B7500 busted rear axle housing

[BobReed12]

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on my required repair? I have a 2001 B7500HSD and while bush hogging the retainer pin came out from my lower 3 point hitch arm (right side from drivers seat) slid off the shaft and crashed into my rear axle housing. Sadly I seen this seconds after backing up and hitting a slight grade which smashed the arm into the housing cracking it. There is a crack about 1 1/2" long in a vertical run that IS leaking oil.

My question is should I see if it can be welded?
Does anyone know what material it is made of?
Is this section of the housing under pressure or is it just a bath for seals?

If I go with replacing the housing is this something only the dealer should try to tackle? How big of a repair is it to replace this it would seem there is many parts in there an I would hate for someone no skilled to dive in and mess it all up.

Any information or guidance would be very appreciated as you can imagine it is a sad day at my house. Should have know better to try and do something for the mother in-law for mother's day.

 

[BobReed12]

I tried to attach photos hope it works and helps. The close up one you can see where it hit and slid to the left of the photo once it hit the raise part of the housing it cracked it.

 

[Stumpy]

I've not idea what the material is but considering the paint is chipped off a good portion and there's no visible rust I'd hazard a guess it's aluminum. There shouldn't be any pressure in that section, that's just part of the trans\hydraulic sump.

The question of weld or replace becomes one of alignment I think. If the bearing(s) and seals at the end of the axle tube are no longer in alignment then there's no point in welding. The contraction of welding might also throw the alignment off. I would definitely get that welded by a professional if you want to try it and he'll probably want the case removed. Besides the seal in there would probably roast when he welded it.

Going by the parts diagram removing that thing would require taking the axles out and installing a new one would require at least one new bearing. I'm not sure how much fun the axles are to remove or whether those bearings are pressed in (they likely are) but it looks to be a fairly involved job. Hopefully someone with direct experience digging in a B model's rear axle will chime in here.

Whether you want to try and take that off is up to you, I'd get a shop manual if you decide to but for the time required to get the casing off my recommendations is to just replace it rather than risk trying to weld it. If a welder thinks he can do it in place then try it, little lost if it doesn't work.

 

[Kytim]

It may just be me but, I usually opt to replace parts like this unless a replacement case is unavailable. to me its about longevity of the complete tractor. I'm with Stumpy here, you havent fixed anything if a weld causes you bearing trouble or leaking seals from misalignment. I know there will be others that will say, "just weld it up, it'll never give you any problems" Although, I, have had first hand knowledge of someone else's poor axle repair before. If your interested in keeping it, just try exhaustively to find a case. if completely unavailable, weld it and deal with the consequences if they arise.

Plus it appears the cases are an aluminum alloy, not steel. It's harder to find someone that is competent enough to make a structurally sound repair. I've seen alum. repairs that just set on the surface and those that made the surounding base metal weakened from overheating. alloy welding is an art of its own.

 

[hodge]

If it were mine, I'd first clean it well, and see just how bad the crack is. Where is it leaking from? The site of the crack, or where the housing mounts to the differential housing?

 

[BobReed12]

Thanks for the information guys. Kubota has quoted me $211 for the part and needs time to figure up the labor cost which will be very high I fear due to what will be required to replace this part. I plan to keep the tractor for a long time so I want to fix it right, but also may not have the cash that they will require to replace it. I also have reservations around someone from a shop just tearing into the most complicated part of the tractor and actually causing more damage while replacing the housing than the fix. Would you have this reservation? I have just been burnt to many times in life buy finding out the "expert" was really just someone that needed a job and was hired and they were no more knowledgeable than I on the matter. Has anyone ever had to get in this part of the tractor rear end and what are your thoughts? I have attached a photo of the damaged area after I cleaned it up. The crack is vertical and to the left of the photo.

I will let you know what I end up doing based off what Kubota says the price it. I will say the tractor will not move again until I drill some holes in the bottom of the retaining pins to insert a key way to prevent them from ever coming out again you may want to too.

 

[BobReed12]

Oh an to answer your question hodge it is leaking from the bottom of the vertical crack located towards the left side of the photo.

 

[Bluegill]

That's aluminum and easy to weld for someone who has the right equipment and knowledge. It also looks like it's not in a very critical structural place. I would have a welder take a look and see about welding it while still on the tractor.

I'd even consider grinding out the crack a bit and using JB Weld to seal it up. Either way you'd need to drain the oil and make sure there's no oil seeping out.

