Disabled In Woods - How To Free Wheel Front Wheels

[PuraVida]

Front end locked up and shifter swivles 360 L2350

Hey y'all, helped many folks on the Duramax forum for years and used OTT several times recently with my tractor and now i really need some help. I recently bought an L2350 and went over it front to back before putting it in to service today. I bush hogged with no problems for 2 hours in 4wd, came back to the implement yard, switched to the 5' disc and put it in low range. I ran maybe 30yds and realized I did not need low range with the light gang rake and switched back to high range(not sure if this affeceted hydro fluid level?). I ran several hundred more yards and then heard a grinding noise coming from what sounded like under the seat. I immediately pushed the clutch in checked everything and then went another 30yds and the noise came back and I could tell the tractor was not happy. I looked at the hydro sight glass and noticed the fluid was not in sight(low). Since I just drained and refilled the fluid, I had been checking the level all day with no problem. It only took 2qts to bring it back up to mid-sight glass or "full." I tried to go again and this time the front wheels locked up in FW/RV. At this point I knew I was going to have to come back tomorrow, so I prepared the tractor to spend the night in the woods and that is when I noticed the gear shifter would basically spin in circles if the dash was not in the way(like a stop pin inside is broken off). I am not sure if the two problems are related or two separate problems coincidentally at the same time. The wheels will not spin in or out of 4wd, rears work so it just drags the fronts. I cannot find much on the issue especially with the two problems at once making it hard to pinpoint. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[PuraVida]

Disabled In Woods How To Freewheel Front Wheels?

I need to be able to have the front wheels roll so I can get it on a trailer. When jacked up, wheels spin freely in opposite directions. Tractor seems to be stuck in 4WD. Heard grinding noises under seat area before front wheels locked up.

 

[old and tired]

So I assume you do not have a front end loader? Pick up front end, uncurl to push back....

 

[PuraVida]

Unfortunately I do not. I am not sure if removing the drive shaft will allow the wheels to roll free and also whatever is jammed up in the transfer case. Be back wheels are just digging a hole trying to drag the front wheels. I am also concerned about doing any more damage.

 

[Dave_eng]

Unfortunately I do not. I am not sure if removing the drive shaft will allow the wheels to roll free and also whatever is jammed up in the transfer case. Be back wheels are just digging a hole trying to drag the front wheels. I am also concerned about doing any more damage.

Removing front drive shaft will allow front wheels to roll.

Causing more damage is a crap shoot.

Dave

 

[PuraVida]

It is not clear to me by looking at the drive shaft on how it comes out? It appears to be inside of another tube. I am not near my manual so if there is someone that has removed one on an l2350 that would be of great help. Has anyone ever experienced this problem and what was the solution?

 

[rbargeron]

The outer tube telescopes together. Need to drive a spring pin out at the back, then take out another spring pin thru the coupling. Slide coupling forward so it disengages the splines - shaft can slide toward the back. Sorry the attached pdf is low-resolution (site doesn't accept a better one)

 

[PuraVida]

Great, thank you for the reply. Is all of the gearing that could be causing my grinding noises below the main transmission or will the tractor have to be split to address the four-wheel-drive issue? I assume there is gearing from the main transmission down to the ring and pinion for the four-wheel drive that is potentially damage?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Re: Front end locked up and shifter swivles 360 L2350

This is a gear tractor, fluid level has nothing to do with its operation, yea no fluid would stop it from parts seizing, but a little low ain't going to hurt it on bit.

I bet the two are related, probably pushed something to to the drive gear for the 4wd and locked it up.

You're going to have to remove the Drive shaft to get it to move to where you need to work on it.

Do you have the WSM (aka Service Manual)?
If not just ask.

 

[PuraVida]

Re: Front end locked up and shifter swivles 360 L2350

Hey guys, sorry for the double post I made this one last night and could not find it anywhere today. This morning I was able to fix the shifter it was just the little pain under the metal Dome with a spring on it. I do not think it was anything internal. I started a new post called disabled in the woods. I do have a service manual and parts manual. But not with me currently in the woods. I am hoping all the damage can be repaired from the bottom side without having to go through the top of the tractor?

 

[PuraVida]

Re: Front end locked up and shifter swivles 360 L2350

Once I remove the drive shaft, do you think the grinding noise will still exist in what I am going to call the transfer case for lack of a better term currently?

 

[rbargeron]

Taking out the propeller shaft should allow the front wheels to rotate -

Do the rear wheels turn ok in both high and low ranges (even though the fronts just drag?) If so it sounds like there's something out of place blocking the fwd gears.

