Traction New Holland 1720 front wheels won't turn

[Meltd0wn]

So the front axle has locked up?

The front wheels won't spin in the same direction at the same time. They WILL spin in opposing directions at the same time. The pinion shaft won't turn at all.

 

[Meltd0wn]

So the front axle has locked up?

The front wheels won't spin in the same direction at the same time. They WILL spin in opposing directions at the same time. The pinion shaft won't turn at all.

 

[Harry in Ky]

Right or wrong, you now have a project. What I see in the parts book shows the input pinion shaft and bearings are the last parts out of the box. It looks like the shaft is installed and removed from inside the case when the case is pretty much bare. Not exactly a simple undertaking for someone with little or no experience with this sort of thing. There is a dipstick on top of the left axle housing. Is any oil showing on the stick?

 

[jinman]

You are gonna have to pull the driveshaft anyhow, so I'd do that first, but my money is on the problem being the pinion shaft or something else. All the talk and guessing won't cure or even identify the problem. It's tear-down time. The ring gears in these front ends have some history of the bolts coming loose and shearing off. You'll likely use up a whole six-pack of cussin' before you get this all fixed.

BTW: Getting the proper ring gear to pinion adjustment is critical and done with shims. It's not something to be undertaken by a 1st-time shade-tree mechanic. I would never attempt that myself. I'd want a professional to do that job and not take a chance on being right back in the same situation a few months from now.

 

[Meltd0wn]

The driveshaft is already out. Today is tear-down time. I've been twisting wrenches for a long time on just about anything mechanical. I used to change engines and transmissions using a 2 ton chainfall hanging from a branch in the maple tree. My trade is heating and AC so tearing down/repairing boilers, chillers, air handlers and pumps is all in a day's work. I'll take pictures during the tear down and post them so everyone has a future reference. Does anyone have a link to an exploded view of the front axle or a PDF repair guide?

 

[jinman]

Here's your link to parts diagrams for your whole tractor. New Holland sells PDF repair manuals at very reasonable prices. Here's the link to their manual lookup. Your 1720 service manual is $166 for the complete PDF. That's an investment you'll never regret.

 

[Meltd0wn]

Thank you, jinman. I've got it just about all apart and ready to se it on the work bench. It came apart fairly easily.

 

[Meltd0wn]

The verdict is in: Owner neglect! :smiley_aafz: This tractor was an inheritance from my step-father and since it got little use, I never checked everything out after taking possession of it. Me, the great mechanic that can fix ANYTHING neglected the basics of owning a fine piece of machinery. Ah well, here's what I found. Outer wheel hubs were full of oil and when I opened them, they looked fine. Once I got the front axle onto the bench and opened it, I found that the ring and pinion gears had run dry...yes..DRY! The drain plug was missing..no clue for how long, except long enough. At the very least it's going to need new ring and pinion gears and associated bearings.

 

[RobertN]

I got my TC40D used on consignment. The shop owner noticed 4x4 did not seem to be correct while we watched my wife driving the tractor. Sure enough...

The bolts had come loose/sheared. It was fixed before we paid for it; has been fine since(3 years I think, 300 hours).

The ring gears in these front ends have some history of the bolts coming loose and shearing off. You'll likely use up a whole six-pack of cussin' before you get this all fixed.

BTW: Getting the proper ring gear to pinion adjustment is critical and done with shims. It's not something to be undertaken by a 1st-time shade-tree mechanic. I would never attempt that myself. I'd want a professional to do that job and not take a chance on being right back in the same situation a few months from now.

 

[jinman]

The verdict is in: Owner neglect! :smiley_aafz: This tractor was an inheritance from my step-father and since it got little use, I never checked everything out after taking possession of it. Me, the great mechanic that can fix ANYTHING neglected the basics of owning a fine piece of machinery. Ah well, here's what I found. Outer wheel hubs were full of oil and when I opened them, they looked fine. Once I got the front axle onto the bench and opened it, I found that the ring and pinion gears had run dry...yes..DRY! The drain plug was missing..no clue for how long, except long enough. At the very least it's going to need new ring and pinion gears and associated bearings.

Oh boy! Maybe you'll use up a case of cussin' on this one. I'm very sorry, but the lesson to the rest of us is check all the front axle and drop-box oil levels on a regular basis. Don't you have a small plastic dipstick for the axle and differential?