4330 leaking front axle

[nctacoma]

Hello,

I have a Kubota L4330 HST with about 365 hours on it. Over the winter I noticed the front right axle(while sitting on the tractor) was leaking
Now that the snow has melted I crawled under the tractor to take a picture so that I could get some help figuring out what I needed to do to fix this. I noticed that the left side is now leaking a little bit as well. So this is something I want to fix.

Here is a picture of the left side. The right side has more fluid leaking onto the can looking thing near the wheel.

So can anyone help me out? The tractor is primarily used for plowing snow in the winter and pulling firewood, brush hogging and loader work in the summer.

Hopefully this picture attachment works. Thanks for your help.

 

[PapaPerk]

Looks like the seal is leaking where the front wheel steers.

My 3830 had same problem. I took it to dealer and they installed a new seal. Problem solved. Only my left side had leaked... Right side never had issues. My tractor has 720 hours on it.

I wouldn't recommend repairing this yourself. I do everything myself on the tractor but I think this repair is best left for the tractor techs.

 

[Deano]

Did mine myself. Both took me about 2 hours total. if i did it again, it would be less time.

 

[nctacoma]

Did mine myself. Both took me about 2 hours total. if i did it again, it would be less time.

Thank you both for your reply. Do you know what the seal is called? Any special tools needed to do the repair myself or anything I should know in advance?

 

[rbargeron]

Have a look through this thread for a diagram and description of the parts and how to replace them. Many TBNers install their own, but others rely on dealer service people. It's good to clean the area well before taking it apart.

 

[Deano]

I am not home right now, but in a few days if you need more info, I can get it to you. Just PM me if you need more info after this weekend.

 

[nctacoma]

Thanks for the links and tips.
I stopped by one of the dealers in the area to see if they had the parts instock. They printed out the parts diagrams and recommended that I do a tear down so that I can see if I need any bearings or any other parts and then come in to order the parts they didn't have instock. They were very helpful. They mentioned some of their technicians do this repair with the axles on the tractor and some people take them
Off and do the work on a bench. So now I just need to find the time to tear it apart.

 

[dstig1]

Well if you are going to tear it apart and wait for parts, I'd do it on the bench. Much easier, and you can probably get everything cleaned up like new. I bet it's not too bad to do, just time consuming.

 

[nctacoma]

Well I finally got around to starting to think about doing this repair and got stuck as soon as I took off the tire.
It looks like I need to take off the part that turns the wheel and is connected to the steering assembly(possibly tie rod end. It is held in place by one nut that had a cotter pin through it. Do I need to use a pickle fork or something to remove this? I tried loosening the nut and then tapping up on it with a hammer but this did not help. Would a pickle fork or some sort of press work for removing this part so that I can get the whole assembly off and up on the workbench. View attachment 330742

Any advice would be appreciated. The seal that is leaking on both sides is right behind this "tie rod end" so I would like to get the whole assembly off and work on it on the workbench. Thanks

 

[sscrob]

I just take the nut off and wack the knuckle where the tie rod goes through it. The shock will loosen it.