DWCox
Silver Member
Hi,
Last year I chewed up the pinion and large gear in the front end (the final gears which drive the four wheel drive). I chatted with the JD tech and he indicated that they were having some incidents of this with the 870 and that they were advised that sufficient ballast in the back was considered the culprit.
After about a year, the same problem recurred--this time on both sides. I have gone out of my way to keep it out of four wheel drive except when absolutely necessary, but unfortunately the time when I need four-wheel is when I have a bucket of materials from my pond and have to back up (I keep a 400lb box blade attached when doing loader work).
I know exactly what is happening; in those instances the weight is over the front axle forcing the front gears to be the primary drive and it is just too much for it. The tech said that I could try adding even more weight to the rear (though 400lbs at the 3 point hitch is what is recommended for ballast as counter for this 300 loader). My rear tires are liquid filled. He also recommended leaving it out of 4x4 if possible when digging withe the front bucket (the pawing of the front wheels and then engaging stresses the gears).
Does anyone have any other ideas. While I do all the work myself, the parts are very expensive. I really love this tractor and have no desire to upgrade (the tech did say the 990 and 400 series do have more stout gears in the front and this problem would not happen at all).
Again, any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated. At this point I am going to fix it tomorrow, add two five gallon buckets of concrete to the boxblade for more counter weight in the rear and continue to try to be careful when in four wheel drive. But I do have to use four-wheel drive--after all that is why I bought the tractor!
Last year I chewed up the pinion and large gear in the front end (the final gears which drive the four wheel drive). I chatted with the JD tech and he indicated that they were having some incidents of this with the 870 and that they were advised that sufficient ballast in the back was considered the culprit.
After about a year, the same problem recurred--this time on both sides. I have gone out of my way to keep it out of four wheel drive except when absolutely necessary, but unfortunately the time when I need four-wheel is when I have a bucket of materials from my pond and have to back up (I keep a 400lb box blade attached when doing loader work).
I know exactly what is happening; in those instances the weight is over the front axle forcing the front gears to be the primary drive and it is just too much for it. The tech said that I could try adding even more weight to the rear (though 400lbs at the 3 point hitch is what is recommended for ballast as counter for this 300 loader). My rear tires are liquid filled. He also recommended leaving it out of 4x4 if possible when digging withe the front bucket (the pawing of the front wheels and then engaging stresses the gears).
Does anyone have any other ideas. While I do all the work myself, the parts are very expensive. I really love this tractor and have no desire to upgrade (the tech did say the 990 and 400 series do have more stout gears in the front and this problem would not happen at all).
Again, any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated. At this point I am going to fix it tomorrow, add two five gallon buckets of concrete to the boxblade for more counter weight in the rear and continue to try to be careful when in four wheel drive. But I do have to use four-wheel drive--after all that is why I bought the tractor!