QuestionQUESTION: I have a 504 International tractor that I am restoring.Last year when parked it was running fine and today when I tried to start it,it tried to turn over but stopped. Thinking the battery needed to be charged I did but no change,hooked up jumper cables but starter just clicks. I thought the starter might be bad but no.
Tractor is out of gear, clutch pushed in and I tried to pull it with another tractor but can't get the 504 to move. It seems like the 504 gears is locked up...any suggestions?
ANSWER: Weird. It sounds like the engine is stuck, but you say the tractor can't even be moved by pulling it in neutral?? Jack up both rear wheels and see if you can turn either one of them. If they won't turn at all, the brakes my be stuck. If you can turn one and the other goes in the opposite direction, then the brakes and differential are OK and problem would be in the transmission. Try to turn the engine over with a big breaker bar and socket on the front crankshaft pulley, or remove the starter and try to turn the flywheel with a big prybar.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I replaced the brakes last year, but they could be stuck. I tried to rock the tractor back and forth with the rear wheels and it rocks a little but tires will not roll. I started to remove the starter today but the inside bolt on the starter is almost impossible to get a wrench or socket on to remove. Is it possible the engine is locked up? Would this keep the tractor from moving if it is out of gear?
Answer No, if it is out of gear it should still roll even if the engine is stuck. Possibly something happened with the shift linkage and it's stuck in gear even though the lever is in neutral. But that still wouldn't explain why the engine won't turn over. At least by turning the engine over with a bar you can verify if the engine is stuck. How can you be sure the starter or solenoid are good? How did you test them? It almost sounds like you have 2 separate problems.
