Cracked tranny case on TC26DA

[jwstewar]

Can't help with the case issue, but I agree NH part prices are getting ridiculous. I recently had to change the alternator on my TC24d. From NH a new one is over $550, a remaned one is over $280. Bought a new one on eBay for $60. Now, I know I'm taking a chance on how long it will last, but it was identical from a design standpoint and seemed really smooth when I spun it by hand.

 

[DwayneB]

Can't help with the case issue, but I agree NH part prices are getting ridiculous. I recently had to change the alternator on my TC24d. From NH a new one is over $550, a remaned one is over $280. Bought a new one on eBay for $60. Now, I know I'm taking a chance on how long it will last, but it was identical from a design standpoint and seemed really smooth when I spun it by hand.

I just went through the same thing with a starter. 800 from new Holland 107 from ebay. Did find the Bosch starter online for 600 but, I can buy 6 of the Chinese starters for that price. So far I'm happy. It's quiet and really spins the motor well.

 

[MiserableOldFart]

Yeah, with electrical parts, starters, etc. I'd do the same. Still, with filters and the like, I stick with the NH. Probably wasting money, but I just don't trust the quality of filters that aren't theirs. The treadle pedal covers really inflame me. They last about 2 years, and they are $30 each to replace. I tried gluing neoprene onto the pedals but it didn't last. Oh well. When I get the tractor back I can try something else.
I learned my lesson early on when the little round knob vibrated off my loader control. I spent about two hours looking for it and was cursing my stupidity for spending all that time looking for what I expected to be a $3 part. Looked it up, and it was $20, and that was about 10 years ago. Seriously, treat your customers with a little respect, CNH.

 

[MiserableOldFart]

Latest news is that the thing was fixed, but they found another leak :-(

 

[Oldpath05]

Yeah, from TBN posts, it appears in order to successfully weld, you have to remove the part, cook off all the oil with intense heat, and weld both sides.
The huge amount of labor is only matched by the outrageous price of the parts, sad to say.
Do you have a backhoe on that tractor? The dealer here says most of these problems come with tractors that have hoes. Mine does not.

If I ever get another tractor, maybe go for a shuttle shift instead of hydro. At least with that, there wouln't be the huge pressures involved in the tranny case.
I think of a tractor with 800 hours as just being broken in.. shouldn't be broken.

Have you heard anything about your tractor?

Latest news is that the thing was fixed, but they found another leak :-(

I dont think hydro has that much pressure inside a transmission housings to be the cause of a fracture, these trans housings aren't all that thick on compact tractors to begin with, had mind L3400 apart and its 1/4" thick at best.

What kind of fix did you have, a new trans case and where's the new leak? If you get a chance take some pictures, hope you get it so atleast you can use it, good luck.

 

[MiserableOldFart]

It's still at the dealer's. :-( He actully offered a decent deal on a trade in on a new machine, but I'm saddled with financing a recent truck purchase, so can't do it. It was either / or last summer, when there was absolutely no problem with the tractor, and I needed the truck. Wanted to trade up to a 40hp class machine if I could, but can't now for at least a few years.
They replaced the case, but said after it was fixed they found another leak. Still waiting to hear on that one.
One problem is that this is the closest dealer, not the one I purchased from. They went out of business and came back to life as a Massey Ferguson dealer. Though I have done quite a bit of biz over the years since with this dealer, I didn't buy the tractor there.
I don't think pressure caused the crack, but I do believe that pressure is part of the problem if one tried to weld it. This tractor has never been abused in any way, and been well cared for. There is no doubt in my mind that this is just a case of a part not being made strong enough - either in mass, or perhaps just the one on my machine.

 

[radios1]

this is a common problem on that machine. google "Cracked tranny case on TC26DA" and you'll see.. is that one of those transmission+differential in one unit type? I never did like those, too much going on in one unit.. it CAN be made stronger by welding ribs on it.. the thing with cast iron is that when you weld it, for maximum strength, you want to use a cast iron rod, and to do that, the casting has to be evenly preheated, welded, and then slowly cooled, cast iron don't stretch much, so any large temperature differential will make it crack.. austenitic stainless steel can be used on low strength parts, since it gives a bit, and won't crack, but you don't want to do this with a transmission case!..

 

[MiserableOldFart]

Well, the tractor is home. North of $5000 bill, which included four new tires, which I figured might as well be done with the tractor there. I hope the machine and the Chinese tires last me. Never expected this big a problem with the machine, given its relatively low hours despite age. It's kinda scary, thinking something like this might crop up again. I guess my search for loose women and good booze is over for a long spell, lol.

 

[MiserableOldFart]

I dont think hydro has that much pressure inside a transmission housings to be the cause of a fracture, these trans housings aren't all that thick on compact tractors to begin with, had mind L3400 apart and its 1/4" thick at best.

What kind of fix did you have, a new trans case and where's the new leak? If you get a chance take some pictures, hope you get it so atleast you can use it, good luck.

I didn't mean to suggest that was the cause of the crack, but I would think that in a gear tranny, IF a crack happened, it would be much less of a problem due to much lower pressure within.

 

[MiserableOldFart]

this is a common problem on that machine. google "Cracked tranny case on TC26DA" and you'll see.. is that one of those transmission+differential in one unit type? I never did like those, too much going on in one unit.. it CAN be made stronger by welding ribs on it.. the thing with cast iron is that when you weld it, for maximum strength, you want to use a cast iron rod, and to do that, the casting has to be evenly preheated, welded, and then slowly cooled, cast iron don't stretch much, so any large temperature differential will make it crack.. austenitic stainless steel can be used on low strength parts, since it gives a bit, and won't crack, but you don't want to do this with a transmission case!..

I've done that and didn't see many results.. Not sure about your question. Anyway, got the new one put on, and hope it stays together. No way has this machine ever been abused, though, and I am not happy about it. I've got a 30+ year old Echo chainsaw that probably has more hours on it..