mf1250 4x4 problem

[dbail]

I have a mf1250 my 4x4 stopped working, and the tractor was making a grinding noise I had the tractor fixed it was the rear bearing on the 4x4 shaft.$2,500 later, i ran the tractor for about 10min and it happen again.this time i tore it apart myself.the bearing was destroyed again.the shaft was pushed through the bearing and into the bottom transmissoin filter. when i was ordering parts i talked to the right guy.he said he had heared of this before he thought they had all been fixed.he said the shaft needed to be shorten.he said i was lucky it didn't break the rear housing.I don't feel lucky.if anyone has a mf1250 you should check this out before it's to late

 

[Workstead]

I have a mf1250 my 4x4 stopped working, and the tractor was making a grinding noise I had the tractor fixed it was the rear bearing on the 4x4 shaft.$2,500 later, i ran the tractor for about 10min and it happen again.this time i tore it apart myself.the bearing was destroyed again.the shaft was pushed through the bearing and into the bottom transmissoin filter. when i was ordering parts i talked to the right guy.he said he had heared of this before he thought they had all been fixed.he said the shaft needed to be shorten.he said i was lucky it didn't break the rear housing.I don't feel lucky.if anyone has a mf1250 you should check this out before it's to late

I just got a 1998 MF1250 a few weeks ago with 1033 hours..

I have perked up a few cosmetic things and much improved my starting by cleaning the battery posts and all connections. When the temperature is below 30 F I hold the glow plugs on for about 20 seconds and it fires up on the first crank. When it's colder I hold the glow plugs on for about 30 seconds. Before I cleaned the posts and connections It was a very hard starter.

I digressed.

What did you do to check the problem and what should I be looking for? Any pictures? How long should the shaft be? The shift mechanism for my 4WD is VERY stiff. Is there a way to loosen it up? Is this a precursor to the shaft problem ruining a bearing?

Thanks for the heads up.

Clem

 

[dbail]

I just got a 1998 MF1250 a few weeks ago with 1033 hours..

I have perked up a few cosmetic things and much improved my starting by cleaning the battery posts and all connections. When the temperature is below 30 F I hold the glow plugs on for about 20 seconds and it fires up on the first crank. When it's colder I hold the glow plugs on for about 30 seconds. Before I cleaned the posts and connections It was a very hard starter.

I digressed.

What did you do to check the problem and what should I be looking for? Any pictures? How long should the shaft be? The shift mechanism for my 4WD is VERY stiff. Is there a way to loosen it up? Is this a precursor to the shaft problem ruining a bearing?

Thanks for the heads up.

Clem

they start hard in the cold, i use a block heater. the space between the front shaft and rear shaft should be about 1/4in.when you cleaned the trans filter was it damaged? i would send pic, i don't know how? when i click on insert image it wants a url?

 

[dbail]

you should be pushing the clutch pedal down before shifting the 4x4 lever and stopped

 

[dbail]

if you click on dbail go to the bottom of the page click on photo for pic

 

[GoffsEquipment]

We have a MF1250 in the shop right now little over 1200 hours on it, same issue dbail had. We have it all torn down to nothing...big job. It actually began to chew away at the transmission casing so this one had been bad for a while. Tech is saying previous ones he did were close to 40 hours labor. He says you need to shorten that shaft...I'll let you know how much when we go to put this one back together...good luck

 

[radioman]

If the shaft needed to be shorten, wouldn't there be some sort of a recall or bulletion on this ? can anyone confirm ? My father has mf1250 as well - i remember several times when he was towing my 16 ft trailer loaded with firewood from the feild, i can hear some clicking when in 4X4 turning. Is this normal or the warning sign that it needs to be looked at ? it works just fine right now. MY father thinks, if it aint broke dont fix it. I am more a preventive type of guy. So either way we gotta know.

 

[Workstead]

We have a MF1250 in the shop right now little over 1200 hours on it, same issue dbail had. We have it all torn down to nothing...big job. It actually began to chew away at the transmission casing so this one had been bad for a while. Tech is saying previous ones he did were close to 40 hours labor. He says you need to shorten that shaft...I'll let you know how much when we go to put this one back together...good luck

Thanks for the "good" news.

My 1250 is a 1998. What is the year of the one in the shop? Does that make any difference or are all of the shafts too long? Or, is it only a problem for the tractors shipped to New England?

