555DTC - Problem - 4WD

[Chiggerville Farm]

Has anyone ever had it in 4wd, power up in low low to scoop and pick up dirt with the front end loader, hear a loud clank and then it clank when you are in 4wd and not clank in 2wd? If you have, did you find out what the problem was and could you fix it yourself?

 

[Clint S]

I have not. Where is the noise coming from. Under or up front, one clank or many. The transfer case is very simple, nothing to really clank. Front end turns when under power, but with no load. Under load lots of stuff to clank in front diff. I would check the drive shaft U joints first. As far as the boots leaking it is a common issue, just get new ones and change them out.

 

[Chiggerville Farm]

Thank you Clint S! We have freezing fog right now, but as soon as it warms up again, we're going to raise the font end and turn the front wheels and see if we can locate where the sound is coming from. In driving the tractor back to its parking place, the clanking was below me and seemed to occur with every revolution of the rear wheels. The 4wd transfer case is leaking. It looks like the leak is coming from the gasket which has never leaked before. The case could be cracked, but as you know, leaks always occur where you can't see them. In this case it is hidden by the hydraulic lines that run by the case. We may end up pulling everything - the case, the shaft, the shaft guard and get into the front axle. Aargh! :smiley_aafz:

 

[Clint S]

There usually is no gasket between the case and the tractor, just silicone. 4x4 is simple. Just a gear on the tranny output \pinion shaft , turning a gear in the transfer case which turns a gear that engages/ disengages the 4x4. Those gears in the transfer case do not hold up well to pulling in reverse and can sheer teeth. It may be a gear if it is coming from the case clacking under load. That said I have had a TON of issues with the pinion bolts coming loose on mine dropping down and destroying things in that transfer case. It has happened 2 times and I caught it the third time, even with industrial strength loctite . Now they are welded in place.

 

[Chiggerville Farm]

If I read what you are suggesting might be our problem, the pinion gear is probably OK and if we are lucky, just the gears in the 4wd transfer case may be damaged. If we are not lucky, to get to the pinion gear or pinion bolts, do we have to split the tractor or can we just get to it or the bolts from the opening left when the 4wd case is removed?

Sure appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions. Thank you. Saturday is tear-into-the-tractor day with the help of a fellow who works on tractors. He is familiar with Longs but not specifically Farmtracs. In the mean time, we've been researching where we can get parts.

 

[Clint S]

You can check the pinion gear and bolts front the round side access cover on the left side by your foot it think. I know you can see at lest a few of the bolts from there, the oil is over that cover so drink it all or at least a little before you remove it. You can also check everything from the opening where the transfer case was. The pinion gear if damaged will require a split of the rear from the tractor. I have been into mine a few times so let me know what you find out. I also have a service manual somewhere, although it was not much help with this. You can get exploded parts diagrams from many websites and parts a fairly easy through Diamond equip on this site or InfoTech farmtrac parts. They got me stuff right from the factory in India. I would see where the sound is emanating from and go from there. Do a search of my name on this forum to follow my adventures with my loose pinion bolts.

 

[Chiggerville Farm]

Great info Clint S! We found the same two places for getting parts that you mentioned. We downloaded the parts manual when we first got our tractor a few years ago which was used when we got it. That parts manual has been very helpful. Then last year we finally broke down and purchased a digital copy of the shop manual. That is the first place we looked when we "broke" our tractor. Yep, you're right, there is nothing in the shop manual to help with 4wd problems... We will do as you suggested and search on your name for your pinion bolts saga.

 

[Clint S]

Great info Clint S! We found the same two places for getting parts that you mentioned. We downloaded the parts manual when we first got our tractor a few years ago which was used when we got it. That parts manual has been very helpful. Then last year we finally broke down and purchased a digital copy of the shop manual. That is the first place we looked when we "broke" our tractor. Yep, you're right, there is nothing in the shop manual to help with 4wd problems... We will do as you suggested and search on your name for your pinion bolts saga.

I have the 4x4 shop manual supplement somewhere, I will look.

 

[Clint S]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/farmtrac/195480-pinion-ring-gear-replacement.html?highlight=

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ned-again-ad-pto-countershaft.html?highlight=

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/farmtrac/258602-out-spec-4x4-case.html?highlight=

 

[Chiggerville Farm]

Oh, we hope you can find it! It will be a lifesaver... We didn't even know one existed.

 

[Chiggerville Farm]

Thanks for finding all the threads about your previous problems with the pinion gear bolts and lumping them into one reply. Interesting reading.

 

[Clint S]

Let me know what you find out. The manual is on an old hard drive here somewhere.

