# Ford 4500



## kestout (Feb 22, 2011)

My Ford 4500 backhoe has two sticks...one has 1,2,3 and 2 reverses and the other is a hi and lo. I've had a couple different problems. At times the clutch has not worked...a mechanic suggested I drive it with the clutch pushed in to free up the clutch. This has appeared to work several times. After sitting about a month it seemed to have this same problem so I drove it with the clutch pushed in. Somehow I managed to stall and when I restarted it the hi/lo works with the clutch, but the other stick appears to be stuck in one of the forward gears. With this 1,2,3 stick in the neutral postion I can go forward in this one gear in either hi or lo. But if I put the 1,2,3 stick into any gear (it will go into one forward postion and one reverse, it will not go into the others) the tractor tries to lug down and stall. Any ideas? Thanks


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## gearhead (Feb 24, 2011)

Sounds to me like there are two issues. The clutch is apparently sticking to the flywheel, which often happens when a tractor sets for a period of time. Condensation forms on the flywheel which then turns to rust and sticks the disc to the flywheel. Best thing to do is to try to prevent it in the first place by blocking or tying down the clutch pedal to hold the clutch released whenever the tractor is parked for any length of time. If the disc is rusted to the flywheel badly enough, the tractor will have to be split to get the disc loose.

The other issue sounds like the shifter has popped out of the gates in the trans while still engaged in a gear. When you try to shift into another gear it's locking up the trans. The remedy would be to remove the shifter and/or trans cover and use a bar, screwdriver, etc to shift the errant shift fork/rail into neutral.

Hope this helps!


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## kestout (Feb 22, 2011)

Thanks, it did help. I was able to remove the trans cover and move the 3/6 fork/rail back into neutral. Both sticks now seem to be working fine. I've not tried it out yet because I haven't decided what transmission fluid to use. The manual on CD I have lists three transmission options...the one closest to what I have is the 6/4 with PTO (I don't have the PTO). SAE 80 EP or SAE 20W/30 is specified. My wife picked up 5 gal of Trans/Hydraulic fluid from Tractor Supply for me, but I see it is 10W/20. Should I use it?


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## gearhead (Feb 24, 2011)

I thought that Ford used their "134" hydraulic oil in about all of their transmissions at that time. "134" is a fairly lightweight oil, I'd guess in the 10w to 20w range. In that case, the 10w/20 would probably be about right. My only other comment on that would be in regard to the source of the oil. I don't know who supplies the oil for Tractor Supply, but I've seen an oil that came from Rural King stores that claimed to be equivalent to Ford/New Holland 134. I'm sure it was fine in warm weather but when the temp got cold the stuff was like molasses. Caused some *major* whining noises and verrrrryyyyy sllooooowww hydraulic functions. Might not be a problem for you down there in NC but it's a big issue up here. Personally, I'm a believer in "ya get what ya pay for"....especially when it comes to lubrication. My recommendation is the NH 134 oil, but it's your tractor and your choice. Good Luck!!


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## kestout (Feb 22, 2011)

We paid a little extra to get the premium grade...so hopefully it is reasonably close to the quality of what New Holland sells. I'm guessing it'll be fine for our purposes. I bought this old 4500 a couple years ago to compliment the quad-axle dump truck I owned/operated at the time. I primarily hauled ashalt, so the backhoe didn't see a whole lot of action. I sold the dumptuck, so the backhoe hasn't done much this last year beyond a little clearing and driveway making on some property we own. If we follow through with plans to build a home or two out there it'll come in handy...but likely it'll never have to hold down a "real" job again. Thanks again for your help.


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