B7100 axle problem

[Lil Foot]

I think I found out why my left front wheel locked up.

 

[Lil Foot]

Someone has been in that gearbox before, and must have had a similar issue.
I think they cleared whatever was locking the two gears, and slapped it back together without changing any parts or even cleaning the debris from the bottom of the gear housing. I found sediment & chunks, followed by a layer of dirt, sediment, & congealed oil, then more chunks & sediment under that. The outer main seal was installed crooked, and the inner axle seal was loose, flopping on the shaft. It is amazing there was no further damage, just some scoring/gouges on the gear case mating surfaces at the mesh point between the gears- already re-lapped. The only missing parts seem to be most of the bearing cage from that one bearing, (no balls missing) and the broken gear teeth. The pivot pin for the axle & mating holes in the frame were pretty worn, so I bored the rear hole to cleanup & sleeved the pin. The front hole in the frame was only about .003 oversize, so I turned down & sleeved the pin.

 

[Lil Foot]

Before & after pin pics:

 

[Lil Foot]

More pics & narrative will follow, but progress is slow- the garage has been running 110 to 123 degrees, and I'm just not as tough as I used to be. Besides, this thing has got to be the dirtiest thing I have ever worked on.
36+ years of gear oil, grease, dirt, rust, & neglect really make a mess- I think I've used a bushel of rags, more than 2 rolls of paper towels, more than a box of rubber gloves, and about 3 gallons of solvent- and I still have the center section to tear down yet.

 

[100 td]

Nice work/repair so far, what else is cactus on it?

 

[Steve NC]

I just replaced the pivot pin and bushings in my front axle this spring. The loader really speeds up the wearing process on those parts. I'm still in the process of restoring my B7100D. I did the front half of the tractor last winter. I plan on doing the rear half this winter and hopefully painting it before spring. Good luck with your project.

 

[Lil Foot]

Nice work/repair so far, what else is cactus on it?

The tractor has been running great until this, just a few minor problems, especially considering how hard as I work it. I could probably have it back together by now if I just fixed the gear/bearing problem, but I can't see going through all the work to pull it & not clean/repair/re-seal it while it's out. If I didn't, six months from now I'd lose a seal or something else, and have to do it all again.

 

[Lil Foot]

Added zerks to slow future wear on pivot pin/frame.

 

[Lil Foot]

Got all the parts in. (thanks to Coleman Equipment) Assembly has already begun, (diff/spider gears, pinion shaft, (2) seals inside axle housings, small stuff like steering & tilt stops, seal & bushing in drive shaft tube) then I realized this would be a good point for a photo op.

 

[Lil Foot]

More pics:

 

[chickenfriend]

Adding the zerks was a great idea.

 

[Lil Foot]

Thanks, seemed a big return for very little effort- while it was off & accessible.

 

[chickenfriend]

That is probably going to fix the wear there from the yoke, but maybe not help the wear inside the bushings.

I wonder if the bushings were greased on the id from the factory, or did they think oil from the differential was somehow supposed to lubricate them?

I don't see any way to lube the shaft inside the bushings, other than by removing the pin every 5 years or so and rubbing grease on the parts manually.

One would need to put a finger with a gob of grease inside the bushings, past the o-rings, and smear it; otherwise, the rear bushing o-ring is going to wipe the grease as the pin is inserted, not only from areas of the rear bushing, but all of the front bushing.

 

[stoutakubota]

Lil Foot thank you for taking the pics and sharing them. Better than the workshop manual to see the front end layed out like this.

I am busy at present working on my B6200, and there are a few things i will check tomorrow related to your post.
Thanks again.

 

[Lil Foot]

I wonder if the bushings were greased on the id from the factory, or did they think oil from the differential was somehow supposed to lubricate them?

The answer is probably both- mine had ancient grease residue on the bushings & o-ring grooves, and I think splash lubrication from the gear oil in the diff is also likely. Surprisingly, the bushings in mine were worn, but not beyond the repair spec. They are hardened, much harder than the pin.

 

[Lil Foot]

Lil Foot thank you for taking the pics and sharing them.

Glad you find them helpful, it was kind of a compromise between showing everything, and showing enough detail. If I did closeups of everything, it would have taken 50 pics.

 

[littleorangetractor]

Bill,
Thanks for taking the time to post your work details and photos of your front axle repairs. I have my front left axle dissassembled on my B6000 to replace a broken u-joint yolk and replace the seals. Your write up has made my job easier since the info in the WSM isn’t very clear. Adding zerks to the pivot bracket is a great idea!
Thanks!
LOT (LittleOrangeTractor)

 

[Lil Foot]

I'm glad you found this post useful. I know what you mean about the WSM not being real clear sometimes; but I suppose if everything was clear, detailed, and well illustrated, the manual would be too heavy to lift.

 

[littleorangetractor]

I’m new to the world of tractors. Bought my B6000 in Nov 2017. The only other significant failure was the hydraulic oil pump cracked, and that was a $450 repair (photo attached). The u-joint yolk that broke in my Left axle was the one that attaches to the axle drive shaft ~$57.00 and NOT the yolk/axle shaft unit 66591-56520 priced at $328.56!
Repairing these little 40 yr. old, built-like-a-tank tractors can be very expensive, but so is buying a newer one for 25K. Parts for those wouldn’t be cheap either.
We get a lot of snow up here and the B6000 does a great job of clearing it, plus I will have lots of fun using the FEL for the upcoming yard work in the spring.