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BossofBBQ 
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Joined: 24 Jul 2026
Location: Colorado
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 Topic: WD45 Hand clutch question
Posted: 18 Aug 2026 at 9:41am |
Hey y'all, I've begun dis-assembling my WD-45 to replace the foot clutch, and I believe my hand clutch could benefit from being replaced, too. I measured the gap between the plates (lever in forward position) with feeler gauges. I have .0065 of total clearance, and .0070 worth of total shims to remove. According to my manual, the recommended gap is .0030. I've just idled the tractor around, and never really worked it. Hand clutch always felt fine and had a decent snap but looking at it through the inspection port, it seems near the end of it's life. Water definitely got in there too, and the bolts for the shim adjustments are rusted in place. Currently soaking in PB blaster. My plan is to pull the engine and resurface the flywheel, install my new heavy duty clutch, then pull the torque tube and rebuild the hand clutch. (And remove the rust!) Since my tractor is a single-front, I really don't want to split it because it would be hard to stabilize. I'm curious what y'alls thoughts are. This is my 1st A-C, and I'm new here....I'm a decent shadetree mechanic looking to learn. Thanks y'all!
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DrAllis
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
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Posted: 18 Aug 2026 at 8:46pm |
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If it has a good "snap" to it, leave it ALONE. There are 2-disc hand clutches and 3-disc hand clutches. The 3-disc is capable of delivering 50% more torque than the 2-disc. And, those 3 discs are thin to begin with. I challenge you to place the tractor in road gear with the hand clutch forward. Set the throttle at half open or better. Pull the hand clutch back quickly and decide for yourself how it is. I'll bet with a good snap, it will take right off with no slippage. I might also give it a 4 gallon 50%/50% diesel fuel/hyd oil flush, run it a while, and then change to new oil. Don't worry so much about the rust.
Edited by DrAllis - 18 Aug 2026 at 9:29pm
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BossofBBQ
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Posted: 19 Aug 2026 at 7:43am |
Thanks for the info Dr. Allis-- My tractor has the 3-disc hand clutch, and a 9 spring pressure plate on the foot clutch. I'll do the diesel/hyd oil flush, and change out the oil. I buy and sell lots of old equipment but this tractor is a "keeper". Once I get everything put back together, I will do a test run in road gear and see if it slips.
My shifter has a fair bit of side-to-side slop in it....which I believe is caused by a worn shift pin in the gearshift tower. I've seen a "oversized pin" available from DJS tractor parts, yesterdays tractors, and a few other vendors.... supposedly it tightens up the wobble. Do you have an opinion on those? For 20 bucks I think it would be well worth the money.
Thanks again!
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DrAllis
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Posted: 19 Aug 2026 at 8:22am |
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Oversized pin, yes, for sure. I usually always added a second pin on the other side, which the very late models did have. I oft times grind the oversize square head tapered and narrower after I straighten out the groove on the ball itself.**** If you do the hand clutch drag strip test, I wouldn't do it with the 50/50 oil mixture in it. The diesel fuel might throw off the results one way or the udder. There are at least 3 drain plugs and two fill plugs.
Edited by DrAllis - 19 Aug 2026 at 11:13am
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BossofBBQ
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Posted: 19 Aug 2026 at 6:39pm |
Thanks, Dr. Allis. Mine is a 1955 model. The serial number is hard to read but I believe it's #190995. When you say you usually added a second pin on the other side, could you elaborate on how you do that? Is the second pin installed directly opposite the original pin in the shift tower, and do you drill/ream both the tower and the shifter ball/lever to fit it? Would you use another oversized pin, or use the oversized pin only on the worn original side and a standard pin for the added side? I plan to order parts this weekend. I'll leave the hand clutch alone for now, and give it a good cleaning.....
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DrAllis
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Posted: 19 Aug 2026 at 7:59pm |
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Drill right thru the existing hole to get the second hole. I'd stay std size on it. I use a disc grinder to free hand a new slot and dress up the old slot.
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SteveM C/IL
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Posted: 20 Aug 2026 at 9:58am |
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Remove tower or have good vaccumn going when drilling. I've not done this but you should be able to come through the original hole and reach across to punch second hole.
