JD 216 Rear Transaxle

[mwood]

I broke the left axle housing of my JD 216. I have removed the wheel, hub and all the bolts which hold it in place. I have a replacement part...

But how in the world do you remove the darn axle housing? I can see the axle sticking out the end and there is a bearing there. The whole axle housing (actually, both pieces of the broken housing) move in and out (including the axle) about 1/2 inch. However, it will not come fully off.

Do I really have to break the transaxle in half and take all the gears and everything out to remove this housing?

Please help! I'm gonna need a haybine if I don't get this fixed soon /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Molerj]

I'm not sure which series transaxle is in the JD216. There is a spit washer (not a c clip) that has to come off of the axle before the axle housing will slide off. You also have to take the 4 bolts out of the transmission so the housing will slip off.

 

[mwood]

Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Thus far, the transaxle is removed from the tractor and is free of all else.

The wheel is removed, the snap ring is off and the wheel hub is removed. This leaves the splines of the axle exposed and I can see them come through the bearing in the end of the axle housing.

I then removed the four bolts holding the axle housing to the actual transmission / housing. I figured that then, the broken axle housing and the outer bearing (the visible one) would slide off the axle. It does not... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I also noticed something interesting... The axle housing is complete cracked all the way around. Therefore, there are two pieces of the axle housing to remove. (It broke next the flange the outer bearing is pressed into.) If nothing else, I figured that this broken piece and the included bearing would slide over the splines. But for some reason, it doesn't. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Is this simply a matter of more force? (If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger tool?)

Thanks for your help!

 

[Molerj]

It should slide off, you may need to pry a little on it. If you give me your email address I can send you a repair manual that you can download. It may take a while especially if you have dialup. I worked on one earlier this spring. One thing I found is that if you leave one wheel on & you lay that wheel on the side it is easier to work on. You sure don't want all the gears falling out when you seperate the transaxle.

 

[mwood]

Check your PM. I sent you my e-mail address!

If I really get into this, i'll try to post some pictures of the whole event!

 

[mwood]

Here are some pictures of my restoration project that has stemmed out of trying to fix this broken axle housing!

This is the original tractor, minus the fender pan and gas tank. Not bad shape for never really being cared for in 20 years!

 

[mwood]

Here is a close up of the rear axle. You can see the fancy "drain pan" I used to drain the transaxle of it's fluid. Sadly, it looked like glitter had been poured in there, which is what is prompting me to take the whole thing apart and restore as best I can.

The crack in the axle housing is barely visible here.

 

[mwood]

Here is a close up of the crack.

I was doing a routine check of things when I noticed that there was oil on the inside of the tire. Since my wife drives this as much as me, i'm not sure how long it has been like this. With the tire on and the fender pan on, you really couldn't see this unless you were looking for it.

Also note, the parts guy at my local deere dealership said he'd only seen one broken axle housing in all his years and it was when a tractor rolled away from a guy and the back tire struck a tree. Still not sure how this happened! I'd like to think i'm careful /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[kuby]

I had a 212 that I ran like a D9 and broke three axle shafts so I became well versed in changing these. The shaft should pull right off once the wheel hub is removed but take the tranie right out and through it on a bench and tap the housing with a hammer. Of coarse it was a little more work changing the shafts than the housing because I had to split the transaxle housing and all the gears went rolling out and getting it back together was a real hoot but I got it done.

 

[kuby]

I may have an axle housing for you but am unsure what shape it is in. The tractor was in my barn when it burnt back in 99.