Branson Front Wheel Axle Failures

[rasorbackq]

Cruise control didn't work as the switches for the brakes were always on. They are now disconnected so cruise works.

I guess when I read it this time you could misunderstand my entry.
I have not disconnected the brakes . I have disconnected the sensor for the brakes to turn off the cruise control when brake pedals are pressed. So I did get the stub axle repaired today.
The original seal and sleeve are no longer available but Branson has a new piece that combines both together.
$65 with tax Canadian.

 

[Branson Bob]

The original seal and sleeve are no longer available but Branson has a new piece that combines both together.
$65 with tax Canadian.

Glad you could buy the parts for relatively cheap. How long did the repair take?

 

[rasorbackq]

IF ONLY THE STUB AXLE IS BROKEN AND NOT THE SEAL ALSO THEN ITS ABOUT A 30 minute fix but if the seal is gone its the last piece to come out of the housing . I didnt have a press so I used a hammer and other stuff to get the large gear out of the bearing.
After I replaced the seal and hammered the crap out of the gear to get it back in I noticed the retainer clip on the bench that goes in before the gear . So back to hammering to get it back out.
So less then 2 hrs to get it back to the road.
With a press would be maybe an hour.

Total cost was $520 but I have a new seal and stub axle as a spare and 2 x 4 hrs travel time.

 

[Branson Bob]

IF ONLY THE STUB AXLE IS BROKEN AND NOT THE SEAL ALSO THEN ITS ABOUT A 30 minute fix but if the seal is gone its the last piece to come out of the housing . I didnt have a press so I used a hammer and other stuff to get the large gear out of the bearing.
After I replaced the seal and hammered the crap out of the gear to get it back in I noticed the retainer clip on the bench that goes in before the gear . So back to hammering to get it back out.
So less then 2 hrs to get it back to the road.
With a press would be maybe an hour.

Total cost was $520 but I have a new seal and stub axle as a spare and 2 x 4 hrs travel time.

Good job, good post. Thanks.

 

[Aquamoose]

I have not disconnected the brakes . I have disconnected the sensor for the brakes to turn off the cruise control when brake pedals are pressed.

That’s a recipe for disaster. You’d WANT the cruise control to disengage the moment you step on the brake (disconnects when brake lights come on)

 

[ARNAUDVILLE]

I have a bramson 4720h and my front axle seal went out and I ordered parts to replace it . there are groves in the housing can I use a stone or sand paper to smooth it out .

 

[ARNAUDVILLE]

now that's impressive your reassuring me I bought a good tractor

 

[ARNAUDVILLE]

did you have shims to replace to . I had 6 and there are 3 a and 3 b any special order they have to go in . I'm retired and try to save by doing all my repair work . I tried to buy a parts manual but dealer told me no . I just wanted it to make sure I get the right parts.

 

[guitarman59]

Hello

I am in need of help and advice from Branson operators.

Similar to BumpandNan on the "Branson Warranty Troubles" thread I have experienced a front axle break failure this past fall. The difference is that this is an out of warranty failure, my tractor is a 2009 3510H model. With it, the wheel assembly came clean off with no warning. Please see pictures attached. While I am not seeking warranty I am quite concerned that this type of failure represents a safety issue which should be the subject of a competent investigation and corrective action as found necessary. I would appreciate hearing from anybody who has experienced such a failure. Please share with me your experiences and concerns in this thread or by private email.

I believe this investigation should look into the manufacturing process of the axle, is it made of two pieces welded together? or, is it a single piece construction? I have concerns that this may have been a bad friction weld that has failed. So far Branson Tractor considers this failure closed because it is out of warranty.

I think that a failure investigation of this nature should be led by Kukje Machinery who are the designers and manufacturers of the product. They are the experts who would have the most knowledge and understanding of the axle manufacturing processes and the corresponding failure modes of the axle.

My tractor, as indeed are many tractors of this type, is often used on a public highway and on roadways, failure at such a time could lead to catastrophic results or on a side hill turn for that matter. In my case the wheel came off while turning over a compost pile. Hardly an excessive load. This leaves me with an uncertainty considering the LH front wheel axle which had not failed but which is of the same age in hours and calendar time as the axle that failed.

For those that are interested, I have attached some pictures of the tractor and wheel axle as failed. The wheel lies on the ground as it came to rest after departing the tractor.

View attachment 498382View attachment 498383View attachment 498384View attachment 498385View attachment 498386

Hi Cliff.

