Broken Branson

[oldnslo]

The most common Branson "4wd not working" issue is the driveshaft ball bearing couplers as suggested already. It works as a spring loaded coupler, and can be a bit of a "fuse" if a guy is using a really big loader with a really big load and has the back end of the tractor nearly lifted and then pops the clutch. At that point, all the forward momentum that is supposed to be supplied primarily by the rear axle is shifted to the front axle and either the shaft coupler gives up (hopefully) or the ring and pinion break. The ring and pinion and the axle shafts in the rear of the tractor are easily double the size of the fronts. They are hard to break.

We have seen this on numerous brands of mechanical front wheel assist tractors. The front axle on MFWD tractors are just to assist and not to take all the load. If a person has the front loaded really heavy or perhaps stuck under a big old honkin' stump and lifting and pushing (none of you would do such a thing) and then drops the clutch, the front axle has fantastic traction and the rear none and something has to give. Sometimes it's the stump, sometimes a tire will spin, and sometimes something breaks.

BTW, not trying to say this is the case for this operator, be may have been going to town with no load in the bucket to get an ice cream cone as far as I know!

Are you running the factory loader, or something spec'd higher?

Dave,
Is this feature also on the 00 series? I.e. 2400 & 2800? I don't believe so but was just curious since I ordered the heavier duty factory loader and when doing dirt work push it to it's limits plus some. I don't ram into things but definitely will push into a dirt pile and lift.

thanks

Roy

 

[DavesTractor]

Took the tractor to the dealer yesterday. It was raining and couldn't work. It was the coupler. Took them about an hour to fix. That boulder I dug up was just below the surface, and did not require a lot of force to uproot it. I do realize it's not a bulldozer, and have been careful not to push it over it's limitations.

The dealer I took it to was not the dealer from whom I purchased the tractor and installed the Westendorf loader. I spoke to them about the issue of the joystick sticking in the raise position when the system warms up. They suggested I call Westendorf and ask them if the loader is designed for a open center hydraulic system, or closed center hydraulic system. The Branson is a open system, If the WL is designed for a closed system it may be getting the hydraulic fluid to hot, and causing the o rings to swell. He also told me to check with the dealer to see if a "power beyond" port was installed. Gonna call the purchasing dealer today and discuss it with them.

Glad it was just the coupler. As long as you are a little bit careful, you can enjoy the benefits of a larger loader and not tear anything up. You can lift a bunch as long as you do not put shock loads on the system.

 

[DavesTractor]

Dave,
Is this feature also on the 00 series? I.e. 2400 & 2800? I don't believe so but was just curious since I ordered the heavier duty factory loader and when doing dirt work push it to it's limits plus some. I don't ram into things but definitely will push into a dirt pile and lift.

thanks

Roy

I don't know the answer to this. We are primarily a Mahindra dealer and sell the Max series exclusively in the smaller size ranges, so we have no experience with the 00 Branson tractors. We like the 10/20 series Bransons as we have sold them since 2003 and they are a lot of tractor for the money.

 

[Bransonbuilder]

oldnslo-The double 00 series use spline type coupler and not the ball bearings we have changed all 00 10 20 40 and 50 series to spline type shafts there is an external snap ring that limits the movement of the coupler on the shaft.Possibly that the snap ring was misaligned with the groove on shaft and the coupler shifted forward or backward.

 

[Tchara]

Used the tractor quite a bit yesterday, and everything seems fine. I was a little gun shy, and tried not to push it to hard. I appreciate everyone's input and advice. I sure love to read these posts. TBN is a great source for those of us that are new to tractors.

 

[Camastown]

my 2014 4520r does not have that fuse link. mine sheared off all the ring gear bolts. I think they did away with the fuse link. I was just pulling a box blade when mine broke. I was on uneven ground when this happened. the front tires were spinning. I just don't think these compact tractors today are build to do too much. Put hay in a barn is about it. I have a buddy with a early 90's 1720 new holland ford and he just tears it up and never has broke a thing.

 

[salgal]

Sheared the pto shaft off on my 2910i branson
Any advise on repairing this?

 

[salgal]

More information, I have new pto shaft, have repair manual, I am in process of removing plate ,if anyone has replaced pto ,any advise is welcome.

 

[sixdogs]

I have done this on a Kubota before and it was no big deal. Be careful and take your time so nothing slips out of place while installing. You could also call a shop mechanic to ask if any issues like that could happen.

 

[DavesTractor]

Sheared the pto shaft off on my 2910i branson
Any advise on repairing this?

I did that on a Yanmar once. We had installed a new mower with an over-running coupler and the drive shaft was a little too long. When the mower got in just the right position, we ran out of slip on the shaft, it bound up and busted the PTO shaft right where it exits the tractor. How did you break yours? I've never heard of one breaking without some sort of driveshaft or implement problem.