While I have not YET take the suction tube off, it would not be worth it to try to do without taking the tire off. I put a floor jack under the rear hitch area. Jacked up just enough to roll the tire off and lean it against the front side. It is not hard, lining it back up to put back on is not terrible.
As to why it cracked? I last ran it about 4 days earlier to put out hay before the snow hit. It was about -5 degrees F. The tractor sits outside. I am guessing simply fatigued metal, and lots of pressure from cold potentially icy fluid. I bet I don't have more than 50-75 hours on the the last fluid and filter change. I think the Tractor has about 900 hours total on it. I do not run a block heater as in Oklahoma we rarely need it, but a block heater would have done nothing for the Hydraulic fluid at the pump.
I did source a couple of supposedly new old stock and a couple of remanufactured units. I have some calls in trying to decide what to go with. About $600 difference between the two. I guess I feel better about a cracked housing and not having a ton of metal in the fluid. Should make a simple drain and filter change be enough to feel good about contaminants in the system.
