Front Axle Seal Leak

   / Front Axle Seal Leak #1  

MikeFLA

Silver Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2001
Messages
153
Location
Central Florida
Tractor
Kubota B7500
I posted this comment recently in Kubota Buying.

"The Kubota dealer mechanic told me he does a lot of front axle seal replacements. Claims that the design of the housing allows sand, grit etc. to lay on the "shelf" all the way around the seal and it eventually makes it's way into the seal. Those R-4's throw a lot of sand onto that shelf in the course of a day. He suggested fabricating a guard to deflect all that grit. This may not be a problem for you people with clay but we operate daily in what is called "sugar sand". Just like the name implies."

The more I look at this issue the more concerned I get. I also did a little research on "front axle leaks" and found that it has come up before. Is this something to be concerned about or do I have "new father" syndrome, where I take the kid to the hospital for the sniffles?

After looking at it today, fabricating a shield would not be easy. No where to attach, and it would probably get bent or pushed out of the way in no time. I thought about wrapping a "pipe cleaner on steroids" around the housing on top of the shelf. This would prevent grit from accumulating on top as well as brush it off as the front wheels moved left to right.

MDNick has a 3010 and said it has the same type of shelf and thought there was room for concern in gritty climates. Any other takers on this one?
 
   / Front Axle Seal Leak #2  
Mike,

I have a 3410 with the same "shelf". I'm not overly concerned, but I'm also not in your sugar sand!

A suggestion would be to see what the pro's are doing. Golf courses and landscapers. Couldn't hurt to ask! If they invented a working shield they probably would be willing to show it off to an appreciative fan. You may also find out that they don't see a need to do anything.

John Bud
 
   / Front Axle Seal Leak #3  
Could you wrap a rubber boot around the affected area? I have used old inner tubes for wrapping shock absorber linkages on motocross bikes for years. It's simple and it works.

Peter S.
 
 
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