1520 tractor splitting in half

[Anonymous Poster]

just needed to know if a friend is right. He tells me that a 1520 with a loader and a backhoe installed if worked hard the tractor will break in two at the clutch housing. has anyone else heard anything like this? Im told this by a man who works for n/h. Mine is a 1990 4x4 hydro with both a front loader and a backhoe .I love it so far, I only have it 4 weeks and now I wonder if im going to have trouble if I work the loader or backhoe to much. thank you

 

[Bird]

Brad, I don't remember where to find them on the forum, but yes, there has been a good bit of discussion on that topic, and apparently it has happened from time to time. I don't have a backhoe, so maybe some others can tell you more, but I think it's mostly a matter of using a little common sense with the backhoe to prevent excessive stress on the tractor.

Bird

 

[JATO_RaT]

Brad, I had a 2120 that continuously had the main bolts between the engine/bell housing and transmission loosen up. It got so bad that after a days work some had completely backed out. To make matters worse, it would loose a bunch of hydraulic fluid. It seemed to be most noticeable with heavy loader use. I'm not sure, but after cleaning, priming the threads with Kleen Kote (a primer to make LocTite stronger) Loctite and tightening the bolts tight I might have licked the problem. You see with out those bolts tight, the interface between the 2 halves also add to the strentgh and without that mate, things wiggle around a bunch. Make sure bolts are tight. The 2120 was not what it should have been. I think the diesel engine is weak on that model especially for its size and price. The Boomers are certainly a welcome addition that was needed in the NH tractor lineup. Rat...

 

[TomG]

A backhoe can put a lot of stress on a tractor. Tractors aren't necessarily designed for hoes, much like older tractors weren't designed for loaders.

You should take care using the hoe. There's a lot of hydraulic power at the end of long arms that provide a lot of leverage to multiple forces applied to the tractor. The hoe mount makes a big difference to how a tractor is stressed by the hoe. A sub-frame mount distributes forces more evenly across the frame than a 3ph mount.

I have a 6.5' 3ph hoe on a Ford 1710. I like the convenience of the 3ph, the soil is sandy here, and I don't use the hoe regularly. Never the less, I take care not to work the hoe too hard. I wouldn't try to move a big rock in a trench or break a big root. I also try to keep the digging fairly close to the tractor to reduce the leverage and force applied to the tractor (However, not too close or else you end up with you and the tractor in the hole).

I believe that a 6.5' 3ph hoe combined with educated operating technique is OK for my tractor, and it also gets the work I done that I need to do. However, I do have to remind myself not to get carried away with having TRACTOR POWER. A 1520 is one step smaller than my 1710. If it's a 6' 3ph hoe on the 1520, the tractor is more vulnerable to stress failure than mine and more care should be taken.

 

[Rowski]

Rat

I curious as to what makes you think the engines are weak? Was or is there anything one could do to help it out, i.e advance injector pump timming. Also you mention to me when I first got the tractor to keep an eye on those trans bolts (and agian in this post). I checked them today (100 service performed, 150 total hours) the ones that are easy to get at were tight and no fluid leaking. So far there hasn't been any problems with the tractor at all. Are there any other things to look out for on this tractor? Thanks

Derek

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I have seen this happen. A friend owned a rental agency and had a 1720 which usually went out with a 3 pt. hitch backhoe attached . When it broke, it wasn't at the bellhousing but right between the operators' feet. Tractor was in two pieces but the operator escaped without a scratch{ I suspect he needed a change of underwear}. The broken casting was very thin on one side and the the unit was probably being used very hard, read abused. Ford refused to provide any warranty assistance even though the tractor was a few months old with only about a hundred hrs. on it. Their argument was that only sub-frame mounted backhoes could be covered by a warranty even though they hadn't mentioned that when he bought the equipment.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

my 1520 has a 757 b hoe it slips over the pins where the 3point hitch use to be with two long steel 3in c chanel extending to where the engine meets the hydro where it is pined to two brackets that are bolted to the side mounts of the eng like where a mid mount mower would be mounted is this the type that you say would have been covered thanks alot for all the post

