Bush hogging yesterday, in 4wd because rain and uneven terrain. Had been at it a couple hours when..rrrrnnnnt. front end stopped. Tried reverse, no good. Had to really press hard to disconnect 4wd, still just sliding front wheels. It's a 2000 model, 21 years old with no major problems ever until now..thoughts?
Front axle locked up
- Thread starter Junebuggie44
- Start date
Your differential in the front is kaput, dead, gone to heaven, never to return.. Most likely, the universal joints in the front axle have disintegrated, and the only way to know for certain is to pull it apart, and figure it out. Considering the age of the tractor, you might be better off buying a used working one, and put the original one on ice, till you have time to tear into it, and decide what to do, repair it or scrap it. Most likely, it became low on fluid, and lack of lubrication is the culprit. Just getting the parts to repair it is going to be expensive, and that is why I suggest a used unit.
I speak from a vast supply of ignorance. Is it possible to disable the front wheel drive portion altogether such that you effectively have a two wheel drive tractor? It just seems too good to trash outright.
If you removed the pinion gear from the bevel gear casing at the wheel on both sides you would eliminate 95% of the front axle drive and it would be a 2 wheel drive. very easy to do too!
Mind as well just drop and split the front axle and remove the ring gear and no garbage/dirt will go into your front axle housing like it would if you remove the pinion gear. Easy peasy...if you have a forklift and all the tools in your workshop.
Since you are going that far, simply replace the ring and pinion gears and you will have 4WD again. Very easy to do!
I like the "drop the front driveshaft" idear. A frozen joint will cause the front axle to seize.
If after the shaft is dropped the front axle is still frozen... now you know your about to have a cashectomy.
If after the shaft is dropped the front axle is still frozen... now you know your about to have a cashectomy.
How is all this dirt going to get in when you remove the pinions? The pinions are on the bottom!
I admire the can do spirit displayed here ,however I would take it to a proper mechanic. Every 20 years or so you shouldn't mind having to bite the bullet. Its got to be meaningfully less expensive than buying another. Plus all of the fond memories of her will remain with another chapter having been added.
The first step is to find out what the problem is. It could be in the front axle or in the driveshaft to the front axle. If you have a FEL, lifting the front wheels off the ground with the bucket flat on the ground should enable you to figure out if it is axle or driveshaft.
If it is driveshaft, my next move would be to disconnect the front driveshaft and take it out completely - making your tractor into a 2wd while you rebuild the front driveshaft.
If the problem is in the front axle, you are going to have to rebuild the front axle. This is a more technical rebuild, but it still isn't hard to do because there are no high pressure systems, or timing, electrical, or combustion to deal with.....just gears, seals, and bearings.
It does help to have someone help you through it the first time. Mainly because there are a number of shims in the center section and also in each outer axle which absolutely must be kept separate and put back exactly the way the way they came out.
rScotty