I bought a new 2012 Branson 4520R in 2013, Branson replaced the complete front axle under warranty in 2014 with a new 2014 axle. The tractor had maybe 300 hours when all the 6 or 8, #8 bolts came out of the 4 wheel drive in the front axle and grenaded everything.

Two weeks after the installation of the new axle the seals started to leak. I had to replace the seals and my own cost. Branson wouldn't help with anything with the seals.

It wasn't long after that that the bearings went in the right hand side again I had to replace seals. Of course then the left side went same thing. I have repeated the same hunting task all of these years right into 2021. I think I have replaced the either the seals, or bearings or both at least 5 times now.

Today Aug 2021 the left axle broke completely off. This happened when backing up with no load.

The heaviest thing this tractor has lifted is 4 x 5 round bales of wrapped haylage. I've used it for stove wood. I've used it for not too large cedar and pine logs bring in the moat I'm putting them on the wagon or on the sawmill.

In my humble opinion I think the turning radius is to sharpen these tractors and also I think the loader is design for lifting heavier loads than these axles can sustain.

I will try and attach a couple of pictures of my issue. I contacted Branson of course and their answer is sorry sir there's no way we can help you. I think this problem is more common than you think and I know there are naysayers out there who say it isn't a big problem but I think it should be addressed and if enough of us get together maybe they will recognize there is a problem.
I have no idea how much a new axle is but I talked to a dealership who got a tractor from Canada Customs it was confiscated and the motor removed because it didn't pass Canadian emissions.

I can get this axle for $4,000 Canadian which I think is a lot but I have no choice. Maybe somebody else can point me to a cheaper axle.

 

[K5lwq]

@guitarman59, I would take the axle to a good machine shop and ask them to build one. With the issues you have seen, maybe have two built.

Just out of curiosity, what type of terrain do you have? Lots of hills? Also, do you run in 4WD most of the time?

Something you do needs to be modified because of all the front end problems you are seeing. If you think the turning radius is too short, you can adjust the stops so it is less. If the loader lifts too much, you can adjust the pressure relief to a lower pressure setting on your loader valve.

 

[guitarman59]

@guitarman59, I would take the axle to a good machine shop and ask them to build one. With the issues you have seen, maybe have two built.

Just out of curiosity, what type of terrain do you have? Lots of hills? Also, do you run in 4WD most of the time?

Something you do needs to be modified because of all the front end problems you are seeing. If you think the turning radius is too short, you can adjust the stops so it is less. If the loader lifts too much, you can adjust the pressure relief to a lower pressure setting on your loader valve.

Thank you for the advice. I am in flat country. I only use 4 wheel drive when it's needed. I have done a front end alignment on it, adjusted the stops and the loader because of the age and use does not lift nearly the amount that it did when it was new. Of course the seals and the pump is getting older. My point was the engineering I believe is mismatched. I talked to my friend who is a machinist he said he could drill it, put in a dowel, weld it and then put it back on the lathe and turn it, but he says it will never be one hundred percent true. He is offered to mill me a single complete piece. This morning I'm going to check Branson dealership to see what the prices are to prepare from them. At this point I will make a decision.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Thank you for the advice. I am in flat country. I only use 4 wheel drive when it's needed. I have done a front end alignment on it, adjusted the stops and the loader because of the age and use does not lift nearly the amount that it did when it was new. Of course the seals and the pump is getting older. My point was the engineering I believe is mismatched. I talked to my friend who is a machinist he said he could drill it, put in a dowel, weld it and then put it back on the lathe and turn it, but he says it will never be one hundred percent true. He is offered to mill me a single complete piece. This morning I'm going to check Branson dealership to see what the prices are to prepare from them. At this point I will make a decision.

If he sets up the drill on the center line properly, and sets up the final turning on the lathe correctly, it will certainly be "true enough". We're not talking about a main shaft on a turbine engine here. It's never going to see 100K rpm.

 

[aczlan]

Hi Cliff.

I bought a new 2012 Branson 4520R in 2013, Branson replaced the complete front axle under warranty in 2014 with a new 2014 axle. The tractor had maybe 300 hours when all the 6 or 8, #8 bolts came out of the 4 wheel drive in the front axle and grenaded everything.

Two weeks after the installation of the new axle the seals started to leak. I had to replace the seals and my own cost. Branson wouldn't help with anything with the seals.

It wasn't long after that that the bearings went in the right hand side again I had to replace seals. Of course then the left side went same thing. I have repeated the same hunting task all of these years right into 2021. I think I have replaced the either the seals, or bearings or both at least 5 times now.

