MFWD issues

[jdboy4410]

had a small grading job to do for a friend today about 4 miles away.i drove my tractor over,and on the way over,i heard a noise in the front right axle area.it was a rotating type noise.sort of reminded me of like a cotter pin rubbing a flat washer while rotating.weird analogy,but it was a dry scraping type sound,the noise stopped,and i continued on,and got my job done.on the way back,the noise started again.i was in high range,4WD not engaged of course,i was on pavement,this time,noise a little louder.i was coming down a hill,only going about half speed,and the front axle locked up.about threw me onto the hood.both wheels locked,scared the crap out of me ! i got off the machine,took a look under to make sure nothing launched out of the front case,didn't see anything.got back on,hit the reverse pedal,and it rolled with no issue.so,i went forward,no problem.i placed it in B range and continued on back home,noise gone now,i drove about 2 miles,got to my driveway,placed it in 4WD,and no problem,seemed to work ok.any speculation as to WTH happened ? i need to get a service manual for the tractor and start looking.the machine is a 4410 with eHydro.has 305 hours on it,i bought it new in 04 and have never had any issues with it.if i get time tomorrow,gonna check for the obvious things,got me worried,especially heading into the winter when i need it the most.so,i want to get it fixed.i have never been out on the road with it before,but i had complained about a noise in the front axle when it was under warranty and they could never hear it,it is intermittent,and they couldn't duplicate it.figures ! anyway,neither here nor there,i have to fix it,any ideas ????????

 

[PoorPlowboy]

There is something swimming freely in the front differential and lodged in the ring and pinion. It may have cracked the ring gear or mangled a tooth. Does this model have an inspection port on the diff?

 

[jdboy4410]

i will have to take a look today,i don't recall an insp. port.it is due for the 300 hour service so i was getting ready to go over the whole machine.i think this service includes the front diff.have to check the manual.seems kind of weird how it just locked up,and once i hit the brake,got off and looked,got back on and continued as normal.wasn't making any noises at all.the noise was more in the right front.i need an exploded view of the set up and then i will tear into it to see what i can find.you could be right about something jamming the ring and pinion.

 

[kebo]

Can you disengage the MFWD assist on that tractor??? If yes, I would disengage it for traveling at highway speed. Yes, it *should* work just fine with no problem but you really don't need it engaged going that fast. Since 4x4 tractors don't have auto or manual locking hubs, the front gearing and axle will turn anyway, but disengaging it will at least reduce the chance of any stresses/binding due to the driveline friction on the pavement.

 

[RoyJackson]

Can you disengage the MFWD assist on that tractor??? If yes, I would disengage it for traveling at highway speed. Yes, it *should* work just fine with no problem but you really don't need it engaged going that fast. Since 4x4 tractors don't have auto or manual locking hubs, the front gearing and axle will turn anyway, but disengaging it will at least reduce the chance of any stresses/binding due to the driveline friction on the pavement.

Read the first post more carefully...the tractor was not in MFWD.
My 4400 is a sync-reverser and doesn't have the electronics the 4410 models have, but I'm going to surmise the 4410 went into MFWD and the axle wound up, then bound up. Reversing relieved the binding.
Now, the question is...if I'm correct...is why it went into MFWD. I believe the MFWD on the 4410 is a button or switch which may have been inadvertently depressed...is that possible?

 

[jdboy4410]

it was definitely not in MFWD.the only other thing i could think of is how some of the Jeeps will jump into 4wd if they are towed since they sense a slip condition.i did have cruise control engaged at the time and when the axle locked up,it did not disengage until i depressed the brake pedal.i am going to look into it tomorrow afternoon to see what i can find out.haven't had time to fool with it this week with my work schedule.the good news is that there were no parts hanging out of the housing after this happened.i will let you know more as i find out.

 

[mfreund]

If a wire got pulled out and the solenoid looses power the MFWD is engaged. If you suspect the MFWD look for loose wires under the tractor, specifically on the rt side in front of the rear wheel.

 

[grsthegreat]

The only time i heard anything like this was in my JD870. I wasn't in 4x4 mode either, but there was scraping sound. It happened in back of property so i decided to drive back to my shop and check it out. The front end froze up 2/3 of the way to shop.

gears froze up due to some cotter pin failing within axle. JD dealer sent a trailer with winch and took it into shop. About $1,800 later it was all fixed. When the mechanic called me with repair info, i asked him if he checked other side..... NO.

I asked them to check it, and that side was a week or so away from failing also. Easy fix now but would have been another 1800 later on.

Tractor was out of warranty, but it was the only work i ever had to do on the tractor, so i forgave the little green guy.