The loose shifter issue and this blockage might be related.

In the M section of the WSM the HI-LO range shift section and the Front Wheel Drive section show how everything fits tightly in there. The PTO shaft and gears run through the fwd idler gears - two pairs run together all the time but only one set is powered, depending on HI-LO setting.

If lucky, whatever is blocking the fwd gears might be gotten out by draining the oil and taking off the bottom gear box.

Good luck, Dick B

 

[Greg8352]

Drag it to the trailer. Load it with jacks and cribbing it.

 

[PuraVida]

I solved the shifter problem this morning it was just the small pin under the metal Dome on top of the shifter I will have to address a better way to keep that in place but the tractor is Shifting and the shifter is working properly now. Now I have to attack whatever is bound up in the transfer case. I will be headed up this evening again to pull the drive shaft and try to get it on a trailer again. Do you guys think moving the tractor eight feet onto a trailer will cause additional damage, I don't have much Choice other than to repair it in place, which is not very practical in the middle of a food plot. The tractor is not buried by any means and if I can get the front wheels to roll it will go on a trailer unless whatever is going on in the transfer case binds something else up.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

If the front still has issues with the shifter is now working correctly, and if when it went out it didn't damage any of the internal forks or gears then you'll have to do a tear down.

You can start by removing the drive case 4 bolts and see what's in there, if the gear is damaged, then you'll have to get inside the upper case to see what's happened.
You will need to drain the hydraulic fluid completely before you can open it up.

 

[Jim L.]

I'm not sure what you have going on there. Offer something as an idea.

Place several boards long-ways from front tires to trailer if you decide to skid it. That will really cut down the stress. If no electric motor cable winch, a lot can be done with a come-along.

Good luck with it.

 

[D2Cat]

Like Jim suggested, reduce all the friction for the front end you can if you have to drag it on the trailer. I'd pick up some appliance boxes (or something similar) and lay on the ramp boards.

At the very bottom, on the dirt, extend the cardboard towards the tractor a few inches and place a 2x4 from one side of one ramp to the other, over that bit of cardboard. Make it so the tires will get drug up on the 2x4. This will allow the tires to drag over the 2x4 and then be on the cardboard and drag easily, scooting the cardboard as it goes up.

 

[rbargeron]

Re: Front end locked up and shifter swivles 360 L2350

Since the front tires still turn ok (in different directions), another way to move it would be to jack up one side and block the axle on the other side, holding it up. Should move & drive in 2wd.

Maybe get a helper....

 

[PuraVida]

I will post a picture later but the drive shaft is being a very big pain to get out. The cover tube was stuck so I removed the 4 bolts in what I am calling the carrier bracket directly behind the front differential, this may have been a mistake as I cannot get the four bolts to line back up now no matter what I do. By removing the four bolts I was able to get the cover to slip back but now the roll pin in the front coupler is seized in its hole. I am now afraid to try and move the tractor with the four bolts out? This carrier bracket is not listed in my Illustrated parts list to understand what the function is. I need to rotate the front drive shaft to get a better angle on the roll pin but rotating the wheels does not do this. I will post a picture later but could not get it to do it from my phone right now.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I will post a picture later but the drive shaft is being a very big pain to get out. The cover tube was stuck so I removed the 4 bolts in what I am calling the carrier bracket directly behind the front differential, this may have been a mistake as I cannot get the four bolts to line back up now no matter what I do. By removing the four bolts I was able to get the cover to slip back but now the roll pin in the front coupler is seized in its hole. I am now afraid to try and move the tractor with the four bolts out? This carrier bracket is not listed in my Illustrated parts list to understand what the function is. I need to rotate the front drive shaft to get a better angle on the roll pin but rotating the wheels does not do this. I will post a picture later but could not get it to do it from my phone right now.

What you have done was removed the front axle support.

You now need to jack up the front of the tractor to get the weight off of the front axle, and since you've gone this far pull the 2 front housing bolts and this will let you move the whole axle down and forward enough to just remove the propeller shaft coupling and the propeller shaft.

There is one bolt into the oil pan and a roll pin in the rear.

Now to put it back together, you need to loosen the nut on the front adjustment bolt and loosen the bolt so the front housing doesn't have a preload on it.

Put the axle and the housings back in place first snugging the bolts then when they are all in and snug tighten them all down, then reset the preload on the front housing per the WSM.