203 right wheel locked in forward

[Dpgoat]

Hello, my 1961 203 has been the best $$ ever spent. Digging stumps, spreading loam, back dragging driveways, skidding trees. Just great. Yeah .. it痴 old and loose and drips. Gets stuck in gear occasionally but it really works. The other day after digging out a stump the right wheel stoped moving forward works fine in reverse. So I got her out of the woods that way. I took the differential lock off as it had become seized anyway. Fixed that,works like new but haven稚 put back on yet. opened the brake assembly looked in. Dry and cruddy in there. Wheel still frozen. Has this happened to others? Any ideas? Really not looking forward to pulling the axle. Is ther somthing I should try prior to that?

 

[Dpgoat]

The locker foot actuator back on and no dice. Locker shaft that passes thru break cavity and deeper into axle is “locked” or otherwise screwed-up. It won’t budge. I’m thinking I have two issues. Break assembly broken and some kind of locker problem.

 

[dcsco]

No expert here! My theoretical knowledge comes from watching vids on the to35 & 165. Brake issue would make the most sense. Otherwise it would have to be associated with the bearings or gears in the differential.

Hard to imagine a defect or broken bit that would work with one axel in one direction. Ring, pinion, and planetary gear rotate and I think would affect both axels.

Is locker seized in engaged position?

 

[Dpgoat]

It doesn’t seem to be the locker, I was working on it today and it freed up. When I pull the axel it’s the whole thing at the connection to the transmission housing? For the brakes I won’t need to open up the planetary at all correct?

 

[dcsco]

Their are YouTube videos showing various mf models. My TO35 thru MF204 service manual has rear wheels off, left fender off, drain and disconnect brake linkage, unbolt and remove the left axel shaft and housing as a unit.

That gets you in there.

I see the 230 has parts common with the 35 so the method is likely the same.

Looks like your in for some fun. Please keep us posted.

 

[Dpgoat]

Snow melted enough to spend some time on the tractor. Axle and housing off and on the bench in warm garage. Inside housing filthy and cruddy but no leaking seals evidentt, brake discs nasty, worn and flange broken clean off one. Diff lock shaft was seized, opened up the brake assembly, so cruddy inside balls couldn’t move. Balls corroded. Ordered a bunch of parts.

 

[Dpgoat]

Will need to make some sort of vice grip tool to compress diff lock shaft spring so I can get snap ring back on.

 

[m7040]

Dpgoat, I have the original shop manual and parts manual if you want me to look up anything

 

[Dpgoat]

Back in business, when I step on the pedal it actually stops, tractor moves forward and reverse. Replaced discs, brake assembly, seals. Good bit of time cleaning, sanding break surfaces. Made locker spring tool out of a welding vise clamp, one of the ones that has the tangs spread out an inch and modified that to compress spring to fit into the housing assembly so that a snap ring could be placed. Heavy handling that on my own but worth it, brakes actually work pretty well.