2320 hydro drive shaft just snapped off !!!

[bill1369]

Update guys:

Dealer just called and said that John Deere is going to cover the entire fix. Ordering parts today and will start working on it next week and hopefully only take a week to fix. Should have my machine back in a week or 2

This is such a relief since my checkbook is kinda low right now.

However I am worried about the u-joint on the engine side that I can't even get to without taking my hard-sided curtis cab off (not meant to really come off after going on).

Not sure if I am going to keep the machine though. This design worries me maybe I need to look at something else......but we'll see.

I'll update when I know more.

 

[Gods Country]

Glad to hear Deere manned up.

If the machine works for your needs I wouldn't ditch it.
I would insist the joint be replaced with zerks (if that's possible), and I would also have them replace the other joint while it's there.

 

[beppington]

Update guys:

Dealer just called and said that John Deere is going to cover the entire fix. Ordering parts today and will start working on it next week and hopefully only take a week to fix. Should have my machine back in a week or 2

This is such a relief since my checkbook is kinda low right now.

However I am worried about the u-joint on the engine side that I can't even get to without taking my hard-sided curtis cab off (not meant to really come off after going on).

Not sure if I am going to keep the machine though. This design worries me maybe I need to look at something else......but we'll see.

I'll update when I know more.

Well, that's good news! And I was going to disagree with tcartwri, but now I don't have to :thumbsup:

Seems obvious to me that all maintenance points should be detailed in the owner's manual.

 

[Glen Watkins]

Well that says a lot about JD imo. I think I would try to talk to service and get all ujoints replaced while they are in there! I wonder if JD was going to cover this repair all along? Funny that the dealer called you back an hour later and said they were going to cover it all now!

 

[RoyJackson]

Just looking at the original pictures, it's pretty easy to see that the universal joint had been broken and thrashing around for some time. Don't see how Deere is responsible for this at all.

Are you a metallurgist? Even a metallurgist can't tell exactly what happened with just pictures (they can make an educated guess though...but a guess none the less).
As far as the thrashing...at a few hundred RPM, it wouldn't take long the beat up the shaft and other parts close to it.

If Deere is stating the shaft failed due to lack of lubrication and there is no provision in the operator's to grease the U-joints, how would an operator know it required periodic lubrication. Remember, some U-joints are sealed for life.

With what the OP has posted on this thread so far, it does sound like a manufacturer's error. We don't know if the tractor was abused as we can only go by what has been posted here, thus far.
Now, it's up to the OP and Deere to determine responsibility for the repair.

 

[tcartwri]

Are you a metallurgist? Even a metallurgist can't tell exactly what happened with just pictures (they can make an educated guess though...but a guess none the less).
As far as the thrashing...at a few hundred RPM, it wouldn't take long the beat up the shaft and other parts close to it.

If Deere is stating the shaft failed due to lack of lubrication and there is no provision in the operator's to grease the U-joints, how would an operator know it required periodic lubrication. Remember, some U-joints are sealed for life.

With what the OP has posted on this thread so far, it does sound like a manufacturer's error. We don't know if the tractor was abused as we can only go by what has been posted here, thus far.
Now, it's up to the OP and Deere to determine responsibility for the repair.

The pictures tell the whole story to someone with experience. It is plain as day.

 

[pilot-werx]

The pictures tell the whole story to someone with experience. It is plain as day.

Totally disagree... I have done my share of fatigue (all my dehavilland beavers and otters) testing and there is no way you can determine that from those ****** pictures. Get out a microscope and X-ray machine if you want to look at fatigue. **** you do not even know what kind of steel it is.....

Bill I am glad they are going to fix it! That is why I Deere's....

Tcartwri, what do you own for a tractor anyways? And tell the truth...

 

[RoyJackson]

The pictures tell the whole story to someone with experience. It is plain as day.

So, what's your experience in metallurgy? Do you work for a testing lab? Wouldn't you think a microscopic examination should be done to determine the actual failure mode?
That's what a testing lab would do.

BTW, I'm not a metallurgist. I'm in Quality Assurance and had to work with testing labs to determine materials failures. Even then, it's frequently an expert opinion specifying a probability that a material failure was due to certain events.

 

[RoyJackson]

Totally disagree... I have done my share of fatigue (all my dehavilland beavers and otters) testing and there is no way you can determine that from those ****** pictures. Get out a microscope and X-ray machine if you want to look at fatigue. **** you do not even know what kind of steel it is.....

Bill I am glad they are going to fix it! That is why I Deere's....

Tcartwri, what do you own for a tractor anyways? And tell the truth...

Wow, I've never seen so many asterisks in one post (on TBN).

 

[tcartwri]

I'm sorry, but it is absolutely plain as day what happened there. Numerous other posters pointed out the same thing. Anyone who's worked around machinerey, or cars and trucks for that matter could see this, and has seen this many times over.

Not sure what being a metalurgist has to do with anything.

Glad to hear that JD is covering it. I would not have expected that!