John Deere 2720 - Replace Right Front Gear Case Support

[LeoC4]

The gear case support (LVU803869, #4 in the image) on my John Deere 2720 broke (in the woods, down the hill; of course not in the driveway) and I have the "joy" of replacing it. It looks pretty straight forward, but there's always the possibility of a surprise. If you've made the same repair, I'd appreciate any insights / hints.

 

[LeoC4]

I received the replacement gear case support (LVU803869) and, after a bit of struggle, got it installed. It sure would have been easier if the repair wasn't "in the field" as I probably made 10+ trips back-n-forth between the garage (where my tools are) and the tractor.

A few things I learned:

• block the axle high enough to remove the tire/wheel; drain the final drive you're going to repair
• unbolt the Front Gear Case (LVU803534) to simplify reassembly of the final drive with the replacement gear case support
• after reassembly and the axel has been refilled, it's probably a good idea to do a gear oil change after a few hours of operation
• the tie-rod fitting (part # CH15805; #3 in the image) is a tapered fit and needs to be pressed (I used a c-clamp and sockets) into place before tightening/pinning the castle nut

I couldn't find the torque required for the tie-rod fitting castle nut. If you know it...

 

[Runner]

If you don't mind my asking, do you have any idea why it broke? Was the machine in some kind of bind or heavy load situation?

The shop manual for my 2520 (basically same machine - less HP) says tie rod castle nut torque should be 18 - 24 lb-ft.

 

[LeoC4]

...any idea why it broke? Was the machine in some kind of bind or heavy load situation?...

I think there was a defect in the casting which was slowly failing (hairline crack) over the past few months / years. I was turning to the left (4WD engaged) and the stress on the right front tire exceeded the remaining strength.