L245DT Locked-Up Front Wheel--HELP

[LawMan]

I was doing some cleaning up around place today before holiday, grading drive etc...when I heard popping in left front wheel, then wheel starting grabbing, was not in 4wd at the time, but after all the sudden tractor started working fine. I used 4wd a couple times to get out of ditch when grading. While moving foward on level ground front wheel locked up and began skidding along like a brake had been applied, good thing ground was wet and slick so I could get back to shop. Haven't pulled wheel yet, will in am. Any suggestions????

 

[Ed_L295DT]

Suggestions? Yes, keep your wallet handy. Sounds like a planetary drive is breaking up.

 

[LawMan]

<font color="blue"> </font> More than wallet, may need to take out a loan, local dealer said the bevel gear that fits on end of front left axle is 330.00, yea three hundred thirty, I think she was smoking xmas tree leaves. So I am off to find a more reasonable parts supplier..bh

 

[alvanko]

I do not know what is broken , but , the outer "knuckles" are very easy to dis-assemble. I have done it twice. It's not rocket science. If you don't have a manual, get one.
Look for used parts and it shouldn't cost that much.

 

[rbargeron]

This sounds to me like the king pin barings are worn just enough so the gears can jamb. Was the gear actually broken ? Is the mating gear broken? If they are just worn, what's needed is to get the play out of the system. Take it apart and study what needs to be done to hold the gears in tighter mesh. It won't be perfect but it may run a long time if you can reduce the excess gear clearance it has now.

 

[LawMan]

yes the two gears had several chipped teeth, the one on the axle had two pretty good size chips in it. Also it had not been getting lubrication was the only part of wheel assy. that was dry. I have not pulled pin out yet to try to figure why not fluid was getting to that part. thanks for reply//bh

 

[rdsaustintx]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> </font> local dealer said the bevel gear that fits on end of front left axle is 330.00, yea three hundred thirty ... So I am off to find a more reasonable parts supplier..bh )</font>

Whoooa there big fella. Mating bevel gears really need to come off the same gear generator. Also heat treat and peening are extremely critical. I would not second-source a bevel gear.

Also, the previous posts about axial play are important, but they have to be precisely shimmed to get the proper operating mesh. It's a science unto itself.

I don't know if anybody sweats this in the tractor world, but the textbook method is to blue the gears, assemble the mesh, run under load, disassemble, examine the wear pattern, adjust, reassemble, repeat until it's right.

When it comes to bevel gearing, interchangeability ain't what the word implies. Do this wrong and you'll ruin the mating piece too. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Good luck,

Russell in Tejas

 

[rbargeron]

Of course you are right about gearing design and fit - it is all very precise and geometrically exacting. Gear cutting, hardening, finishing operations are all specialties that require knowledge skill and expensive tooling. I know a little bit about this since my dad was a designer of hobs (gear cutters). The textbook solution is complete disassembly, thorough cleaning, close inspection of all the bearings and gears in the axle, new original Kubota parts to replace anything with damage, followed by clean-bench reassembly using indicators & guages, new gaskets and gear oil.

But what we have in this L245 front axle is some gears whose correct mesh went away long ago from running dry. If the proper fix isn't possible right now, a compromise fix would be to elliminate the jamming by reducing the free play if possible. Or at least take the damaged gears and chips out so it will run in 2wd without doing further damage.

 

[RobJ]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( </font><font color="blueclass=small">( <font color="blue"> </font> local dealer said the bevel gear that fits on end of front left axle is 330.00, yea three hundred thirty ... So I am off to find a more reasonable parts supplier..bh )</font>

Whoooa there big fella. Mating bevel gears really need to come off the same gear generator. Also heat treat and peening are extremely critical. I would not second-source a bevel gear.

Also, the previous posts about axial play are important, but they have to be precisely shimmed to get the proper operating mesh. It's a science unto itself.

I don't know if anybody sweats this in the tractor world, but the textbook method is to blue the gears, assemble the mesh, run under load, disassemble, examine the wear pattern, adjust, reassemble, repeat until it's right.

When it comes to bevel gearing, interchangeability ain't what the word implies. Do this wrong and you'll ruin the mating piece too. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif


I really don't think it is. Your texbook way is generally on cars and trucks running at highway speeds. A tractor running 10mph tops is a different story. Plus it's an older tractor. I don't think you'll have any problem if the assemble turns freely. I did this on a hot rod when I was a kid. Worked fine just howeled like a dickens over about 30mph. I did end up replacing it with a new gear because everyone knew I was running a tall gear. I was losing money. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Good luck,

Russell in Tejas )</font>

 

[rdsaustintx]

You're probably right, but bevel gears are 10x more sophisticated than spur gears. If they are not shimmed-in properly, wear may not be a problem (due to the low speeds), but tooth strength still is. If they don't run on the sweet spots, you can badly end-load the gear teeth. This is different from spur or spiral gearing.

Some photos of the failed gears would be VERY COOL... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Spur gears can be hobbed, broached or ground any shape the designer wants. On bevel gears you specify pitch radius and angles, and the gear generator manufacturer (used to be mostly Gleason for straight bevels, God knows what the Japanese use) tells you what profile their machine will give you. Hence the problems with parts from differing manufacturers.

RDnT