Starter drive

[tractarz]

My tractor is a 1968 Lo-Boy with a 12volt Delco-Remy starter. When rocking the tractor in 3rd gear (engine not running, no battery), I could hear that the starter drive was engaged with the flywheel. I removed the starter. The drive was positioned all the way forward and could only be pushed back a very little amount. Took the drive off of the starter shaft but didn't see anything obviously wrong. Ordered a replacement drive(referred to as a barrel drive) and it looks the same as the original, ie, extended all the way out. What am I missing? Do these drives somehow retract after the engine starts? Otherwise the starter will be spinning away constantly, driven by the engine. I haven't had the engine running in a while but last time the starter spun the motor just fine. Don't know if the starter drive disengaged at that time. Any ideas?
Thx very much

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

When the strter spins up it shoves the drive all the wya out. when the enigne starts the speed of the engien spins it back in so it clears the teeth of the flywheel ring gear.

[Kirk]

Are those starter drive gears replacable At IH

[Bus Driver]

The drive is normally nearer the main body of the starter. It moves nearer the "nose" end when the starter is energized. In that position, it is engaged with the flywheel ring gear. When the flywheel is running faster than the starter, the drive goes up the spiral on the shaft back toward the body of the starter and is disengaged from the flywheel. As far as rocking the tractor and determining by sound that the starter is engaged with the flywheel, what prompted that test? What was the problem before the test?

[tractarz]

I was just rocking the tractor to turn the engine a little as I hadn't started it in a while. It was then that I heard the starter drive clicking.

[artc]

that drive is referred to as the starter bendix. i don't know the history but it's probably after the inventor. Bendix co, perhaps?

whoever he was we can thank him that we're not still hand cranking

[Bus Driver]

With the starter removed, rock the tractor as before and see if the noise is the same or is gone.

[tractarz]

Noise is gone with starter out. I measured the distance from the bell housing opening to the ring gear and compared that to the position of the gear on the starter drive. The starter gear is definitely in contact with the
ring gear.