Has Anybody Else Had A LA 145 Frame Mount Completely Tear Out.

[drizler]

My daughters boyfriend showed me his machine saying the axle had dropped and twisted. Boy was it. The whole transaxle had sheared off one side and 75% of the other. Both of the braces were broken right off as well. It looked like the pictures of the Husky's that people are raging about. From the look of the frame I would say JD uses the exact same one. He bought a new one but I decided that I would fix his if I could so he would have a spare. Boy what a mess that thing was . I had to cut/ grind both transaxle mounts completely away and fab my own. Nasty business. I"ll never understand why manufacturers use a tiny pleat to stiffen a steel mount when a slightly thicker or doubled section, even a couple fillets would do the job right.
While the tranaxle is out I decided to dump it and refill with Mobile 1 15W50. At least the oil was in good shape, not a chip or metal flake on the magnet and very little goo. He used the machine for at least 6 years for a part time lawn care business so I was surprised to see the oil just dark and not dirty or otherwise nasty. Once it's done I guarantee he's going to have to drive it off a cliff to bust it again. Easy on the welding comments, I was out of 6011 and not feeling like driving all the way to town:laughing:

 

[beenthere]

Must have taken a serious beating.. doubt normal use for this tractor would cause tearout like that.

Hopefully he treats your daughter better..

 

[drizler]

Nope, actually he took immaculate care of the thing for a guy who worked full time and runs a small lawn / driveway plowing business on the side. He's not a chub either and as far as I know he never pulled anything bigger than the bagger that stuck on the back. From the look of it this was a long time coming and if he had seen it I could have easily welded and braced it further. It is pretty well hidden behind those rear wheels Ah well tranny is back on now all shiny and new lookin. I'm on to the sloppy steering now while it's up in the air. It needs a new shaft gear and bushing. Right now I am figuring out how to get at the top of the steering support plate to put a wrench on the nut that holds on the sector gear on. I want to shim up some of the horrible slop / wobble in that sector gear and tighten up the steering a bit as long as it's up in the air. Then all it's gonna need is the oil changed , a new belt and fresh air filters and be ready to do combat for another 10 years hopefully.
One thing for sure with that setup bears mention though. It's a good idea to cast a glance at those axle mounts from time to time. If you keep an eye out you can catch that early and prevent it spreading.

 

[RandyT]

I find they get torn out because the front transmission support bolts come out, break, or the support bracket gets broken, allowing the tranny to twist back and forth on the axle mounts every time you start or stop and change directions.

 

[Smoothas]

Must have taken a serious beating.. doubt normal use for this tractor would cause tearout like that.

Hopefully he treats your daughter better..

This post is dead on-- that machine took some serious abuse. Fact OP tried to corroborate the damage as same that occurs in Husky's ( known for that type damage) pretty much seals the deal. Not buying immaculate care thing for a second

 

[drizler]

Gee Detective Smoothas I guess the gig is up for me. I guess I made it all up and none of it is true. Ok you can believe whatever you like. Whatever you do don't you dare ever sneak a glance at that frame of yours because if you got faith you don't need nuthin else.
I really don't care if you believe any of this or not but if you can deal with it take a good look at those side by side pictures of the Husky vs LA series frames. See if you can tell the difference. Of course they may be a gnat's hair thicker and you can't tell by the pictures but believe me if they are it's not by much or you could see it . Look at the design and you will see they are nearly or identical.
I'm outa here anyways as this is just foolish. It's clear that I entered the Church Of John Deere and since I am not a disciple my observations are considered blasphemy:thumbsup: . Take it for what it's worth or perhaps take on faith it's your choice. Oh one last thing . Believe it or not those transaxle brace bolts were OEM tight and even the back side of both of them had a piece of the in my opinion rather thin brace secured under it. One of them had both ends attached and the center section missing . Probably from drag racing or taking it off ski jumps...................:thumbdown: Bye bye

 

[Smoothas]

Sorry didn’t mean to insult you-- maybe you were lied to. Sure hope daughter's boyfriend treats your daughter better than he treated that tractor. Sorry to say he is B/S ing you. I’m telling you that isn’t “normal;” wear .Google frame damage on Husky and you’ll get 100’s of hits..do same on JD and you’ll hear crickets.

 

[leonz]

GASP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope my LA115 lasts for two more years as I have to wait that long before I can get a new mule!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!