Deere LX6 tailwheel fractured!

[Baby Grand]

I'm with Island Tractor - the wheel's hub is not up to the service required. Can't say if the factory used the wrong wheel, the wrong hub, or just outright designed it wrong. It looks like a low cycle fatigue failure from the wimpy metal in the hub flexing excessively due to the large loads that it sees in everyday operation. Ask your JD dealer for a wheel with beefier hub. Bring the pieces of the broken one in a bag and make sure the replacement weighs a lot more. If not, get the beefy one at TSC.

[shvl73]

You've probably already checked but, does the wheel swivel easily? The wheel on my Woods cutter was binding as well. I suspect a bit of rust from setting. I greased it, worked it, and greased it some more. It now swivels easily. When I bought mine, some of the Woods cutters had an econo tail wheel. I mentioned it to the dealer and got the more robust one.

[TwinWillows]

Man the hub on that wheel looks super light. The hub on my Rhino is a heavy duty 2 piece casting that would no way fold over & apart like yours. When you get a replacement I hope they offer a more robust one.

[Z-Michigan]

Thanks, all. I feel more confident now bugging the dealer to get a new one. To answer the one question, I have kept the fittings on the wheel and swivel greased properly and they always rotated easily when it was off the ground.

Can't remember if I mentioned this, but my B-I-L, who's a mechanical engineer who has designed and built several race cars, was shocked at how thin the metal of the wheel is.

[barneyrb]

Don't know if anyone else does this, but on my 5ft bush hog I run a piece of chain for a top link (slightly longer than needed) and ride on the lift arms and rear bush hog tire. Produces a smoother cut and follows contour of land much better.

[RobertBrown]

Is it possible that the hub was defective, in that the axel was not quite in the center of the hub causing the wheel to wobble in a fashion perpendicular to the ground? That may be on reason you were having troubles at the start.
I would think that it would have been aparent, unless it was correct on one side of the hub and off center where the axel pssed through to the other side. All oe the weight would have been transfered to one side of the hub with each rotation causing the fatigue.
The wheel should have been the last thing to fail. I don't see any signs of abuse or neglect, no corrosion.
I think that if that dealer doesn't give you another wheel than he doesn't need your business.

[Z-Michigan]

I emailed the photos to my dealer, and got a call back. First thing they said was it's out of warranty (gee, thanks! And true by 3 months, but still). Second thing is that they're going to ask Deere if Deere will make an accomodation (I assume pay all or part of the replacement wheel cost) for it. Here's hoping.

I also talked to their parts person and found out that a replacement costs $190. Yikes! The TSC brand replacement is about $54, though I don't know for sure if it would fit. The parts person also said they don't see many break or sell many replacements, and Deere no longer makes cutters with the rounded style that I have. In fact, none of their five locations have the replacement wheel in stock.

Let's hope Deere steps up. I need to get mowing again. And I won't be buying any green implements ever again if they don't - the other green implement I bought, a rear blade, has been a severe disappointment due to wimpy construction.

[IslandTractor]

Originally Posted by Z-Michigan

I also talked to their parts person and found out that a replacement costs $190. Yikes!

I would have used a bovine scatalogical description rather than just "Yikes!".

Seems to me that if you have the axle and tire size you should have no trouble finding a replacement wheel somewhere other than a JD dealer. A number of wheel specialty internet sites would have that sort of item and I betcha AgriSupply does too.

[Window Geek]

Originally Posted by Z-Michigan

I emailed the photos to my dealer, and got a call back. First thing they said was it's out of warranty (gee, thanks! And true by 3 months, but still). ....
I also talked to their parts person and found out that a replacement costs $190. Yikes! .

Let's hope Deere steps up. I need to get mowing again. And I won't be buying any green implements ever again if they don't - the other green implement I bought, a rear blade, has been a severe disappointment due to wimpy construction.

Golly Z,
Maybe you should share the name of that fine dealer with the rest of us. Seeing as this dealer certainly has the best interests of customers forefront in his little mind, we would all like to know how they and JD would handle it. Maybe big Green will live up to the rep they ride on.

[N80]

A lot of 'green' implements are not made by JD at all. I know that Woods used to make box blades for them. But Woods makes good stuff.