Front end axle vibration hood shake

   / Front end axle vibration hood shake #1  

sweep

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2007
Messages
480
Location
Ohio hill country
Tractor
2006 TC45A
The front end vibration on my TC45A has been getting worse recently . Always noticed it more on the road in either 2wd or 4 wd but now starting to notice it in the field.

The hood and steering wheel is starting to shake. Feels like the front end is "grabbing" more on the left hand side but there is no noise or grinding sounds.

Several years back I tried to pull a guy's lift out on hard soil. Probably bent something??

I don't notice it in low or high range as much but really do in medium range.

Any thoughts?

Thanks
 
   / Front end axle vibration hood shake #2  
As my front tires wore, they would get different vibration speeds on road travel. I had R4s. My neighbours tractor with R1's will get a visible bouncing of the axle on the road from the tread. Shakes the whole thing.

It may be possible you bent a rim, do you have a mag base and dial indicator?
 
   / Front end axle vibration hood shake #3  
The front end vibration on my TC45A has been getting worse recently . Always noticed it more on the road in either 2wd or 4 wd but now starting to notice it in the field.

The hood and steering wheel is starting to shake. Feels like the front end is "grabbing" more on the left hand side but there is no noise or grinding sounds.

Several years back I tried to pull a guy's lift out on hard soil. Probably bent something??

I don't notice it in low or high range as much but really do in medium range.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Try adjusting the front tire pressure up/down 3-5psi. And don't road your tractor in 4WD.
 
   / Front end axle vibration hood shake #4  
I think tire pressure as RickB noted will solve your problem, but if you have doubts about the front end or differential, take the tractor out of 4wd and jack up the front so you can spin the wheels and listen for strange noises. If you have a FEL, that's easy to do.
 
   / Front end axle vibration hood shake #5  
IS YOUR FRONT END HYD OR SHAFT MAYBE JUST MAYBE A UNIVERSAL IS GONE :confused:
 
   / Front end axle vibration hood shake
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Try adjusting the front tire pressure up/down 3-5psi. And don't road your tractor in 4WD.

I always keep the tire pressure midrange of what NH recommends but will lower it down to the lowest pressure they reccomend to see what happens.

I always take the tractor out of 4wd on the road but tried it to see if it made any differnce and it did not.

Could the driveshaft be bent?? Seems like that is the weakest link.
 
   / Front end axle vibration hood shake
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I think tire pressure as RickB noted will solve your problem, but if you have doubts about the front end or differential, take the tractor out of 4wd and jack up the front so you can spin the wheels and listen for strange noises. If you have a FEL, that's easy to do.

Thanks for the info, I will do this in the spring. Right now it's 18 degrees and I need the tractor for snow plowing. There is no noises or grinding that I'm aware of.

What is strange is I only notice this in midrange. Of course in low the tractor is not going fast enough but there is no vibration( or extremely little) in high range.
 
   / Front end axle vibration hood shake #8  
I think you will have more luck running the tires to the high side of the pressure range. That will make the center of the tread firmer and carry more of the load. If the center is soft, you'll be running on the cleats on the edge of the tire and setting up a vibration. I'm guessing you have R4s as I have with fairly smooth centers and larger cleats on edges. I sometimes notice vibration in mine when I'm driving along the edge of my gravel road where there is a gravel ridge. I think the reason you are experiencing more problems in a medium speed is probably harmonics. You are hitting just the right speed to set up a harmonic vibration that tends to grow and be be self-sustaining. Changing the tire pressure should have some effect.

I doubt that your driveline could be bent. Since it runs through the cover/housing, it would seem that it would rub or otherwise make noise if it were bowed or bent.
 
   / Front end axle vibration hood shake #9  
don't have a bulge in the tire do ya?

soundguy
 
   / Front end axle vibration hood shake
  • Thread Starter
#10  
I doubt that your driveline could be bent. Since it runs through the cover/housing, it would seem that it would rub or otherwise make noise if it were bowed or bent.

I have R-1 ag tires but the vibration is worse now than versus when the tractor was new. Tractor only has 150 hours on it.

I still think I did something to the tractor when i tried to pull that guys lift out. It was on rock hard soil and I was really getting into it.


In a way the vibration is somewhat similar to when a posi rearend starts to go out and it starts grabbing.

I'm going to lift up the front end this weekend in the garage and see if I can hear anything.
 
 
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