Clem

 

[dbail]

radioman; next time you change the trans fluid you can remove the front 4x4shaft.you can slide the couplings back and hold the shaft in place and see how much space there is between the shafts.mf should flag anyone who buys that rear bearing that the shaft needs to be shorten. they don't !

 

[Workstead]

if you click on dbail go to the bottom of the page click on photo for pic

I still can't find the picture

Any ideas how I can get to it?

Clem

 

[dbail]

click on dbail, click on public profile photo,page down,click on members photo galleries, look for dbail. i don't know how to post pic. can someone help on posting pic?

 

[GoffsEquipment]

yea, sorry...wish I had better news for ya. the one in the shop is a 1994, 1200 hrs. You would think there would be a recall for the long shaft, but I have found nothing. from what the tech. says, the shaft is definetly too long and you have to cut it down... i guess we'll see once we get it back together.

 

[Workstead]

...i would send pic, i don't know how? when i click on insert image it wants a url?

Hey Dbail,

I got this attachment and images information from the FAQ page listed across the top of the home page of TractorByNet:


What files types can I use? How large can attachments be?

In the attachment window you will find a list of the allowed file types and their maximum sizes. Files that are larger than these sizes will be rejected. There may also be an overall quota limit to the number of attachments you can post to the board.

How do I add an image to a post?

If you have uploaded an image as an attachment, you can click the arrow next to the 'Attachment Icon' and select it from the list. This will be inserted into your post and can be located where you want it displayed.

To include an image that is not uploaded as an attachment and is located on another website, you can do so by copying the full URL to the image, (not the page on which the image is located), and either pressing the 'Insert Image' icon or by typing

after it, ensuring that you do not have any spaces before or after the URL of the image. You can insert pictures from your albums (?) in this way too.

Also, I still can't find your pictures on your public profile page. I don't see ANY photos there. I searched on the main forum PHOTOS page and couldn't find your name listed

I hope to check out my 4X4 shaft to save some heart ache and wallet ache later. I'm going to drain the transmission and replace the oil and filter and check the shaft at that time. Is it a big job to remove the shaft that needs to be shortened or did you find a shortcut? Did you shorten the front or rear shaft, or does it make any difference? Did you grind the shaft or use a metal cutting band saw? What is the diameter of the shaft?

If I asked too many questions just don't bother answering them. I'm thankful that you posted about this problem.

Clem

 

[Workstead]

yea, sorry...wish I had better news for ya. the one in the shop is a 1994, 1200 hrs. You would think there would be a recall for the long shaft, but I have found nothing. from what the tech. says, the shaft is definetly too long and you have to cut it down... i guess we'll see once we get it back together.

Thanks,

Keep us posted.

Any photos or parts diagrams?

Clem

 

[dbail]

its about a 10min job to remove the shaft.get a manual. you have to grind or use a cutting wheel to cut the shaft.sorry about pic i'll work on it. i'm putting the tractor together this weekend i hope.

 

[dbail]

I got the tractor back together a week ago. what a great feeling.

 

[Workstead]

I got the tractor back together a week ago. what a great feeling.

Hey DBail,

Good to hear from you. I've been thinking about you lately. I want to do some preventive maintenance on my 1250, especially the 4WD portion. I hope to avoid what happened to you and learn from your experience.

Just yesterday I tried to get my 1250 out of 4WD and it appears to be stuck in 4WD. Was that part of your symptoms?

Now get some seat time.

Clem

 

[California]

For something like a Blazer, backing up in a zigzag pattern can release the windup tension in the driveline and let you shift out of four wheel drive. That should work. Or jack up one front wheel to release the tension.

 

[Workstead]

For something like a Blazer, backing up in a zigzag pattern can release the windup tension in the driveline and let you shift out of four wheel drive. That should work. Or jack up one front wheel to release the tension.

California,

Thanks for the possible solution. I'm going to give it try this morning and will let you know how it goes.

Clem

 

[jeepcj7]

May 2007 shaft lentgh was shortened in production from 470 mm to 468 mm. Can shorten a little more if you want to. When tractor has loader on it and there is a load in the bucket it puts the tractor under compression and causes the front drive shaft to bottom out a, hence the reason to shorten the shaft.