mikeyd
Gold Member
I don't doubt that your mechanic installed the tracks correctly. I do question the modifications that were made to the machine as outlined in your previous posts regarding the rear axle to correct for the track on the left from binding on the radiator housing (as I recall these modifications were made on advice from the track manufacturer). As I stated at that time, I thought that tracks were going to be an issue as far as clearing the housing and it sounded to me as though the track manufacturer did not account for this but rather sold essentially the same tracks made for the 900 which does not have the clearance issue. Recall at one time I considered tracks myself but decided not to go with them when I learned that the manufacturers had not made a design change.
My best guess is that the angle on the axle was changed so radically from the stock position so as to cause exceessive torque to be transferred to the spindles causing them to fail. Another distinct possibility is that the entire axle itself was not properly aligned after the modification such that the axle was at an angle so it was sidetracking again causing excessive torque and binding on the spindles. Taking into consideration the length of the tracks, proper alignment of the axle after adding the extra leaf springs would be critical.
I think it is highly unlikely that 25 hp alone could cause those spindles to strip as they did. Those are fine thread heat treated steel splines, it would take considerable force to strip them alltogether, certainly 25 hp wouldn't do it. You could chain the machine to a tree, put it in low, put a brick on the hst pedal and walk away and leave it there until it ran out of fuel and they wouldn't strip. In my mind, something regarding the axle change caused excessive binding on the spindles. Since it was only the rear axle spindles that stripped and not the front and as I understand it, only modifications were made to the rear axle and no modification to the front drive and given that the machine was presumable driven in 4wd, it makes one question the modification of the rear axle as the contributing factor to the failure.
Finally, looking at the pictures and going over the history of the problems you have had, I think that the spindles did not go all at once but rather the condition has existed for some time and the spindles have been wearing away for a while. This would lend further support to my hypothesis.
My best guess is that the angle on the axle was changed so radically from the stock position so as to cause exceessive torque to be transferred to the spindles causing them to fail. Another distinct possibility is that the entire axle itself was not properly aligned after the modification such that the axle was at an angle so it was sidetracking again causing excessive torque and binding on the spindles. Taking into consideration the length of the tracks, proper alignment of the axle after adding the extra leaf springs would be critical.
I think it is highly unlikely that 25 hp alone could cause those spindles to strip as they did. Those are fine thread heat treated steel splines, it would take considerable force to strip them alltogether, certainly 25 hp wouldn't do it. You could chain the machine to a tree, put it in low, put a brick on the hst pedal and walk away and leave it there until it ran out of fuel and they wouldn't strip. In my mind, something regarding the axle change caused excessive binding on the spindles. Since it was only the rear axle spindles that stripped and not the front and as I understand it, only modifications were made to the rear axle and no modification to the front drive and given that the machine was presumable driven in 4wd, it makes one question the modification of the rear axle as the contributing factor to the failure.
Finally, looking at the pictures and going over the history of the problems you have had, I think that the spindles did not go all at once but rather the condition has existed for some time and the spindles have been wearing away for a while. This would lend further support to my hypothesis.
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