Aluminum Bellhousing ?

[milkie62]

I am hearing that some JD's have an aluminum bellhousing and worked hard may crack the bellhousing or bolts may pull out. Any truth to this. hearing this from a used tractor dealer who claims he will not take in a newer JD in the under 75 HP range.

 

[ruffdog]

I had heard of a different brand having issues when the tractor also had a hoe attached. I have not heard of the Deere products having those issues in quanity.

 

[5030]

As an FYI, no manufacturer will honor a warranty on ANY tractor that has a 3PH style backhoe attached. Has to be a subframe model. Motor vehicles today are almost all aluminum bellhousings and pot metal to boot.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Perkins engines, often used on Massey Fergusons, have had aluminum bellhousing for years...

I got a Perkins 4.108 with an aluminum bellhousing, and it was in production from 1958-1992, with 500,000 engines made.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Motor vehicles today are almost all aluminum bellhousings and pot metal to boot.

Motor vehicle bell houses are supported on both ends of the bell housing and don't get the twist and other stress's, like a tractor does.

SR

 

[5030]

Motor vehicle bell houses are supported on both ends of the bell housing and don't get the twist and other stress's, like a tractor does.

SR

Not exactly correct. off road vehicles with aluminum bellhousings are subject to twisting, much more so than a tractor where all the drive components (except the front axle) are solid mounted. If you are stressing a bellhousing on a tractor to the failure point, you are twisting the frame and that is abuse.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

EVERY vehicle I own has rubber mounts on the motor and tranny.....Bell housing is between.

EVERY tractor I own is mounted solid, no rubber mounts...

SR

 

[5030]

EVERY vehicle I own has rubber mounts on the motor and tranny.....Bell housing is between.

EVERY tractor I own is mounted solid, no rubber mounts...

SR

Which is even more reason the aluminum bellhousing is good. There is no flex unless it's the frame.

 

[ruffdog]

My TC33D had no frame, just the engine/trans castings. I never had a issue but some people did (broke in half), many of those had hoes on them.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Which is even more reason the aluminum bellhousing is good. There is no flex unless it's the frame.

Only in your opinion, NOT in mine...

MY farm tractors don't have aluminum bell housing, and that's a good thing!!

SR

 

[Motorboatin]

I am hearing that some JD's have an aluminum bellhousing and worked hard may crack the bellhousing or bolts may pull out. Any truth to this. hearing this from a used tractor dealer who claims he will not take in a newer JD in the under 75 HP range.

Here is a whole thread on it

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/welding/278492-welding-rear-end-jd-4300-a.html#post3292005

 

[5030]

Only in your opinion, NOT in mine...

MY farm tractors don't have aluminum bell housing, and that's a good thing!!

SR

Irregardless, mine don't either. I don't buy JD stuff.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Irregardless, mine don't either. I don't buy JD stuff.

"irregardless" isn't a word, but I'll let you slide this time! lol

SR

 

[4570Man]

Not exactly correct. off road vehicles with aluminum bellhousings are subject to twisting, much more so than a tractor where all the drive components (except the front axle) are solid mounted. If you are stressing a bellhousing on a tractor to the failure point, you are twisting the frame and that is abuse.

Most tractors don’t have a frame and the the casing is the frame.

 

[Tx Jim]

If you are stressing a bellhousing on a tractor to the failure point, you are twisting the frame and that is abuse.

Tractors with mid mount frt end loaders stress clutch housing when bucket is utilized/loaded without the need to twist the frame by utilizing the fulcrum affect

 

[Motorboatin]

"irregardless" isn't a word, but I'll let you slide this time! lol

SR

From Merriam & Webster

Frequently Asked Questions About irregardless

Is irregardless a word?
Yes. It may not be a word that you like, or a word that you would use in a term paper, but irregardless certainly is a word. It has been in use for well over 200 years, employed by a large number of people across a wide geographic range and with a consistent meaning. That is why we, and well-nigh every other dictionary of modern English, define this word. Remember that a definition is not an endorsement of a word’s use.

 

[cdaigle430]

Nothing wrong with aluminum bell housings, they use alloy to help strengthen it. It must be engineered right with the correct reinforcement at the higher stressed points. Truthfully I have seen more fractiures and breaks on cast steel or iron.

The place I dont trust aluminum is where you have fluctuations in temperature that are high to low, like the new high efficiency furnaces and boilers. Cast Iron is much better in those applications.

 

[sd455dan]

Most tractors don稚 have a frame and the the casing is the frame.

Yeah except Most of the CUT's being sold today...



I would choose a cast steel/Iron front axle cradle given a choice over a welded up steel structure...

Conversely I would choose a welded up steel support structure for the FEL mount versus cast ones since there have been a few broken castings of this part featured on TBN and when warranty wouldn't cover it they weren't cheap.

Maybe somebody has broken a cast front axle cradle on this site , but i can't remember seeing one.

Have seen a few broken cracked front welded axle cradle and updated versions- along with engine shim kits since the clearances were incorrect on TBN