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BossofBBQ
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Posted: 20 Aug 2026 at 6:05pm |
I was going to remove the tower so I can do it on my workbench. Is there a large benefit to adding the 2nd pin? I will check my manuals for a diagram of the shift tower when I get home....I'm a very visual learner ;)
Regarding the hand clutch....how long do they last? I know they have a reputation of being very durable but I've never seen an hour estimate. I know it's hard to tell, because these tractors didn't come with hourmeters. I'm just trying to gauge how long mine will last. My tractor will live a pretty easy life, no sled pulls, and mainly using 8N sized implements.
I want to build this tractor to last....I don't plan on selling it. It's 71 years old and I'd like it to run for another 71 years....haha. Thanks y'all
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Allis dave
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Posted: 21 Aug 2026 at 6:40am |
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I would bet that most WD's and WD45's never had the hand clutch replaced. If they did, it's becasue somehting broke, was set incorrectly, ran out of oil, or got water in there for a long time.
They last a really long time
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DrAllis
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Posted: 21 Aug 2026 at 7:55am |
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Let's take two neighbors who have identical WD-series tractors. One tractor operates an AC roto baler and makes 2,000 round bales a year (meaning 2,000 starts and stops just for that). The other pulls a plow and rakes hay. Both get 500 hrs of use a year. Which one will require shims being pulled from the hand clutch more often ?? and when the shims run out, need rebuilding/replacement ?? It all depends on the duty cycle. You cannot really relate it to just hours of service only. There is a reason why the WD-series hand clutch was "re-designed" from 2 driving discs to 3 driving discs ......to improve service life.
Edited by DrAllis - 21 Aug 2026 at 8:09am
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HudCo
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Posted: 21 Aug 2026 at 9:22am |
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it will last long enought to pass it along to the grand kids ido need to do the hand clucth on my wd has lasted me since i was very young it could be original ive only been around the tractor 62 years
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Les Kerf
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Posted: 21 Aug 2026 at 11:14am |
 DrAllis wrote:
... There is a reason why the WD-series hand clutch was "re-designed" from 2 driving discs to 3 driving discs ......to improve service life. |
Just speculating: all else being equal, it seems that the 3-disc units 'might' have a slightly increased tendency to creep when disengaged.The two WD tractors with which I am familiar have never shown any creeping behavior. I have never driven a WD45.
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SteveM C/IL
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Posted: 21 Aug 2026 at 11:30am |
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If separator springs are good there should be no dragging. My 45 doesn't drag at all released. Neither does my 3 plate WD.
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DrAllis
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Posted: 21 Aug 2026 at 11:57am |
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90 wt gear oil acts differently than 821XL in cold temps.
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SteveM C/IL
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Posted: 21 Aug 2026 at 6:47pm |
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Yes but with little run time my WD (80-90wt) is as free as the 45 w/821. WD hand clutch is bout done. Still snaps in lightly. Don't hit a bump.No shims left. Got the parts but no time. Will switch to 821 when done.
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BossofBBQ
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Posted: 21 Aug 2026 at 10:42pm |
My hand clutch should be set for a long time then. This tractor will live a pretty easy life. It snaps in nicely and has shims left to remove for adjustment.
After everything's all flushed out with hyd oil/diesel, how do we feel about Traveller 85w140 gear oil in the transmission, hand clutch, differential, and final drives? I believe it's a GL-5 oil.
This is a higher-hour WD45 based off pedal wear, steering slop, and the fact that it sometimes pops out of 2nd and 3rd gear. It won't be used in temperatures below 40*F.
The guy I bought it from, said the guy he bought it from farmed with it from the early '60s through the 2000s. It came from eastern CO. I was told it has an estimated 30,000 hours on the frame, with multiple engine/transmission overhauls along the way. 1960 to 2005 is 45 years, which means this works out to an average of about 667 hours per year, or approximately 1.83 hours per calendar day—roughly 1 hour and 50 minutes per day when averaged across the entire period.
No idea if it's accurate or not, but it doesn't seem too unreasonable...at least to me, anyways
Edited by BossofBBQ - 21 Aug 2026 at 10:46pm
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