 

[Chiggerville Farm]

So far we have identified the gears that are now toothless. The 4wd box is cracked. Since the box is not under load, we're having it brazed. Anticipating that it may be months before we get the replacement gears, we are having a flat plate made up to bolt on where the box had been so we can operate the tractor as a 2wd. We've removed the drive to the front wheels. Hopefully, in operating it as a 2wd, if there is any other damage that we haven't seen, it will show up so we can fix everything all at once. (Couldn't find an icon for crossed fingers.)

 

[Clint S]

Well that is what I thought. Question is why the destruction in the box? were you pulling hard in reverse in 4x4? From my experience they do not like that. IIRC the box and gears were pretty readily available when I got mine. I tried brazing mine, worked the first time , but it was in bad shape the second time and leaked. The plate will work fine. I do have a set of gears from the box that are serviceable, but I think dad wants to keep them as spares. I would replace the bearings too.

 

[Chiggerville Farm]

No, I was moving forward and when the bucket was filling and being rotated and lifted, the front wheels couldn't spin because they contacted hard ground so something had to give! We haven't torn into the front differential to see if there is any damage. Your Dad is smart to keep the set of gears as spares. Have you experienced that pieces of whatever breaks, in our case, teeth, get into the bearings? Is that why you replaced bearings or were you just doing it as a precaution?

The plate we had made up is installed, gears are ordered, and JD is in town getting fluids today. I'm the female half of the Chiggerville Farm duo and am the one who broke the tractor. Who would have thought that a 5' 2" "old" lady weighing 116 lbs could do so much damage? But I did! :duh:

Oh, yes, and I did have to put it in reverse to back away. Dumb, I left it in 4wd when I did.

 

[Clint S]

I replaced the bearings as a precaution when I got the new case. We had brazed on it twice and it had gotten hot. Felt it was just good sense to do it. In my case a bolt came out and got caught between the gear and the case and broke the case and chipped a few teeth. After I replaced everything I had a noise that happened to be the new box being out of spec and causing the gears to clatter because they were out of mesh. A 25 cent gasket fixed it. We welded the bolts so they will no come loose again.
I would put the plate on and drive it around. The front diff turns all the time so any issue would be evident soon. It seems those gears are the weak link.
The front diff is made by an Italian company and IIRC is well made.
As far a the brake boots they were made out of a crappy material and many cracked from the sun. The replacements are thicker material. I have the new ones but I covered the old ones with silicone and duct tape and the have been good for a while now.
We just moved a TON of snow with ours today.

 

[Chiggerville Farm]

We're going the brazing route with the case (4wd box). Getting new seals and o-rings, too.
We put the plate on yesterday and JD drove it around. Front end seems OK. He he, he doesn't want me to drive it. Humm, wonder why.... I need to collect some big rocks along the gravel road for a project I've got going.
Being in Arkansas, it is supposed to be 52 tomorrow. (Not intentionally rubbing it in.) I'm from Utica, NY. When I was in junior college back in '65 or maybe it was '66, we had 3' of snow dumped on us in 24 hours. My Gram and I spent all day shoveling snow from the driveway to the street, the sidewalk and the walk to the front porch. Of course we couldn't go anywhere until the snow plow came through the next day. Then we had to shovel that hard packed snow that they pushed into the driveway. I can honestly say that I DO NOT miss all that snow!! At least you have a tractor!
Those brake boots are a pain in the you know where. We have been changing them without taking off the wheels. The first replacement pair must have sat on the dealers shelf for eons. They lasted 6 months. We tried the silicone and tape route. No luck; leaked. The next pair were the newer, softer, thicker pair. Still got leaks. So JD designed a flange and used special hard oil resistant hose. Seems to be working.

 

[Chiggerville Farm]

I have the 4x4 shop manual supplement somewhere, I will look.

Clint, did you happen to come across that 4x4 shop manual?

We're getting ready to put our tractor back to a 4x4 after buying several new gears, etc.

We are planning to split the tractor between the transmission and the rear differential (have a new gasket) because we may have to replace the main gear and we will have to replace the idler gear that runs the transfer case for the 4wd. We have never split a tractor and could use some guidance on how to do it, how to support each part and what tips and tricks anyone has to help us get through this. :confused3:

 

[Clint S]

So I built a wooden block to support the front of tractor under the tranny and we used a engine crane to just wheel the rear diff back. Easy as that. It should just pull apart I know where the manual is and I think it should fit in an E mail. If you want the whole service manual and the 4*4 manual I could send you a cd.

 

[Chiggerville Farm]

So I built a wooden block to support the front of tractor under the tranny and we used a engine crane to just wheel the rear diff back. Easy as that. It should just pull apart I know where the manual is and I think it should fit in an E mail. If you want the whole service manual and the 4*4 manual I could send you a cd.

Thank You. You have been so helpful! Yes, we'd love to have the whole service manual and 4x4 supplement manual on a cd. Our email address is matefey@gmail.com. Can you email us and we'll reply with our mailing address for the cd?