L3240 Hairline Cracks in Rearend

[gtcivil]

First time poster here with a big question/problem. My father bought a new L3240 8 or 9 years ago and didn’t use it much. Since it left the dealership it’s never spent a night outside, the tractor only has 70 hours on it. Long story short, my father passed away last fall and we went to get the tractor out of the shed the lift wouldn’t work (dad had a tiller attached). The tractor would drive though. We immediately noticed that hydraulic fluid was leaking from the bottom of the rear end. Even after shutting the tractor off fluid continued to leak for hours and filled up an old hubcap. I crawled under the tractor and saw hairline cracks on the bottom of the rear end. I’ll try to add a picture tomorrow . What could have caused this and what can be done to fix it?

 

[SidecarFlip]

Could have gotten the tiller in a twist and cracked the housing, or water in the fluid and froze in the rear end if you live in a cold climate.

 

[rademamj1]

I don't think a little water freezing would crack the case, but I do support structural stress from an attached implement during use. Which means it suffered some hairline cracks prior to being parked long term. A good experienced welding shop can braze the cracks, effectively closing them from leaking hydraulic fluid.

After being parked for so long, drain the entire fuel system, change all hydraulic and engine fluids, filters, coolant and have everything looked at closely...especially coolant hoses, make necessary cable adjustments and look for any electrical wiring breaks from critters. I just parked my tractor for only 6 days, and a field mouse ate some wires up. Nasty critters.



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[200mph]

I think to post pictures you need at least 5 posts, so it may be necessary to create a few... Assuming you have difficulting posting.

 

[D2Cat]

Welcome to the forum. That is a nice tractor with very low hours. It was the last model before the govt required restrictions. Might post some pictures of the crack, but you need 5 post (protection from spam). Post can be about anything. So tell us about your weather!

We offer condolences to you with your father's passing. Get that tractor fixed and keep it as a remembrance of him.

 

[gtcivil]

The weather is Georgia today is stormy, these afternoon thunderstorms will pop up, rain like crazy and then the sun is shining.

 

[gtcivil]

Dad also had a L2050 4x4 he bought in the late 90s only has about 500 hours on it. Haven't had the first problem with it. After I discovered the crack in the 3240 I cranked the 2050 up and bushogged with it.

 

[gtcivil]

I've got an old Hustler 340 with a 4 cylinder Kubota engine. I think its from the late 80s or early 90s. About 1,500 hours on it and still runs like a top.

 

[gtcivil]

D2Cat, I appreciate the condolences, this sort of thing is never easy.

 

[gtcivil]

Let's see if this works, the picture of the cracks.

 

[BruceP]

Oh My - this is not an easy thing to 'fix'.

I have a buddy who purchased a VERY nice looking tractor cheep and thought he got a great deal. He later discovered there is a crack in the casting near the shifter. It seeps fluid every time he uses it.

Obviously 'fixing' a crack in the main casting is NOT easy nor cheep. Cast iron should NOT be welded.... but brazing is an option if the surface is properly prepared.

QUESTION, can that section of your tractor be removed and sent to a competent metalworker for brazing?

 

[rademamj1]

Nice photo....Definitely hairline cracks in the casting. Possibly these are older cracks based on the rusty color within the cracks? Or is that maybe the color for hydraulic fluid??

Probably these are thermal cracks related to the casting process at the foundry. If you are definitely sure this is the specific source of the hydraulic leaks, brazing the cracked area will most likely seal it from further fluid leaks. You might want to double check to make sure these cracks are truly the source of hydraulic fluid leaks.
Best of success.

 

[D2Cat]

How about another picture, further back so we can see more of the area around the previous picture?

Without seeing the bigger picture, I'd be thinking of taking a carbide tip in a die grinder and cutting a groove where all the cracks are. Use something like either to clean the area and then use an epoxy to put in the cracks.

Might sound silly to some, but I've done just as I described on the side of the engine in a John Deere 350 crawler. Used JB weld. Put duct tape on the lower side and when the product was in place, pulled the tape up to make a form to hold the epoxy until it set up. We left it for a couple of days, and the guy used that machine for at least 8 years that I know of.

If the metal is not under pressure and taking a strain when being used, it will hold fine.

 

[Dave_eng]

From looking at a WSM photo, I am wondering if the cracking is around where the lower 3 pt arm connects to the rear end.

In the photo supplied by the owner, a bolt on bracket looks to have moved enough to break the paint film.

If in its earlier life the tractor was backed into something where a lower 3 pt arm delivered the shock load to the rear end of the tractor, it could explain the damage.

Dave

 

[SidecarFlip]

Sometime in the life of it, it was stressed from something. Maybe the previous owner was in reverse and backed the tiller into a stump, who knows but sure looks to me like it will require a new rear case. Think I mentioned in a previous post on here that I know a fella that did the same thing and the dealer cost to replace was 7grand.

 

[rademamj1]

Backing into something, say a stump with a 3pt attachment on the tractor, can slam the PTO shaft severely enough to create the observed cracks. There may be more damage than we see in the photo.

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[rademamj1]

Without seeing the bigger picture, I'd be thinking of taking a carbide tip in a die grinder and cutting a groove where all the cracks are. Use something like either to clean the area and then use an epoxy to put in the cracks.

I was thinking the same thing regarding epoxy as an effective sealant for hairline cracks, assuming no further cracks develop from continued usage of the tractor.

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[Yooper]

It looks like cracked paint to me. Can you get a picture of where it is leaking?

 

[gtcivil]

I've draw a circle around the area where the crack is and the fluid is coming out. Note this is the very bottom of the tractor and not near any stress points where the 3 pt hitch connects. The bar that runs into the top half of the circle is the drawbar for reference. And the drawbar couldn't have caused the crack it's below this point of the case, even if it did somehow get loose and slide.

The fluid is definitely coming out of this crack and not anywhere higher on the rear end. The only paint that has cracked is where the metal has cracked. What looks like cracked paint around where the plate bolts to the bottom of the tractor is in fact the factory sealant/gasket. This is the very bottom of the sump of the rear end, hard to imagine it being subject to stress even backing into something with a tiller attached, and there's absolutely no damage to the tiller.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[D2Cat]

I'd spray it clean with brake cleaner and put a piece of clean cardboard under the area. Get a determination of the amount of fluid leaking. A spoonful of oil can look like a quart when it spreads out.

This won't hep you with anything, except to know how much is leaking over time.

Google, "how to seal a crack in a transmission". You'll see some ideas.