Comparison broken front axles 254 foton

[fotonlemon2542012]

has anyone else had problems with front axles shearing on 254 foton 2012 model as both front went last year 1 month apart and again has happened today other problems with it in the first 12 months have been no or very limted brakes and a known fault of linkages for the brakes injector pump died 8 months old just curios of other peoples problems or did i just happen to buy a lemon.

 

[greg_g]

Not enough specifics, but your description so far is not an unusual result when front/rear rolling diameters become mismatched (in 4wd). If I can read between the lines, you've had it for a year without notable front drive problems. Have you changed wheels or tires recently? Alternatively, mismatched rolling speed (also in 4wd) can cause this. Have you been stuck to the point where one or both rear tires are spinning while the fronts try to maintain traction? Did the break occur after using diff-lock to get unstuck? Or - you could simply have had a defective axle from the git-go, and it just took a year for it to finally snap. A "finger-in-the-dike" scenario then follows; increased load over-stresses surviving drive components.

//greg//

 

[SPIKER]

Using the FEL as a Digging implement while in 4wheel drive it is easy to over power the diameter of the front axles in Jinmas causing them to shear off. I have done my left front 2 times by forgetting I'm in 4x4 and moving gravel, or sand/clay back fill. Once while getting gravel out of my wash/run creek (I have to use 4x4 to get into/out of creek.) Then forgetting to switch out of 4x4 when digging the rock out of the bottom. The other time I was moving 80 ton of back-fill type damp sand/clay out from in front of the barn and it was starting to rain. I was moving it into my garden for storage & trying to beat a big storm coming. the lip gouged into hard packed dirt and I was still in 4x4 lifting & powering into the pile...

Those were my abuse issues but the machine is good solid tractor. the Foutons are one notch better according to older news but no real proof.

Mark

 

[fotonlemon2542012]

Not enough specifics, but your description so far is not an unusual result when front/rear rolling diameters become mismatched (in 4wd). If I can read between the lines, you've had it for a year without notable front drive problems. Have you changed wheels or tires recently? Alternatively, mismatched rolling speed (also in 4wd) can cause this. Have you been stuck to the point where one or both rear tires are spinning while the fronts try to maintain traction? Did the break occur after using diff-lock to get unstuck? Or - you could simply have had a defective axle from the git-go, and it just took a year for it to finally snap. A "finger-in-the-dike" scenario then follows; increased load over-stresses surviving drive components.

//greg//

specifics are tractor at 6 months old 1 front axle sheared one month later the other side shears then 12 months later front axle shears again tyres are correctly sized and tractor has not done any heavy lifting and 95% of time front bucket not attached and no have not been stuck and have not put myself in a position to use difflock as yet.

 

[Rich Waugh]

What you just described shouldn't result in breakage of axles. Therefore, I can only guess that there is a fundamental problem with the geometry of your front end that is stressing those axles in normal use. Off hand, I can't think what to tell you to look for, except to suggest that you have an experienced tractor fleet mechanic look it over. Or try one of the "brand name" tractor dealers - their mechanics might be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[Diamondpilot]

You are not leaving it in 4 wheel drive on dry pavement are you?

Chris

 

[Rich Waugh]

Since the OP has never needed to use the differential lock, I would think he's never needed 4WD either. That's based on my habits, which is to run in 2WD and use the diff lock for getting unstuck before resorting to 4WD. But running on hard pavement in 4WD is a surefire way to eat tires and front end components due to the different rolling diameters and absence of front differential action.