D2 5J70 Main Clutch Shaft

[quote="Oldcarman"]Working on trying to free up a stuck clutch (flywheel). First need to sort out all the incredible slop in the linkage. It's a sloppy mess right now. I've searched and read past posts about bushings in the housing that the main rod passes. Sounds like some later ones have bushings and some early don't?

Question- can you remove the shaft 4B3810 without pulling the engine? I don't want to attempt something that's impossible. Has anyone been able to get this out without pulling engine? There is so much play in the upper shaft/bushing/housing that it needs to be fixed before even trying to free up the clutch.

Anyone look at a stepped shaft and reaming out the housing if there is no bushing?[/quote]

You need to pull the engine.

Got the engine out, removed the clutch as well as the fork and actuating shaft.

The transmission housing is worn pretty badly as is the shaft. I'm curious if others have reamed the hole in the trans and installed a bushing or? This transmission has no upper or lower bushing. The clutch shaft just rides in the iron housing.

Since they added a serviceable bushing later, others must have dealt with the same problem?

Go ahead and bore the housing. You can get the bushing for the later model tractors or you can just turn one down yourself. It doesn't need to be perfect e.g. 0.025 slop is acceptable. This is a better approach than turning down the shaft because you still would need to true up the housing holes and the fork still needs the original OD

I'm not sure what to recommend as I don't know what expertise you have, tools available, etc. I have adapted my style to what I have (i.e. how does anyone trim their trees without a forklift? It's a mystery)
I will try to present a way that I would do it: since the bottom hole is usually mostly ok, at least the portion that retained the plug, make a steel plate to bolt in place of the adjustment cover. That plate is where you place the portable magnetic drill press. Then make a long boring bar to true the top hole, the long end will pilot and guide through the bottom hole. The exact hole size isn't super critical because you can have a bushing turned for a press fit. The 90deg alignment between the magnetic base, boring bar,bottom hole, and remains of the top hole will serve to keep the new top hole co-linear with the existing bottom hole.
There have been a few ideas here about filling in with JB weld, etc which would be better than a sloppy fitting shaft. You could shop your old shaft around the local machine shops for a weld & turn job & might save some money that way.
Anyway, tell us what tools, etc are at your command & we will be better at formulating a fix

Next idea: using the mag drill again, get it aligned with a temporary shaft passing through top & bottom holes and then replace shaft with an annular cutter in the drill (1.250" dia?) and just cut it. The annular cutters make a very true hole that would take a press fit bushing nicely. You could rent a Hougen, Fein, or other brand machine I guess. Buy a cutter on ebay, I really like the carbide tipped ones.