DK40 front bearing failure @ 1300 hours

[MotorSeven]

MotorSeven, sorry to hear of this event. I know what it's like to have one repair and then soon afterwords have something else (which may or may not be related) popping up. And thank you for the detailed info, which I'll be sure to commit to my knowledge base.

I'm wondering... Would it be prudent to do periodic inspections of the bearings?

Seems that the seal leak stems from a bearing starting to get out of shape (stressed), would that be the case? If so, then, yes, watch for leaks and figure on needing to replace the bearing, right away.

I don't think there would be much to see on a visual. Yes, I think stress causes the bearing cage to fail, then it all goes immediately.

Hey Mike....yes LIFE is awesome. I have been riding my DL650 quite a bit criss crossing this great country of ours. Last trip was Moab and did some epic off road trails.

Jeff, the rears have always been loaded, & I use the HD grader blade or 6' brush hog as counterbalance. Always meant to build a 55 gal 3point drum of concrete, but never got around to it.

 

[hwkmn05]

1300 hours? Lucky you. My DK45 happened at 660 hours. Of course the onus is on me for misdiagnosing as the O-ring on the 8 bolt cover and not a bearing issue. I heard very little and thought resistance was due to brush hogging. Fortunately I was slowing down when the wheel came off. I see very little damage to the internal gear but it is doubtful I can reuse the cover or the wheel spindle gear again.

 

[hwkmn05]

 

[k0ua]

I don't think there would be much to see on a visual. Yes, I think stress causes the bearing cage to fail, then it all goes immediately.

Hey Mike....yes LIFE is awesome. I have been riding my DL650 quite a bit criss crossing this great country of ours. Last trip was Moab and did some epic off road trails.

Jeff, the rears have always been loaded, & I use the HD grader blade or 6' brush hog as counterbalance. Always meant to build a 55 gal 3point drum of concrete, but never got around to it.

Rut Rohh. Should have had at least 1100 lbs of counterbalance as outlined in the owners manual. Especially carrying heavy load all the time.

I write this not as something you didn't already know, but as a warning to newby's. Always have counterbalance. It helps unload the strain on the front axle (the weakest axle.)

 

[kspring61]

Should have had at least 1100 lbs of counterbalance as outlined in the owners manual.

Can you count the rear tire fill as part of the counterbalance?

 

[Oldoak]

Can you count the rear tire fill as part of the counterbalance?

No. You need weight beyond the center point of the rear axle to act as a counter balance.

In simple terms, think of a "teeter-totter" with the pivot point being the rear axle.

 

[JoelD]

I typically always have my backhoe on which works well as a counter balance and without which rear wheel drive is almost useless.

 

[liberty2701]

After reading this I get worried. I do an enormous amount of heavy loader work with usually just my box blade (500lbs) or my landscape rake (400lbs). Sometimes I will have the backhoe on. Based on what I read here indicates that my bearings are going to fail in the near future? I have 600 hrs now on my DK50se. It seems ridiculous that an 1100 lb ballast is required. You can not keep a counterweight on when you are moving material and then need the box blade. That would be a a real chore to always switch back and forth between ballast and implement.
It also looks like the seal will fail first indicating the bearing will soon follow? I guess I need to watch carefully for that?
Would it be smart to replace the bearings before they fail?

 

[k0ua]

Can you count the rear tire fill as part of the counterbalance?

No not at all. The tire fill does not add any counterbalance. All of the rear tire fill rest entirely on the ground. Great for traction, but does not unload the front axle in any way. Nor does it load the rear axle either.

 

[PA hayseed]

Liberty

Both sides on mine have gone bad (one side then the other after about another 100+ hrs). I have used 4wd alot doing loader work, having moved 100s of tons of materials, and pallet forks. I have a DK 45se hst, and both went before 1000 hours. I always have counter balance on, not 1100 pounds though. I don't see how people can effectively do loader work with that kind of counter balance. The tractor is slow enough as it is. I don't do those kind of repairs myself, although I probably could, the dealer did them and it cost quite a bit. Just one guys .02.

I normally keep my mower or box blade on, the mower is about 800 pounds, but it sticks out quite a bit and makes it hard to use in confined spaces. I hate to say it in a tractor forum, but skid steers are so much better at this than tractors. Well cut sized tractors anyway. I don't know how much that box blade wieghs probably 500-600.