Push-Button Clutch For IH 966 Tractor

Push-Button Clutch For IH 966 Tractor TRACTORS Modifications 22-4-10 "Because our Vermeer baler doesn't have a kicker, my leg got really sore from clutching every time we had to back up to dump a bale," says R.C. Edgar who converted the clutch on his International 966 tractor to push-button control. The conversion cost a lot less than commercial kits that do the same thing and it eliminated the need to adjust the clutch every month or two during hay season, as he did before. "As custom balers, we make 2,500 to 6,000 round bales a year. That's a lot of clutch use in one season," says the Pauls Valley, Okla., farmer. His push-button clutch consists of a 3-way solenoid-controlled hydraulic valve that runs off the tractor's 12-volt battery. It installs under the floor of the tractor next to the clutch pedal linkage. An auto dimmer switch mounts in the cab to engage and disengage the clutch by activating a 1-in. stroke, 1 1/8-in. bore hydraulic cylinder. The cylinder mounts on the rear axle housing and attaches to the clutch pivot point with a home-made clevis. A flow control valve installed on the cover of the transmission serves as the return. The system ties into an empty port on the MCV valve on the front hydraulic pump of the tractor, which runs at a low 400 to 600 psi's. Edgar says the system could be adapted to most any tractor as long as you have sufficient hydraulic pressure to activate the cylinder. Out-of-pocket expense was just over $100, including $85 for the 12-volt solenoid-controlled valve and $25 worth of fittings and hoses (available from most hydraulics parts suppliers). "That's a lot cheaper than some commercial units that'll run you $2,000," Edgar notes. "It performed without a hitch last season. I wish I'd done it years ago." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, R.C. Edgar, Rt. 3, Box 19, Pauls Valley, Okla. 73075 (ph 405 238-9138).

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