International 3400A questions

Hello everybody,
I recently purchased an old, well beaten International back hoe.
It was running fairly well but now I have a problem. I'll get to that.

First I wonder what kind of transmission I have. It has a 'clutch pedal', high/low range stick, 1-4 speed stick beside that, and forward/ reverse selector on the steering column.

When the machine is hot, I can't climb any kind of hill, but if I move quickly when I start it in the morning, I can. Seems like a worn pump and I intend to try to compensate with a slightly thicker oil. 15/40W has been recommended to me. Does this sound like a suitable sloution? Long term future for this machine is light duty farm work like moving haybales and small trenches in soft soil and I don't like to work long days on the weekend so it probably won't see another 1000 hours so I don't think a rebuild is a wise choice given the cost and effort required.

That isn't really a problem to me at the moment but is something I will have to get around to. The big problem right now is that I seem to be stuck in 3rd gear. The speed selector feels like it is not attached to anything, it just falls to the bottom of the groove in the floor that the shifter sits in. There is no click between gears or any kind of feeling to indicate that it actually moves anything. Visually from the top I can see nothing wrong or broken but I haven't removed the seat or floor plate yet so I could be missing something.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what the problem might be?

Hey Chad:

Welcome to the forum!

First, it should be blatantly obvious if it will shift out of third gear...top speed will tell you. It sounds like your linkage may be detached.

Second, I would not be guessing on what type of fluids to use...I would purchase a manual so you install the correct type. I would also get familiar with the hoe, and give it a thorough once over.

It is certainly stuck in a gear and that gear is higher than 1 or 2 because those are all I was using before it broke.

I should be using hy-tran according to the manual but there are so many warn parts that the correct oil isn't getting it done anymore. A rebuild would be the ultimately correct thing to do but as I said I'll be dead before I put another 1000 hours on this machine. I searched a few other forums and it seems that other people have had success by running a slightly thicker oil to compensate for a warn pump. This does come with risks, especially in cold climes where the oil may get too thick, but since this is a hobby farm, I won't be out there on very cold days.

Isn't hytran pretty much 40 weight oil,. U should have a torque converter tranny in there . The tranny oil and the hydrolic oil r the same on that machine .

Here is a thread discussing thicker oil to compensate for a worn hydrostatic trans.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/oil-fuel-lubricants/51071-hydrostatic-drive-warn-out-heavy.html

Not sure what you mean by torque convertor tranny. Like an auto in a car? This trans behaves the same as a standard car excepting that I can start in 4th at an idle. When it's in gear and the pedal is released I move, regardless of engine rpm. It will stall if I try to stop without pressing the clutch pedal. I would presume that this makes it a gear driven trans but the mushy forward/reverse shifter on the column feels a little weak to be shifting metal gears and the tractor came with a hydrostatic transmission service manual.

Any thoughts on what I have so I can continue trying to find an appropriate repair manual?

On my tractor the speed selector is actuated under my feet. The lever I pull, pulls a cable that operates another lever under the floor. The cable is attached to this second lever with a clevis and this is where it came apart. I put the two pieces back together, replaced the missing nut and the speed selector was repaired.

Can anyone use this new information to verify whether or not my tractor is "gear driven" or "hydrostatic". I still can't climb a hill in anything but 1st and I can't find a solution to that until I know what equipment I have. All evidence points to gear driven but the previous owner told me it was hydro and it also came with a near useless hydrostatic maintenance manual. Looking at the mechanicals it would appear that forward /reverse has a lockout that stops you from changing it without pressing the clutch.