Leaking At Front Wheel Bearing

[bwmarine]

Have a L3240, a couple years ago front left wheel bearing seal was leaking. After taking it apart to replace seal found bearing came apart causing the leak. About 100.00 in parts got it back together and topped off with fluid. Yesterday after snow removal I parked the tractor in shop and noticed a few hours later fluid leaking on right front axle side. I am going to have to assume bearing again, ordered parts... should be here Friday or Monday. Not even going to take it apart until parts are here lol.
Has anybody else ran across the front wheel bearings taking a crap?

 

[4570Man]

I had both side seals go out in my L3240. I didn’t change the bearings and it didn’t leak at least for a little while. I sold it not long after.

 

[Greenfield Dave]

I had a bearing fail on my L4400 front end. I blame it on too much heavy loader work. At least it's a pretty easy fix. I also changed the fluid to 80W-90. no leaks since.

 

[bwmarine]

front left from 2018

 

[RickB]

Seal failure is somewhat common for axles of this design no matter what color paint is on them. Bearing failure accounts for maybe 50% of the seal failures. Bearings are fairly cheap, if you want the best chance of having what you need before you tear it down get the outer bearing and seal.

 

[MHarryE]

My L6060 went like yours, first noticed one side leaking oil, disassembled and repaired. Ordered 2 sets because I knew the other side would go quickly, and it did. I was doing a lot of load and carry which is real tough on bearings. Bearing life calculation involves the cube of the load and number of revolutions. Heavy load with bucket filled with gravel and lots of revolutions carrying each bucket 100 yards. Fortunately easy to repair.

 

[grsthegreat]

i had a seal leak on the right front wheel last year. i didnt feel like messing with it so let dealer replace both side bearings and seals. tractor was 10 years old. be proactive is my motto. and it was not too spendy. im sure it was due to all the forklift work i was doing. i moved a heck of alot of pallets of concrete and heavy generators over the years.

 

[SouthernSky]

We’re any special tools required? My L2650 leaks on both wheels.

 

[4570Man]

We’re any special tools required? My L2650 leaks on both wheels.

Getting the seals out is difficult. I ended up welded a bar across them and driving them out but besides that no special tools.

 

[BeezFun]

I'm curious if people experiencing these failures are using 3pt ballast and if so, how much weight.

 

[bwmarine]

We’re any special tools required? My L2650 leaks on both wheels.

I remember it took me a little bit to figure out how to remove seal, but I did not use any special tool.
I will get to refresh my memory when I take it apart. Will post what I find...

 

[bwmarine]

I'm curious if people experiencing these failures are using 3pt ballast and if so, how much weight.

I have loaded tires and have never used ballast box. I do use my loader a lot though

 

[grsthegreat]

I have a 1000 pound 3 point ballast box. It lets me carry full rated loads, but I don’t see how it would prevent seal damage. The weight on the front axle is still there. A rear ballast box may make it worse, as I tend to pick up heavier loads.

 

[Fallon]

A tractor is a teeter totter & the rear axle is the pivot. Loaded rear tires make the pivot stay on the ground longer increasing the weight on front axle. Weight on the 3pt lifts the front end decreasing the weight on the axle. If you do loader work wheel or 3pt weight makes it more stable & increases your lift capacity (if not limited by hydraulics). But only 3pt ballast saves your front axle & bearings.

 

[RickB]

Unless the contention is the fulcrum is actually the front axle, not the rear. Then every pound added anywhere can add to the front axle load. Add sufficient weight to the loader bucket and the rear axle will come off the ground.

 

[4570Man]

I'm curious if people experiencing these failures are using 3pt ballast and if so, how much weight.

I had a backhoe attachment on mine practically its whole live and they still started leaking around 800 hours. There’s been 100 arguments or probably more about this topic and I’m still calling BS. It would take an insane amount of weight far more than practical to lighten the front end vs none. If you said you’re saving the front end by increasing the traction on the rear and reducing the work the front 4x4 does you’d be right or if you said the tractor was a lot better with more ballast added you’d be right but reducing the front axel load by adding more weight isn’t happening.

 

[SouthernSky]

My L2650 has had a box blade and front end loader on it most of its years. Back tires are water-filled. I have been known to use the loader for moving weight I probably shouldn’t be. No separate ballast. 1200 hours and this will be the second set of seals, the last ones done by the dealer. I still think it was a design flaw as almost everyone I know has the L2350, L2650 and L2950 has had the leaky seals. If I don’t need any compression or specialty tools I may try this myself.

 

[Diggin It]

I've had the front come up when the rear is too heavy (dirt in BH bucket while on an up slope) and I've had the rear come up when the front is too heavy (load in FEL on level ground). I know my left front is leaking and I think the right is now too. Not sure yet, but hope it's just seals. I've moved an awful lot of gravel in the FEL, nearly all with rear weight added.

 

[TnAndy]

Right front on my Yanmar at around 1800hrs. I do a lot of FEL loader works at well, moving logs, saw mill slabs, lumber. Bearing retainer went, eating up seal. Fairly straight forward repair. $100 something in parts/fluid and couple hours. I did use a hydraulic press on the bearing (7) to press it into the case (1) and the spindle (3).

Left side began leaking couple months later. Ordered the same round of parts, and replaced while in there, but couldn't really find anything like the right side bearing. I DID remove a tight wound wad of round bale net wrap that had worked it's way around the hub shaft and I suspect into the seal, causing it to leak......

 

[grsthegreat]

I was charged $350 for both front repairs. After over 9 years of heavy lifting, I thought that was a fair price. And best part...I didn’t have to,do it