New owner and a gear noise question.

[M_C]

Hi All,
I'm a proud new owner of a 1987 B4200DT w\FEL. My new 'bota has been well cared for and is really clean with about 900hrs. I live in Mass. and have enjoyed using it to dig out from all the snow we've gotten lately. I'm planning on posting some pics soon...

I have a question about an intermittent high pitched gear noise. When driving in high gear (5th & 6th) there is a high pitched and loud whining noise that seems to come from the rear/center transmission case...

-the whine is independent of clutch engagement

-It never whines in 1st-4th, it does whine in 5th, and is even louder in 6th.

-the noise is intermittent, and seems to be connected to the FEL. After moving snow for awhile the noise would go away completely if I floated the FEL before engaging the clutch. Sometimes it would disappear when lowering/floating the FEL after engaging the clutch? However the pattern was not consistent.

-I am not sure if the noise stops when shifting into neutral while moving.

-the hydro. fluid was changed prior to purchase. I checked it and it is a the proper level. I was told Kubota UDT was used.

The fact that it is intermittent makes me think it is a hydraulics issue, not a gear problem. My initial impression was pump cavitation or air in the system??

Could it be related to PTO position or mode? I noticed a somewhat similar whine when the hydro. valve and 3ph were in the wrong position when restaring the tractor. Does the hydro pump spin faster in higher gears? The fact that it only happens in 5th or 6th is throwing me off a bit!

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks and Happy Holidays,
Matt

 

[sandyc]

Sounds like cold gear oil.....UDT is really an oil for warm weather operation. My dealer has told me to use Super UDT for cold weather operation. You kind of confirm that by saying that after using the tractor for a while the noise goes away. You might want to try to warm up the machine in a garage and see if the noise is still there upon starting with the tranny warm.
My thought would be to drain out the UDT and replace with Super UDT or some equivalent. The Super is quite a bit more expensive but will offer protection in cold weather.
Hope this helps.

 

[art]

Super UDT wasn't available when that tractor was built but it is a little thinner oil and might help.

 

[accordionman]

SIR,
are you running your tractor in 4wheel drive? if so take it out of
this mode, and see if it still makes the noise. my tractor does not
have many hours on it, but when i have to use 4 wheel drive, it
makes more noise than it does otherwise. if this is the cause, i would
suggest only using 4whdr, when you need it. i have heard of some
tractor owners who run their machines in this mode all the time. i say
this causes unnecessary wear, and tear, when you do not really need
it.
accordionman
wlbrown, wright city, mo.

 

[M_C]

Sandyc,
I had the same idea after about 2hrs of use when the noise stopped. I bought the tractor in October and never used it above 50 degrees or so. It is stored in the garage and I warm it up for about 10 minutes before moving snow. I think switching to Super UDT would be a good idea for colder use, especially if it improves FEL performance.

Thanks!
Matt

 

[M_C]

accordianman,
I usually only use 4wd when the extra traction is neccesary. I believe it does whine in 2wd, but I will check to be sure. 5th and 6th gear seem to be much tighter than the lower gears, I wonder if some use will reduce the whining???

Thanks
Matt