BX80 Rear axle seal failure?

[catalyst]

I have a nearly new BX1880 with 24 hours on it - mostly mild residential use (mowing the lawn/grading driveway).

Today when I went to fire it up, it struggled with a larger than normal puff of smoke and the hydraulics on the loader were jumping/stuttering - so i wondered if there was a loss of fluid somewhere.

Upon further inspection, the rear axle seal seems to have become unseated there was a puddle where it was parked. Is the fluid in that axle is shared through the rest of the hydraulic system?

The seal snapped right back in and there was a slight nick in the bottom, so I am wondering if I didn't just get a log or rock caught in there at exactly the perfect spot to push the seal back out (not a very robust design if that is what happened).

Should there be any harm to snapping this back in and just topping off with more fluid, or should I send it back to the dealer for an inspection to see if there was an issue with the seal or rear end? From what I could find, the seals look like it just pressed in.

If I add more fluid, what should I be using for this tractor and just to confirm, it goes in right in back where the yellow dip stick is, right?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Yes it all shares the same fluid.
You should use SUDT2 in it.
Yes fills in the rear of the tractor.

 

[catalyst]

Thank you. One more quick question. Is this something i should send back to the dealer as a warranty issue? Or is that seal really just a hand press fit?

I dont know how common of a problem this might be at 24 hours. I cant even imagine how that seal unseated, since i have been primarily just cutting grass with this unit.

I really dont want it to happen again.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Best thing to do if you want to keep it from just popping out on it's own again is, pull it out again, clean it and the space it goes in to with brake parts cleaner, then use a small amount of good quality silicone sealer wiped on the pressed in section of the seal and reinsert and set it with a light soft face hammer, let dry for a few hours then refill with fluid.

Or you can call the dealer and they will probably do just that to it.