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Brad. The incident I described happened about 10 yrs. ago and I wasn't directly involved, so I really could'nt say what their requirments were. I suggest you have a talk with your dealer to see if your mounting system is considered adequate. It sounds from your description that it is. Dave

 

[JATO_RaT]

Derek, That is all that I have found wrong on this tractor. Believe me that I am being a little picky when it comes to any tractor. I do find all of them to be a great asset. The 2120 may have a weak engine for its size/price, but still I must admit, does little to diminish its usefullness. I guess what ends up happening on a forum like this is you find yourself wanting to participate and when that oppourtunity presents itself, you delve into whatever experiences you have had. You always remember the less fourtunate ones and tend to overlook the good ones as the norm. At any rate, I still consider the 2120 a pretty decent tractor. Rat...

 

[Rowski]

Rat

<font color=blue>You always remember the less fourtunate ones and tend to overlook the good ones as the norm.</font color=blue>

Now that you mention it, it is so true. I do it in my profession. Someone asks me what I think about a certain model of car, I alway seem to list the negitives first. Sometimes after you make a big purchase (like a tractor) you get a little funny feeling like you may have gotten the wrong one or options. The only reason why I ended up with the 2120 but more so HN is the price. The bigger TC were not availible (at my dealer) when I got the 2120. The only thing that I regret is getting the gear instead of shuttle shift. May be in a few years or 500ish hours (if resale value is good) I might sell and get something else. But for now it better than a shovel and wheel-barrow. Thanks again Rat.

Derek

 

[Anonymous Poster]

If your backhoe mounts only to the three point hitch, and you use your tractor heavily, you should keep close tabs on the buckle-up bolts between the transmission and the engine. NH compacts have been known to break. In fact, NH does not reccomend three point hitch backhoes on the boomer series. If a boomer splits with one of these type hoes, they will not cover it under warranty. Regardless of what type backhoe you have, keep an eye on the buckle-up bolts as well as the bolts holding the front end to the engine.

 

[TraderMark]

brad S
The 1720 4WD I recently bought has a FEL on it and when I got it home, first thing I did was take the FEL off to do some cleaning. Well, after a good presure washing, I found that the ears at the bottom, back of the block had been broken and welded back. The previous owner(ownerS) had a machine shop make some brackets for the FEL loader brackets to bolt to. The machine shop brackets bolt to the engine block and to the transmission housing to support the area where the engine/trans bolt together. I didn't know the tractor had been broken before I bought it, but now that I have seen it and seen what was done to address it, I still LOVE MY TRACTOR!!!!!/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Brad

Does your tractor have a 3 pt hitch mounted backhoe or a rigid frame mount that extrends underneath the main body of the tractor? The rigid frame is the preferred choice and should limit the problem you are concerned with. I would still peridically check the bolts at the bell housing just to make sure there are no problems.

Good Luck
Mike

 

[tractorexc]

thanks it does have the long frame mt that bolts to the engine

 

[bekxsteins]

rat
did you repair the loose trans. bolts yourself ? the bolts that come loose are the bolts between the front trans. gear box and the rear axle if the tractor is leaking there the tractor must be split and resealed DO NOT USE RTV SEALER OF ANY KIND the only sealer that works is lock tite 515 if you dont use this it will come loose and leak again trust me i have done many of these repairs and this sealer is the only one that works in regards to the low power how old is the tractor because some time in 1999 they changed the engine in these tractors and the new ones are pooches compared to the old ones
gary

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I've seen several split 1500 and 1700 (10,20) series tractors at my local dealer from 3 pt bachoe usage. I have had a 2120 for 12 years now and used it heavily with a sub frame mount and loader. Work it very hard. Plenty of power. Have never had a problem with the bolts described loosening. I think the 2120 is an excellent machine as do several of my friends who have them. Just my 2 cents.

Andy

 

[JATO_RaT]

Gary, I just saw your post and am interested in what you said. The 2120 we have is about a 1995/96 vintage. The bolts do not back out anymore, but the loader hydraulics now are sometimes very weak and other times fine, its intermittant but mostly weak. Sometomes the bucket roll and loader down can't even pick the tractor front end off the ground. I was wondering if their could be a connection here (literally), Thanks, Rat...