cracked bell housing

[general J]

I just bought a 2003 tc 40 last week was cleaning tractor and found a 5 inch crak in the bell housing can this be welded or does it need to be replaced? I FEEL IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED WHATS YOUR INPUT THANKS

 

[JC-jetro]

I just bought a 2003 tc 40 last week was cleaning tractor and found a 5 inch crak in the bell housing can this be welded or does it need to be replaced? I FEEL IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED WHATS YOUR INPUT THANKS

do you have a loader or back hoe? any pics?

JC,

 

[general J]

i HAVE A 16 LA LOADER NO BACK HOE i have not been able to take any pics yet its on the left side of the bell housing aprox 5-6 inches long

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

If it was my tractor and I was paying for the repair I would take it to a profesional welder and see if itis repairable. If the seller is paying for the repair I would want a new bellhousing. I would check your loader mounts to make shure they are tight. Also check the bolts that fasten the bellhousing to the engine.
Bill

 

[general J]

I thought I would up date the thread . the dealer removed the bell housing and had it welded put it back together and it cracked again now they are pulling it back apart and replacing it I hpoe to have it back next week .

 

[jimmysisson]

THis is a little odd. I'd think the dealer would have a decent welder they go to. Iron isn't that hard to weld if you know what you're doing. Maybe there's some stress on this housing from a tweaked loader or a different casting that's broke and asking more of the bell housing than it was designed for? I dunno, seems a little suspicious...
Jim

 

[general J]

yes you are right it does seam strange that it did not hold they said the welder had to have the bell housing removed so he could heat the housing then weld it I have never welded cast before so it sounded as though he knew what he was doing I hope nothing is tweeked causing this piece to crack I guess Ill find out when I get it back

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

You are better off with a new bellhousing. If you do a search on the internet on welding cast one thing everyone agree's on is there is no good way to weld cast that is in a high stress aplication. Either the weld will crack or it will crack next to the weld.
Bill

 

[art]

I'd take it to a fab shop after you get it home and have them build a frame to the rear wheels from the front. Yours is not the first!

 

[jinman]

I'd take it to a fab shop after you get it home and have them build a frame to the rear wheels from the front. Yours is not the first!

Art, the Class III TC40 with 16LA loader already has a large subframe front-to-rear. The Class II tractors do not have the subframe. There is no way for general_J to know, but the former owner may have had the subframe bolts come loose as I did earlier this year. If I had not seen my missing bolts, I might be in the same situation.

 

[general J]

Iam still waiting to get my toy back when I do I will make sure the loader bolts are tight and check them frequently. jinman is right the previous owner may have had the bolts loosen causing the crack im glad i found it before the warrenty ran out

 

[AndyMA]

Iam still waiting to get my toy back when I do I will make sure the loader bolts are tight and check them frequently. jinman is right the previous owner may have had the bolts loosen causing the crack im glad i found it before the warrenty ran out

Just a quick comment. I would accept a welded bellhousing for a warranty repair. A rebullt injecctor pump yes (which I did) , but not a welded bellhousing.

Andy

 

[paratrooper]

When I was shopping for a compact tractor there was one warning (among many) about front end loaders attached to the bell housing rather than the frame . I was told that the number one enemy of that design was when the driver was unable to force the shovel into the desired load there is sometimes a desire to smash into it in order to get under the load . The shock is quite destructive to the bell housing which seems to be a "weak link". If the bell housing is aluminum the chances of failure increase .

 

[general J]

well I finaly got my tractor back with a new bell housing and all looks to be done well the people at wallingford equipment are very good to deal with they genuinely seemed want to make you happy . I have put about 4 hours on It since yesterday its great to have it back.

 

[hugho]

Agreed if it is cast iron. I have heard from many welders who avoid cast iron but most say welding cast steel is reliable. Was it iron or steel?

 

[MikePA]

Agreed if it is cast iron. I have heard from many welders who avoid cast iron but most say welding cast steel is reliable. Was it iron or steel?

general J has not posted in over 5 years.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Cast Iron can be welded.
Follow the link to a slide show for a repair we did on a Ford 5000 3 or 4 years ago.
The transmission broke because it had a loader that was improperly mounted and the tractor was abused terribly. The fellow who bought it uses it for all his tillage and to feed large round bales with the 3 point and a bale spear.
We recommended he never put a loader on it which I doubt he will.
If you move your mouse over the pictures you will see descriptions at the top of each photo.

5000 Transmission Repair Slideshow by Ultradog | Photobucket

 

[BLACK JUDGE]

i have the same problem with tc30 new holland, how much does it cost to remove & replace? mine cracked from front to back i think this was caused by front loader bucket. does anybody know part #

 

[jimglassford]

A new case (SBA320111753) is $1600. If you replace the case, you will probably do the clutch at the same time so about $2000 in parts. A New Holland Dealer will probably have about $2500 in labor. It would be cheaper to locate one in a salvage yard and have an independent mechanic do it.