All that said, that part would not be very difficult to replace.

 

[kuboman]

i am with bluegill on this. Drain the oil, clean the area and get some fancy cold weld epoxy. Something that will stick really well and seal the leak. The leaking oil would be my only concern at this stage. Worse case and nothing works and the crack spreads then I would look into a new case. JMHO

 

[Bluegill]

i am with bluegill on this. Drain the oil, clean the area and get some fancy cold weld epoxy. Something that will stick really well and seal the leak. The leaking oil would be my only concern at this stage. Worse case and nothing works and the crack spreads then I would look into a new case. JMHO

I've fixed a lot worse with JB Weld. At this point, it's just an oil leak.

Drill a very small hole at each end of the crack and it's not likely to spread. Rough up the surface around the crack good, also clean good with acetone.

 

[Lil Foot]

I agree.....
If it was mine, I'd try a repair first. I have a buddy who's a NASA certified welder who'd Tig that shut in about 1 1/2 minutes......

 

[BobReed12]

Thanks for the info guys. At the plant I work at there is a pressure rated code certified welders and one of them said he would look at it in person, but thought welding it would not be an issue as long as he could file out the crack and such. (He welds all types of metals all the time. ex hastolly, titanium, SS, alum., etc) I am still holding for the Kubota dealer to give me a price on the replacement of the part to decide my path forward though. The dealership did say that there is not much in this part of the housing other than the brakes and a drive gear so at least either way I go there is not stuff in there to worry about overheating or having to worry about someone messing stuff up if I get it replaced.

 

[Stumpy]

The only big thing in there I saw on the drawings that rely on that casting are the axle bearings. The cover just covers the brakes if I remember right. No offense to Vic and anyone else who works in a shop but just because they're the dealer does not mean you don't have to worry about them messing it up. I agree though that labor isn't gonna be cheap fixing that if that's the route you go.

You might give this a try though be careful about it. Lift the rear end and set it on jackstands and with the range selector in neutral rotate the tire slowly feeling for sticky spots. You may also try firing it up and spinning the tires at speed to look for wobble at the hub though be very careful doing that especially if that has 4WD. Might give that a try before and after welding and see if it looks good but that's probably overkill. Keep an eye on it for few dozen hours after he welds it too.

 

[Breeze]

I'm with Bluegill and Kuboman: JB Weld aka Monkey Metal.

The photo shows "ribs" or strengthened sections of the casting both above and below. For the puncture to spread, it would need to flex and I don't see that happening, from my read of the photo. If properly prepared for the Epoxy to adhere, an early sign of this not being a successful repair would be the beginning of further oil seepage adjacent to the fix. Lacking that, you would likely be good to go!

One of the most frequent problems with aluminum welds is cracking in the puddle, at the end of the weld. The parent metal and the filler metal are at such a different temperature that as it quickly cools, cracks develop. This problem is most frequent with mig welds, probably tig offers somewhat more precise control and less likelihood of cracks.

Drain the housing, hit the hole with a small propane torch to burn any oil imbedded in the metal away, clean with acetone, wire brush, clean again and go with JB Weld.

Hope it turns out well for you.

 

[Breeze]

You may also try firing it up and spinning the tires at speed to look for wobble at the hub though be very careful doing that especially if that has 4WD.

After having welded new axle housing stubs including the inner and outer races and threads on hundreds of Eaton and Rockwell housings, a misaligned housing will not wobble, it will only change the plane of the wheel's rotation. The only thing that will cause wobble is a bent wheel.

 

[Apogee]

Just have it welded by someone competent and move on. This looks to be a very easy repair.

Steve

 

[Bluegill]

Just have it welded by someone competent and move on. This looks to be a very easy repair.

Steve

I do agree, but in this case, I feel JB Weld would be just as good, cheaper and easier...

 

[motorhead]

I've fixed a lot worse with JB Weld. At this point, it's just an oil leak.

Drill a very small hole at each end of the crack and it's not likely to spread. Rough up the surface around the crack good, also clean good with acetone.

X-3. I have used JB weld to successfully repair issues a lot worse than that. Clean and rough up the area well. Get an acid brush and scrub the area and the crack repeatedly with lacquer thinner to remove all traces of oil. Then JB weld. I repaired a motorcycle case where the drive chain went through the case with JB weld. Lasted years until I sold it.

 

[Bluegill]

Heck, I am a welder! And still use JB Weld when it makes sense to do so.