422 wheel motor leaks

[SwampmanLA]

The shaft seals on the two rear wheel motors of my 422 have failed and are leaking. I know I could pull the motors and ship them to Tazwell for rebuilding but I need my Trac. Anybody have luck finding and replacing shaft seals on a 422?

From the Swamp

 

[J_J]

Just curious if you had the tires reversed?

Go to the manufacturer for the seals if possible.

 

[J_J]

Just curious if you had the tires reversed?

Go to the manufacturer for the seals if possible.

 

[SwampmanLA]

Nope. Wheels are the correct way.

 

[BEK]

I just replaced the seals and bearings in the White CE series wheel motor on my 72 inch brush mower. The parts info can be found on the White web site as well as info on parts distributors. I have learned from the site that the CE motors have a preferred rotating direction. The direction can be changed by changing a manifold in the motor, one is for Clockwise direction the other is for bi-directional rotation. However the ports on the motor are such that any time pressure is applied to 'B' port, that pressure is also applied to the shaft seals, this will eventually cause the seals to leak. If your thinking of replacing wheel motors I would use motors with a case drain it relieves pressure on the seals. I don't think PowerTrac made a wise choice when they put drainless wheel motors on the smaller tractors.

 

[SwampmanLA]

Does someone know for sure that 422 wheel motors are White CE?

 

[KentT]

The 422 uses 12.5ci White RS as far as I know, and the newer 425 with higher lift and bolt-on wheel motor boxes uses 14.3ci White CE. My 2001 model 425 came with White RS also, but when they redesigned the 425 for higher lift arms and such, they upgraded the motors to White CE.

 

[SwampmanLA]

Thanks for the tip. I made contact with my local dealer and they suggest not repairing but replacing with a new motor. He stated that this is not an expensive motor and depending on hat is wrong it could easily be over 50% of the price of a new motor to repair one. I am inclined to buy two motors and use the old ones for building some simple accessories. The only way to make the numbers work out is to do the repair yourself. I don't think I want to do the rebuild myself. Anybody have experience rebuilding a wheel motor? If so, was it difficult?

 

[KMA]

I recently bought a seal kit for the 422 wheel motor on Ebay. I haven't rebuilt it yet, but it was only ~$40 so I figured I order it and have it around when I get the time to try it. I also considered buying and new motor and fixing the old one as a back up, but the new motors aren't all that cheap. PT sells them for over $300 I believe, but you might be able to find the exact model for $200+ online. I think there are a lot of different options, and some versions are much cheaper than others in the same product line.

 

[SwampmanLA]

Good news, sort of. My leaks are fixable with a seal kit. Terry says these motors are just about indestructible he really thought my power problems are elsewhere. So he suggested I get all four tires off the ground and then try to turn then one at a time. If the resistance is the same on all four motors then they are good. Well I did the test and found I had a sheared hub key on a rear motor. I plan on fixing that tomorrow.

 

[MossRoad]

Good for you! Hope it is an easy fix.

 

[SwampmanLA]

I contacted Power Trac and a White dealer to discuss having a couple of my 422 motors resealed. Power Trac would not give me a real price but to put in a seal kit and nothing else sounded like $100.00 plus shipping. An inquiry about what a new motor cost yielded $400.00. I did not like these options. The White dealer told me these motors inexpensive and not worth repair unless you do it yourself. He said a seal kit would be $40.00 labor $100.00 and most likely I would need a new shaft and that would add $80.00. Seems the main cause of leaks is wear of the shaft around the seal. Repair would cost $200.00 a motor for them to do it. A new motor is $249.78. Decision made! BTW the motor number is f3013zaaaa.

 

[SwampmanLA]

Good news, sort of. My leaks are fixable with a seal kit. Terry says these motors are just about indestructible he really thought my power problems are elsewhere. So he suggested I get all four tires off the ground and then try to turn then one at a time. If the resistance is the same on all four motors then they are good. Well I did the test and found I had a sheared hub key on a rear motor. I plan on fixing that tomorrow.

This was a real pain because the 3/16" key would keep shearing. Finally decided the keys I had we're too soft (Harbor Freight stuff) and got some steel key material. Problem solved.

 

[MossRoad]

Glad you got that resolved.
:thumbsup:

 

[SwampmanLA]

It all started with the bolts that secure my rear wheel motors getting loose. After a few times of trying to tighten them with the wheel hubs in place, a tight fit. I decided to pull the hubs so I could really tighten down the wheel motor bolts securely. That is when I started a long chain of events that cost me two hubs and motors. Read and take heed.

The proper way to reinstall a wheel hub is to heat it, slide the hot hub over the cold shaft, and tap it home with a piece of pipe and hammer. Secure the 3/4" by 28 tpi nut on the shaft and snug it up. Let the hub cool and you well have a hub with a rock solid grip on the shaft.

What I was doing before was just torquing the wheel nut as much as I dare and that was not enough to hold the hubs in place. That 28 tpi nut just can't handle stress of holding those wheels on the shaft without the griping heating and cooling gives. They would become a bit loose,strip the nut, shear the key, and begin to eat away at the hubs and shaft.

 

[ponytug]

When you say "heat it", how hot do you mean?

Thanks for the pointers.

All the best,

Peter

 

[SwampmanLA]

I put it in the wife's oven till it was about 500 deg. It was 80+ deg ambient temperature where the 422 was and I wanted about 400 deg difference in temperature. That is why I picked 500 deg.

 

[KMA]

I put it in the wife's oven till it was about 500 deg. It was 80+ deg ambient temperature where the 422 was and I wanted about 400 deg difference in temperature. That is why I picked 500 deg.

Nice tip! Thanks!

 

[ponytug]

Wow! That's (alot!) hotter than I would have guessed. Thanks for the details. How long did it take to go between the oven and the motor spindle?

Is there a magic to a temperature difference of 400F?

Things that I had never thought about. Great tip!

All the best,

Peter

I put it in the wife's oven till it was about 500 deg. It was 80+ deg ambient temperature where the 422 was and I wanted about 400 deg difference in temperature. That is why I picked 500 deg.

 

[ponytug]

Wow! That's (alot!) hotter than I would have guessed. Thanks for the details. How long did it take to go between the oven and the motor spindle?

Is there a magic to a temperature difference of 400F?

Things that I had never thought about. Great tip!

All the best,

Peter

I put it in the wife's oven till it was about 500 deg. It was 80+ deg ambient temperature where the 422 was and I wanted about 400 deg difference in temperature. That is why I picked 500 deg.