Front drive shaft cover-tube

[GeoHorn]

It’s amazing to me how a previous owner must have attempted to use a tractor for a bull dozer.

My “lightly used” M4700DT is (once again) revealed to have been driven over brush/timber/what-ever. Around 400 hrs when I bought it and the hydraulic filter cannisters heavily dented, and wooden shards found on top of/underneath the metal floorboards, etc. No problem that....

But now, while investigating the front axle supports I noticed the sheet-metal cover-tube surrounding the front axle drive-shaft is worn-thru/paper-thin from the drive shaft wear-thru of the cover tube. The cover tube was pushed upwards slightly to create friction against the drive shaft.

This tube is a two-piece affair with the forward tube inserted into the aft tube at the mid-point. The fwd tube is the one worn-thru.

I used a pry-bar to pry the fwd tube back down into proper position thereby removing further friction. I’m thinking it’d be a good idea to keep dust/dirt out of there but reluctant to separate the front axle from the tractor only for swapping out that cover tube.... unless someone in this group has done this task and recommends it.

Otherwise, I think I’ll fabricate a half-tube (split a tube lengthwise) and hose-clamp it to cover the 3-inch long worn-thru area of that fwd tube. I’ll attempt a follow-up pic, but you guys get the idea. Comments are welcome and invited. Thanks.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

reluctant to separate the front axle from the tractor only for swapping out that cover tube.... unless someone in this group has done this task and recommends it.

You don't have to remove the front axle at all to remove the propeller shaft and the cover.

Remove the bolt, pull cover back, on propeller shaft coupler spin till you see the roll pin in the center, then remove roll pin and slide coupler back and remove propeller shaft and cover, repair and replace.

 

[GeoHorn]

You don't have to remove the front axle at all to remove the propeller shaft and the cover.

Remove the bolt, pull cover back, on propeller shaft coupler spin till you see the roll pin in the center, then remove roll pin and slide coupler back and remove propeller shaft and cover, repair and replace.

I see that now in the WSM. (I wish the Table of Contents of the WSM were easier to utilize.)

Thank you for making me see how simple that it really is!

 

[SidecarFlip]

Anytime you buy used, you won't have any idea if the equipment has been abused or not. You can tell if the service has been neglected by the color of the fluids or if the air cleaner element is nasty (was in my case) but far as abuse, hard to tell, especially if the unit cleans up nice and the paint and sheet metal is straight.

When I bought my used M9, I knew it was worked pretty hard, I took the time to look it over carefully on a Sunday, all day at the dealer when they were closed (I took along my key as All M9's only take 2 different keys and lucky me, my key fit so I started it and ran it through all the necessary functions so I knew everything worked. What I did know was how abused it was or wasn't. Found that out after I bought it and had it delivered to the farm and sarted getting into it.

First thing I did was change ALL the fluids and filters. The air filter was basically a solid mass of dirt., don't know how it even ran but it did. The tin was rough so I completely stripped the tractor of all it's tin and thats when I discovered the previous owner must have used it for a bulldozer, literally. The entire underside, between the frame rails and the gearbox and a top the gearbox under the floor shields was packed solid with cow manure.

Obviously, the tractor was used on his manure pile or his compost pile as the manure was packed in everywhere. Took me no less than 5 pressure washings with lots of Zep to get the running chassis clean. I really despise dirt. The manure was packed under the floor plates between the saddle tanks and the frame, the cross over shield was solid with manure, even the top side of the gearbox under the floor plates was packed solid. The only way to clean it was total disassembly of all the tin, the floor plates, the hood, instrument cowl, basically the entire top of the tractor, which I did.

In my favor, he did change the engine oil. Not the hydraulic oil, when I drained that it was crap brown and had water in it. Looked like Hy-Trans, dirty Hy-Trans.

All well and good now, all issues addressed, engine tuned, injectors spray tested, leaky seals replaced and no more surprises.

Overall now, it's nice, clean, well running unit, but abused, it was. Now it gets to lead a rather sedate life, pulling my rotary rake and my bat wing chopper.

Moral of the story is... When buying used, expect the unexpected, take care of the issues and move on. No used equipment will be free from issues because it is used.

 

[GeoHorn]

Flip ... are you sure you don’t still shovel lot of manure...?? LOL

 

[SidecarFlip]

Flip ... are you sure you don’t still shovel lot of manure...?? LOL

I try not to. Have a Bobcat for that chore and a lot of it winds up in the garden or I borrow the guy down the road side slinger and put it on his fallow fields. trouble with cattle is they don't know how to use a toilet.

Sometimes I don't either...........

 

[SidecarFlip]

I see that now in the WSM. (I wish the Table of Contents of the WSM were easier to utilize.)

Thank you for making me see how simple that it really is!

My M9's are the same way. Kubota for some reason puts a soft splined coupler between the FWA output and the drive shaft that has a habit of wallowing out and needs replaced. Did my cab tractor last summer. Easy job, part is relatively cheap too.

 

[GeoHorn]

My M9's are the same way. Kubota for some reason puts a soft splined coupler between the FWA output and the drive shaft that has a habit of wallowing out and needs replaced. Did my cab tractor last summer. Easy job, part is relatively cheap too.

The first Owner’s Manual I found listed the M-models to which it applied beginning with my M4700 as the littlest going up thru the M5400 and ending with the M9000... so they must be fairly closely related.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I believe the splined coupler is designed to be sacrifical. Much easier to replace a wallowed out coupler than the splined output shaft or the input stub on the front differential case. I actually bought 2, just in case.

You know when they 'let go' you can hear and feel it. I would imagine the failure rate is higher with a mechanical shuttle versus the hydraulic shuttle because the forward / reverse engagement is modulated so it's not an abrupt mechanical lock up. I do a ton of loader work with the cab tractor, spotting and loading round bales so lots of reversing motion and when doing bales in the field, I'm always in FWA. Same way with the round baler. I leave the pto at rated rpm all the time and start and stop with the shuttle lever so I'm always starting at 2100 rpm.

Why I did not want a dry clutch. I'd go through clutch discs like water.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I believe all the M series (not the newest ones, the older ones like yours and mine) share a lot of the same components and frame assemblies. So, in theory, a smaller one is just as stout as a bigger one which is a distinct advantage in my view. Lower input power into a stronger set of components means a longer operating life far as I'm concerned.

The WSM kind of shows that if you read between the lines.

 

[2zl]

Just watch if your cover is binding at all on the shaft. Mine started rotating and the screws started to dig into the oil pan. Could have been a disaster. Made a very light woosh sound when driving around slow.

 

[GeoHorn]

Just watch if your cover is binding at all on the shaft. Mine started rotating and the screws started to dig into the oil pan. Could have been a disaster. Made a very light woosh sound when driving around slow.

Well, that’s different! The covers on mine don’t have screws to connect them. The fwd one is s slip-fit into the rear one, and they each have a tab which is bolted to the sump to prevent their rotation.

 

[2zl]

Not sure i like the way this is made, as it could wear the oilpan in it got locked onto shaft. Should have a anti rotation feature.