Can’t get it in gear

[Old Tech 2]

I have been working on a Wheel Horse Commando 800 manual transmission and can’t get it in gear. I have tried adjusting both the brake rod adjustment and the clutch rod adjustment for the idler pulley. I have gotten the idler pulley adjustment all the way forward and the belt still turns the transmission drive pulley preventing it from going in gear. The belt seems super loose and you can touch it ever so slightly and get it to stop turning which lets the transmission go into gear. I had the belt guard off and I thought that putting it back on would create enough friction to stop it from turning but that didn’t help either. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Achto 26,903]

Any pictures of your set up, specially up near the engine, You may be missing some tabs on your belt guard or ??

[WHX?? 47,345]

 if I haven't already done so. 

Sounds like you may have a belt guard issue and/or incorrect belt length. 

There might be some tabs on the front of the belt guard that are worn or missing. The belt guard needs to be on and in proper condition to brake the belt for proper shifting.

There also might be a belt stop on the clutch idler that is important  as well.

The tractor should be at a complete stop for any shifting.

As Dan said... pics will tell us a thousand words. 

[Handy Don 11,013]

7 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

As Dan said... pics will tell us a thousand words. 

And forcing it into gear will do nothing but make a lot of noise and cause damage.

[Old Tech 2]

On 6/19/2023 at 6:22 PM, Old Tech said:

I have been working on a Wheel Horse Commando 800 manual transmission and can’t get it in gear. I have tried adjusting both the brake rod adjustment and the clutch rod adjustment for the idler pulley. I have gotten the idler pulley adjustment all the way forward and the belt still turns the transmission drive pulley preventing it from going in gear. The belt seems super loose and you can touch it ever so slightly and get it to stop turning which lets the transmission go into gear. I had the belt guard off and I thought that putting it back on would create enough friction to stop it from turning but that didn’t help either. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Old Tech 2]

Also has a new idler pulley and transmission drive pulley.

[Jon Paulsen 285]

 any chance the fuzzy belt could be a problem? Is the belt guard oily or is that just a reflection? 

 

(I don't know anything about these horses)

[Handy Don 11,013]

No direct experience with horses of this vintage, but from looking at some around the show I noticed that more than a few have a bent-wire guide that rubs against a slack belt -- in addition to the tab on the belt cover. BTW, that tab can be manually tweaked to be sure it rubs the slack belt and barely misses the taut belt. On later models, I’ve seen a tab on the idler pulley that rubs when the pulley moves into the “disengaged” position. Hoping another member has some images they can share.

[peter lena 8,205]

@Old Tech think the outer  TOP SIDE FRAYING IS SHOWING YOU THE FAULT , normally that would not even be an issue , belt sides are the typical wear area , and would also be smooth . think your belt guard , is off in its mounting spot , maybe even the wrong guard ? also note the belt debris  on top of rear axel area , something is rough edging that belt , and shearing it like a lathe , should not be hard to find . would not be surprised if its the wrong guard , pete

[ranger 1,683]

Is it a ‘Wrapped’ belt?, standard ‘Vee’ belts tend to ‘Grab’ more, also in the photo of the idler pulley, the belt brake ‘Tab’, fitted behind the tensioner, (Clutch) pulley, appears to be very close to the side of the belt, could that be causing the chafing?

[squonk 39,547]

Start with a new belt. Gates 7473   Napa 5L820W   Tractor supply 5L820

 

Belt guard must be on to shift trans.

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,148]

@Old TechI hand similar problem when I put a 8 speed in my Commando 800 (The famous Waldomobile ) . First problem was the rails in the trans were not aligned and the idler pulley was too large . Aligned the rails (where shifter goes into trans ) Replaced the idler pulley with on size smaller. Make sure the adjustment rod for the brake/ clutch is correct Looks like the tab on the idler pulley is touching the belt.

[rmaynard 15,010]

On the 701 that I just rebuilt, the belt guard (which has to be on to get the belt to stop) did not have any tabs. So I made sure that the top of the guard was 1/8" off the belt (with the clutch out and belt tight). See picture below.

And then I added a wire guide at the bottom also a little less than 1/8" from the belt.

For me it fixed all issues with the belt not stopping.

 

[stevasaurus 22,316]

You obviously need a new belt.  Buy the one Squonk listed and let's see how it goes.

   The belt guard is your clutch.  It stops the belt from turning so you can shift the transmission without grinding the gears.  If you do not have the cloth belt, it will grab too much and the belt will not stop rotating.  If you do have a cloth belt, check the alignment of your pulleys and whether the bearings are good...no slack in the bearings.  Are the replaced pulleys the same diameter and width??  Do not use any belt sticky stuff!!!  You need the belt to stop when you push in the clutch.  All of those adjustments you made do nothing except to adjust the height of the clutch peddle and maybe the pressure on the brake.

Edited June 29, 2023 by stevasaurus