m going to clean, pressure wash etc the whole thing and dive into more adjustments. I just did the fuel injection pump on my John Deere 5500 and it runs much better so I’m going to do this one as well. I’m probably going to do the hydraulic fluid as previously mentioned as it seems like it’s time. I’m attaching a pic if someone can tell me if there is only one point to put hydraulic oil into this tractor.
I've marked the pic with 3 arrows, is the red arrow the only spot to add the almost 12 gal hydraulic fluid? The yellow is my dipstick and is the blue one where a hydraulic line might go if you have a loader or backhoe?? Thanks again