# Shipper Shaft replacement



## bobmckinney (Oct 17, 2011)

Have an 'X' factor Gravely Model L; completely repainted with red paint, covering all stickers, plates, etc, so can't really tell anything about serial numbers.

Anyway. the slipper shaft broke. Ordered new shaft & guide online from Richard's. 

How easy should it be to get that shaft into the guide? It's got to turn freely once in place, and I don't really like to pound on it, but it looks like that's what I'm going to have to do.

Am I missing something?


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## Richard-tx (Jan 30, 2011)

There is nothing about the shipper shaft that requires any pounding. If you cannot slide the shaft into the housing, something is wrong. Send the parts back as they are defective.

I assume you are trying to put these two pieces together.


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## bobmckinney (Oct 17, 2011)

Well. Got everything installed. Cranked the motor and finally got the PTO to engage. 

No engage.

The shipper shaft has broken again. I'm just really happy. And not really impressed with Gravely.


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## Richard-tx (Jan 30, 2011)

bobmckinney said:


> Well. Got everything installed. Cranked the motor and finally got the PTO to engage.
> 
> No engage.
> 
> The shipper shaft has broken again. I'm just really happy. And not really impressed with Gravely.


Assuming it is assembled correctly, there is one thing that will cause breakage and that is installing an attachment with the PTO in the engaged position. This little fact is mentioned in many of the owner's manuals. Sadly this was not mentioned in some of the L manuals. It was mentioned in the C10 and later manuals.

If that is what happened, don't feel that you are the only one to make that mistake. I have done it myself.

Manuals are available at oldgravelys.net

If you could post some pictures of what you are dealing with, it would be helpful.

The same basic PTO shipper shaft has been used virtually unchanged for all of the two wheel gravely tractors from the earliest model L to the latest Pro series - a span of at least 75 years. It is a reliable design provided the PTO is disengaged when attachments are installed.

There is one addition that Gravely made that improved the long term reliability of the front PTO shift mechanism and that was the addition of a small plate starting with the 500/5000 series tractors. This plate strengthened the design to something near bulletproof. That addition was done around 1976 and remained unchanged until the last two wheel Gravely tractor rolled off the line some 25+ years later.


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## bobmckinney (Oct 17, 2011)

Richard,

Thanks for the reply. 

Tell me more about the plate. Where is it supposed to go? I see nothing like this on any schematic.

When my new shipper shaft gets here, I'll pay attention as to whether the PTO is in or out. Hope it's that easy.


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## Richard-tx (Jan 30, 2011)

Take a look at http://oldgravelys.net/pdf/5000_Series_IPL_0881.pdf

Go to the picture of the transmission.

Look at ref. #30

Now that I think about it, Gravely also added a spacer - ref #74 for a total of 2 per tractor.


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## Richard-tx (Jan 30, 2011)

After assembling the shipper shaft and linkage, make sure it works smoothly and easily before installing an attachment. It should not require any great amount of force to engage or disengage. If it does, then something is wrong. Do not use standard nuts on the bolts. Use nylon insert aka self locking nuts.

When engaging the PTO, place the High-Low selector in neutral and the engine is at about 1/2 throttle or so. This will make engagement easier. The Hi-Lo clutch also controls the PTO. Some say that lightly pressing the direction lever toward reverse also helps with PTO engagement. Lightly means very lightly. Certainly not enough to actually move the tractor.

Since the hi-lo selection clutch is a wet clutch, the PTO shaft does not really stop turning. Even in neutral, the oil in the transmission loosely couples the input and output portions of the clutch and thus the PTO shaft. 

When spinning up an attachment that has a fair amount of rotational mass like a 30" or larger mower deck, engage low first. When the attachment and engine is up to speed, then engage hi.


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## bobmckinney (Oct 17, 2011)

Success. Everything's back in place and no extra nuts or bolts.

Got the bush hog attached without breaking anything, and fired it up. 

The hi/low is a guess, so I guessed. The tranny is never quite in neutral, so another guess. Played the throttle whilst working the PTO. It grinds a lot, but does pop into gear. Have to goose the throttle at this point, or it'll bog down and die. Also, putting it into hi/low will bog it down, so there's a fair amount of throttle work here, too, but once it goes, it actually cuts the grass!

Now to get some work out of it before making any more improvements.

Thanks for all the help.

McK


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## Richard-tx (Jan 30, 2011)

THe procedure I use when engaging the PTO is as follows.

1 - engine slightly above idle.
2 - hi-lo in neutral
3 - fwd-rev slightly toward reverse (optional)
4 - engage the pto quickly - give it a good yank - don't slowly pull the handle. If you don't have the long engagement rod like the one on the Super Convertible then do the best you can. The original short handle is a challenge to engage. I think I used my foot to engage the pto... I was about 12 years old when I last operated a Gravely with the short PTO handle so it has been at least 40 years.
5 - rev up engine to about 1/2 speed 
6 - shift to low
7 - shift to high
8 - adjust throttle to max RPM (2000-2200 RPM for Gravely engine - 3300 for Kohler)
8 - start mowing

The little bit of grinding is worse when the transmission is cold than when hot.

The Pro series of tractors is much better about PTO engagement noise.

If you are still experiencing trouble or are concerned, I will take a video of the PTO engagement using one of my tractors.

If what you have is a true L tractor, remember that what you have is version 1.0. The Pro series is something like version 10.0. The transmission internals are the same but everything else is refined.


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## robbie1pointer (Oct 19, 2011)

*Need decals for that L?*

If you need the operational decals for that L, I've got original sticker kits. The go on the handles for hi/lo, fwd/rev, pto, throttle and choke. 10.95 + 4.00 shipping.


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## Richard-tx (Jan 30, 2011)

If he has a real L then there were no operational stickers on the tractor from the factory. It was assumed at that time that people could read and comprehend the operator's manual.

Model L manual - http://oldgravelys.net/pdf/Model_L_Instruc_Man_1963.pdf

Super Convertible (also classed a L) - http://oldgravelys.net/pdf/Model_L_Own_Man.pdf


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## bobmckinney (Oct 17, 2011)

I'm sure everyone's been waiting for an update on the Gravely, so, here it is.

I actually got a fair bit of grass (weeds) cut this season. Think the blade may need replacing (kind of like when I buy any used vehicle, changing oil & plugs). 

Noticed it doesn't like to go into forward or reverse without a mighty thump on the handle. After a while, my right hand starts to hurt. It's starting to sound like a trip into the tranny this off-season. 

Does this difficulty (going into gear) sound like something anyone else has experienced? If so, any clues in what to look for, and where to look for it?

I'm looking forward to this rebuild about like a prostate check. I'll let you know what I've screwed up next.


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## Richard-tx (Jan 30, 2011)

If it is too difficult to engage forward then the clutch adjustment is too tight. If the clutch is stiff, then some work will be needed. It isn't hard to fix a two wheel tractor. It just takes a little time.


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## Handiman (Dec 11, 2011)

Bob
I wish was a little closer ! Shifting adjustments are easy, adjust the nuts close to the transmission .
Installing a new F/R clutch cup is not hard to do. Remove the 6 bolts that hold the forward casting on (the part that houses the shipper shaft & guide ) remove reverse gear cone (pull off shaft) turn slide rods 90° and pull out. The clutch cup is next, check for wear ,if you have shiny metal its worn out! Check the F/R gear cones for scoring, If you need parts I'd call Richard's Lawn & Garden wwwgravelyparts.com and check for some used parts, & new gaskets.

Ted


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