BX2230 Transmission case damage?

[Toolbert]

Hi folks,

I attached a neighbor's Kioti rototiller today, in blissful ignorance. Seemed to fit and hook up just fine.

I raised the 3-point all the way, heard a crunch, and oil is dripping from the rear of the tractor transmission, below the PTO output shaft. Along the line between the case and the roughly 5" round plate that houses the PTO output shaft bearing.

Even though the PTO shaft on the tiller is about the shortest shaft I've ever seen, I think it "bottomed out" and put a lot of down-force on the transmission output shaft.

What did I do, and just how screwed am I?

thanks,

Bob

 

[RonR]

Best case: you popped a seal in the PTO.

Worst case: The case is broken.

Sounds like a dealer trip before you do anything else.

The safe way (in my mind) when using a PTO implement is to remove the pto shielding, separate the two halves, then with the 3PH all the way up, check for bottoming out. With the 3PH hitch down, and the rear wheels up 6" or so to simulated the depth, check to see that the shaft still has good overlap.

My dealer cut my PTO shaft for my tiller. Then I added Pat's easy change system. Was tilling and rear wheel went over a big clod--the pto came apart!

Hope it works out for you.
ron

 

[Toolbert]

Ron, thanks for the reply.

When the tiller PTO shaft bottomed out, it was nearly vertical, so it really was a lot of down force on the transmission output shaft. I'll post again when I learn the extent of the damage.

I found some older threads discussion transmission case damage, but none mentioning damage via the PTO connection. This seems like such an incongruous yet easy way to screw up. I'd like to hear of any similar experiences. regards,

Bob

 

[thcri]

Wow, I hope it is only the seal. I am not familiar with Kubota but I would imagine removing/replacing could take some time.

It is an easy mistake to make though.


murph

 

[KeithInSpace]

My dealer has always warned me about shafts being too long as the BX arms are shorter than other arms. My understanding was that they would drive the PTO shaft right out the back of the transmission housing as it was not designed to take an axial load. I think the bearings would be OK with a fairly large radial load, so I think it "bound" before it came all the way up to a point that the housing cracked.

Based on what I have heard in the past, this doesn't sound like a good thing.

 

[AMR]

I learned my lesson using my fertilizer spreader. I knew the PTO was too long but thought I would just be careful. Well as things go I was spreading fertilizer and got into a tight spot heading up a hill and had to do some fancy steering, put it into 4 wheel drive and try to lift the spreader a little all at once. Well it went up much faster than it went down and I know I bottomed the shaft out. Thankfully it jammed the shaft into the spreader and not the tractor. It took be about an hour to beat the shaft off of the spreader and now I am religious about checking shaft length by the method mentioned above.

Good luck with it, I hope you find it to be an easy fix.

 

[art]

If you did break it you would not be the first. It does happen from time to time as we've had one in our shop from it. The one we did required rear end housing replacement.

 

[Toolbert]

Update ... 7 weeks later, tractor is still sitting at the dealer, waiting on a new transmission case which Kubota can't/won't deliver. Repair estimate is $3000.

Needless to say, between the ridiculous ease with which one can destroy a BX2230, the cost of repair and the lack of service from the factory, I'm spectacularly disappointed.

 

[DieselPower]

Not sure what I can say other than that sucks. Did you by chance check around for a used one?

 

[ChuckinNH]

You are also a master of understatement! I sure hope this works out for you in the end! Hang in there