In this episode, we show you how we repaired the steering clutch on our 1959 JOHN DEERE 440 CRAWLER. Tune in to see how it went… #johndeere440 #crawler #steeringclutch #popplepeople #aspenridge
Hello, I’m working on my 1964 John Deere 440 on the steering clutch. I’m trying to disassemble it there’s the four big bolts that hold the main housing to the what I call the crossbar having a hard time getting those loose. Are there any tricks to that?
Assuming you’re trying to remove the steering clutch housing from the dozer-the 4 bolts that you’re referring to…are they towards the front? If so, those can be tricky to remove. I had to use a wrench & hammer to get those loose. Some of the bolts I got with a ratchet & socket from underneath. You might also need to take the footplate out to get access to some (2?) of them. Good luck & thanks for watching our video! Feel free to email us if you have other questions!
Great videos...thanks so much! Good details and you filmed it quite well. I have the same nutty "sleeve" on my T.O. bearing shaft. Where did you source your parts?
Thanks, Jon! We appreciate it! (Ha! That sleeve! 😝) We ordered our parts from Michael at keepemcrawling.com (phone: 402-670-3573). He was very knowledgeable & helpful & had all the parts we needed. Tell him The Popple People sent you! (If you’re doing the sleeve, make sure all is clean & be sure to use sleeve retainer as shown in the video.) There’s a spec for how far the sleeve should come out of the quill: 2-9/16” (if you have the same crawler as ours). Also, check the thickness of the steel clutch plates & composition discs. Steel plate should be 0.090 to 0.096 inches thick. Comp discs should be 0.145 to 0.151 inches thick. You’ll need a micrometer to measure these. I ordered aftermarket new steels & comp discs & found that the comp discs were too thick (FYI). This is important so you get the proper clearances in your steering clutch assembly. Allow the sleeve retainer to dry minimum 24 hours before assembling the rest. Check your brake lining &, if worn out, make sure to replace the brake band too. Make sure the brake band is applying pressure to the steering clutch drum right after the clutch releases; there’s adjustments for this. Good luck! (These are some of the random things we ran into while working through this repair. Hope it helps!)
Oh no! Sorry to hear that. Sounds like the steering clutch might be bad. Try looking through the inspection covers to check for worn out clutch discs. Good luck!