Today Aug 2021 the left axle broke completely off. This happened when backing up with no load.

The heaviest thing this tractor has lifted is 4 x 5 round bales of wrapped haylage. I've used it for stove wood. I've used it for not too large cedar and pine logs bring in the moat I'm putting them on the wagon or on the sawmill.

In my humble opinion I think the turning radius is to sharpen these tractors and also I think the loader is design for lifting heavier loads than these axles can sustain.

I will try and attach a couple of pictures of my issue. I contacted Branson of course and their answer is sorry sir there's no way we can help you. I think this problem is more common than you think and I know there are naysayers out there who say it isn't a big problem but I think it should be addressed and if enough of us get together maybe they will recognize there is a problem.
I have no idea how much a new axle is but I talked to a dealership who got a tractor from Canada Customs it was confiscated and the motor removed because it didn't pass Canadian emissions.

I can get this axle for $4,000 Canadian which I think is a lot but I have no choice. Maybe somebody else can point me to a cheaper axle.

How much counterweight (behind the back axle) are you running? We had a 100HP (ish) LS at work that did something similar, it was a little better with a large concrete block in back, but the plow that they sold with it was too much for the front end of the tractor.

Aaron Z

 

[Zork]

Here’s a very nice demonstration of axle weight distribution based on front weight and rear of axle weight. The narrator indicates that rear tire ballast does not remove front axle weight. Enjoy!

 

[Zork]

Today, I unsuccessfully looked for my front and rear axle maximum loading capacity. I looked at my 2004 Branson 3520 and it has one horizontal tube on the lower L&R side connecting the base of the Ansung BL20 loader frame to the L&R side of the rear axle. So hopefully this design will reduce front axle stresses.

I’d like to get my maximum axle capacities, loader, backhoe weights so I ‘feel’ safer regarding this issue. After looking at those videos some axles can only take a little over 100+ pounds before it is overloaded. Seems like $15k+ might be a stiff price to lift 100 pounds.

 

[ptsg]

On my tractor, it's listed on the plate with the chassis number and also listed on the title.

 

[LouNY]

I have not seen a tag similar to that on any US models.
Be nice if it was.

 

[Tinhack]

On my tractor, it's listed on the plate with the chassis number and also listed on the title.

View attachment 5601892

Interesting. Seems the FEL lifting spec exceeds the front axle load.

 

[ptsg]

Other than a few exceptions here and there, we don't really get the so called "OEM" loaders here. Only aftermarket ones, probably built better and with better features but that besides the point.

Being aftermarket, the loaders will have a relief valve for the lift circuit only that is adjusted so the lift capacity to matches the axle ratings. I'm speaking mostly about Portugal, but I imagine it's very similar across the EU.

For my tractor (equivalent to the 15 series in the US), the loader would have a capacity of around 800 kg / 1800 lbs versus the 2200 lbs in the US, if I recall correctly. Honestly, that's plenty of lift for a tractor this size and there is really no need for more.

With all these ratings in mind, buying a tractor based on lift capacity it's a moot point, since they all lift the same based on tractor weight, size and axle ratings.

I'm always surprised manufacturers don't list the axle ratings in the US and then use that info to deny warranty claims, because let's face it, a lot of the warranty claims on front axle issues is clearly caused by over loading and not using counter weight.

I mean, people needing to replace wheel seals with less than 200 hours like I've read several times over the years? I can only imagine what that tractor as suffered.

 

[DavesTractor]

I'm always surprised manufacturers don't list the axle ratings in the US and then use that info to deny warranty claims, because let's face it, a lot of the warranty claims on front axle issues is clearly caused by over loading and not using counter weight.

I mean, people needing to replace wheel seals with less than 200 hours like I've read several times over the years? I can only imagine what that tractor as suffered.

Good observation. Marketing wants big numbers. The engineers want some margin so things don't break. Big numbers sell tractors and marketing often wins.

I imagine there is a duty cycle or expected usage discussion before the capacity decision is made. How often is the front axle loaded to max or over max with a typical user? What size bucket comes standard? Things like that. With a standard bucket, it is difficult to overload a front axle unless you are doing something you should not be doing. With a grapple or a set of forks, you can use all of the lift capacity easily. Do that every day at max, and you will see more front seal leaks.

Most folks, using the tractors as expected, will never see a front axle seal problem unless they get mud packed into the deal, or twine or whatever.