4025 broken bh subframe

[Navvet]

I am sure about how that happened ..... It just happened to me, same tractor, same BH, same break ....

1 or more of the bolts on the top back mounting plate for the subframe loosened .... This allowed inordinate stresses on the subframe where the BH mounts.

Hopefully I can get the subframe welded this week.


On a lighter note, I noticed a strange creaking / popping noise so I started to take the tractor back to the shop ....

After roughly 50 ft down the road, the backhoe just fell off my tractor onto the road ....

the looks on the faces on the two guys I was working with ---- priceless ....

Update .......

While I can stick weld most things, the 3/4" sub-frame is a little beyond my experience, so I took the frame to a local fabrication shop.
The fab shop welded the sub-frame (both sides) and reinforced it with extra 1/2" gussets (and only charged $90 !!!).

When we looked at the sub-frame where it broke we could see we could see where it had been cracked when it was assembled (Paint and rust in the crack) ....

When re-assembling the sub-frame, we were unable to get a torque wrench onto the left side bracket at the top of the axle. The PTO control was in the way. This is where the problem started at and it looks like the dealer that installed the back hoe did not get the bolts tight enough there.

I also changed all of the nuts to aircraft style locking nuts (with nylon inserts) Hopefully won't lose any more bolts this way.

Tried it out today digging up a stump from a 14" hickory tree, tight and solid as a rock. :drink::drink:

 

[ForestGrump]

Update .......

While I can stick weld most things, the 3/4" sub-frame is a little beyond my experience, so I took the frame to a local fabrication shop.
The fab shop welded the sub-frame (both sides) and reinforced it with extra 1/2" gussets (and only charged $90 !!!).

When we looked at the sub-frame where it broke we could see we could see where it had been cracked when it was assembled (Paint and rust in the crack) ....

When re-assembling the sub-frame, we were unable to get a torque wrench onto the left side bracket at the top of the axle. The PTO control was in the way. This is where the problem started at and it looks like the dealer that installed the back hoe did not get the bolts tight enough there.

I also changed all of the nuts to aircraft style locking nuts (with nylon inserts) Hopefully won't lose any more bolts this way.

Tried it out today digging up a stump from a 14" hickory tree, tight and solid as a rock. :drink::drink:

I just reread though this whole thread and thoroughly enjoyed that in the end the initial cause was a loose nut and I must agree there were a bunch of them posting and many of them in Washington. So from an independent and a Warren admirer keep your nuts tight butterflies.