M4900 Front drive gearbox failure

[kubby]

A friend's M4900 front wheel drive stopped working suddenly, and after checking we discovered big problems in the front drive case attached to the bottom of the transmission. A ball bearing and roller bearing failed, ruining a shaft and gear as well as the case itself. The machine is 4 yrs old but only has 400 hrs, so it seems like there had to be a defective bearing. Just wondering if anyone else has had any problems with this gearbox.

-Bill

 

[yodi]

yesterday i was traveling in high gear at about 15 mph on a smooth flat paved road when the front end of my grand l4330 locked up bucked across the road and onto the shoulder before coming to a rest after a few min i tried to move it but the front end was locked up. roll back picked it up so i dont know what went wrong( 2yrs old 166hrs)