Broken Wheel Hub On Century 3045??

[herdfan]

My new Century was seriously wounded this past Saturday.
I spent a few hours digging out a hillside slip with my backhoe and was finishing up scooping away the final pile of mud with the loader when I felt a crunch. I thought I was up against a rock in the mud, so I backed up a little to get out from under it and noticed the front left wheel was bent out in an unnatural way.

Seems the bolts holding the axle housing to the wheel hub all sheered off inside the hub! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

The tierod snapped and the axle shaft got bent and slid out of the housing. The race for the wheel also was badly scored.

I got her loaded up on my trailer to get to the dealer with the help of my other tractor since it was now a three-wheeled tractor. The dealer said he's never seen this happen on a Century before but it would be covered under the warranty (I'm glad about that!)

Has anyone seen or heard of this before? I had my camera laid out to snap some pics but forgot to do it after struggling to get the tractor 1/4 mile to the garage and get it loaded up. I even forgot to take the key with me to the dealer /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

On the bright side, I reserved a full-size extenda-hoe for the weekend to finish up the work. I should be able to clean up the other slips and get my house foundation/basement finished in less time and without any more hours on the tractor. Of course, the rate is a little steep, but it will be fun tearing into the dirt with that big rig! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Evasive1]

Sorry to hear about the casualty /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Yes I have heard of this problem. Last week when unloading my Century 3045 off of the trailer after a hard days work I noticed a little bit of fluid on the trailer under the left front wheel. It was leaking from the left front hub assembly. I noticed that the bolts there were loose and tightened them up and it stopped the leak. Had to take off the tie rod shield to get to two of them.

I asked around and heard of another guy that had a bolt shear off there because it had loosened up.

I checked the right side and it was still tight. Something about the torque that loosens up that left side. Time to break out the lock tite since this does seem to be a problem.

 

[DavesTractor]

If you have a 20 series Branson or a 30 series Century, you need to check the bolts. We had a couple of problems about 6 months ago, so we have replaced the 8.8 bolts with 10.9 grade, torqued and loctited. Kukje has since fixed the weakness with some machine fit dowels that keep things from ever being able to move at all. Once things wiggle a little they can start to loosen fast. On non-doweled models, the 10.9 bolts have given us 100% satisfactory results. While you are checking the axle bolts, check the tie rod ends also.

I'm sorry to see you have had that problem. I'm sure your Century dealer will make it right.

 

[herdfan]

The dealer did say that the bolts may have loosened up, causing too much motion and strain on them, but I didn't notice any leaks and I wonder why all of the bolts failed at once. I wonder what else may wiggle loose or snap off?
What is most irritating is that I had maybe 3 or 4 more loader trips to finish up that one job /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif At least that part has a good drainage path. This rain over the past few days stayed shed right off into my v-ditch. Oh well, like I said, I'll get the full sized backhoe in there and "git r done!"

eric

 

[herdfan]

Dave,

Are the 8.8 bolts standard? My dealer is supposed to give me a call once he gets some feedback from the factory rep.
Is there a chance that something else could have been damaged on my tractor when that hub became "amputated?" The right front tire was sitting kinda crooked, but that was with the left front tire gone and being partially supported by the FEL. I just don't want to get the tractor home and have somethng fail in the font transaxle or something.

eric

 

[BillG_in_TX]

Here's a discussion from last fall that mentions this problem, and that there was a service bulletin out about it. Look for the posts by DavesTractor and dancce. They are Branson / Century dealers.

 

[herdfan]

Thanks for the thread link, Bill.
It's reassuring that my problem may be a known issue and that the dealer/factory support is there.
Eric

 

[BillG_in_TX]

And did you notice how it all came out?
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Spoke with dealer about the replacement of the left front axel housing and bolts. Dealer has replaced all bolts, axel housing, and a spider gear that got chewed up in the event. Went through tractor and verified that all other bolts were torqued to spec.

Also I got word from dealer that they would warranty the clutch aswell.

Dealer and Branson pulled through! )</font>

Make sure you look for all those other parts and pieces that might have damaged/destroyed.

 

[herdfan]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Make sure you look for all those other parts and pieces that might have damaged/destroyed. )</font>

That's what I'm afraid of missing.
I know the axle shaft, race, and tie rod need to be replaced.
There is also a big gash in my tire.
Also, my step pn the left side got bent up when the tractor dropped down when the wheel came off.
As far as any other "hidden damage" such as clutch wear, damage to the front transaxle or the right axle/drivetrain, I don't know. I voiced my concerns to the dealer and asked them to really go over the tractor with the ole fine-toothed comb.
It sounds like if there is a problem, then the factory support is there to get it taken care of.
I dropped the tractor off yesterday, so I think I'll call my dealer tomorrow and see if there is any info before heading into the weekend.
I'll post a couple of the backhoe rental pics tomorrow too /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[DavesTractor]

<font color="blue"> Are the 8.8 bolts standard? </font> Yes they are.

Your bolts had been loosening for a while, but with an o-ring type seal, the buggers don't leak much until the situation gets bad. The sequence of events is that the bolts will loosen just a little at a time, until they get loose enough to really give some movement, then you will snap a bolt or two. It is downhill from there.

The good news is that my experience is that Branson (and I'm sure Century as well) will stand behind this 100%.

All you other guys, check your bolts. When we first realized this problem, we bought a few hundred grade 10.9 bolts (5mm longer will fit, so we do that also) and we have been going around and replacing the bolts before we have a problem. We still have a couple of units to go, but we have changed out 98% of the bolts from what our dealership sold.

This problem has been fixed at the factory on new units for a few months. It does not affect the 10 series at all.