Oil & Fuel 4300 with rear oil leak

[JamesH]

I put my 4300 in the shed last night to do some work on the mower.
Went out today and found a small pool of oil under the right rear tire.
Appears to be hydrostat fluid. It looks like it may be leaking out the right end of the axle housing and down into the inside of the wheel, then to the floor.
I do not know how long it has been leaking, but if it leaked out that much over night I would think I would see some drop in the oil level. With the tractor running the sight glass is empty, immediately after turning it off the sight glass is almost full. I am leaving it set again tonight to check it again tomorrow.
Any words of wisdom? What may be wrong? What will it take to fix?
Thanks in advance. James

 

[kennyd]

It's probably just a small amount of oil that leaked...it's kind of like blood-it always looks like more than it really is.

As for your leak, it's probably the gear reduction housing that seeping oil, it's not a "major" repair-but can take some time to fix.

To check the oil, the tractor must be turned off for about 5 minutes or so, and the FEL and 3PH need to be fully lowered-the oils should be about 1/2 way across the sight glass. It's perfectly normal for the oil to disappear while running or the FEL or 3PH is raised.

 

[JamesH]

I checked my leak again last night when I got home. I have about twice as much oil on the ground now than the night before. So it is not pouring out but definitely something that needs fixed.
Talked to the local JD dealer and he said labor alone was about 7-8 hours and that is about $550. He felt it was probably the outer seal on the final drive also.
Does anyone have a tech manual that can share the repair info with me?
I need to try and determine if this is something I want to try and tackle myself.
Thanks in advance.