Cracks in Axle Housings

ScottF · Jan 10, 2001

I've noticed a few post regarding cracked axle housings on some Grand L series tractors from improper ROPS installation. Is this common, or were these isolated instances? Should I be concerned enough to remove the ROPS on my 4310 and do a dye-penetrant check on the axle housing to check for cracks while still under warranty?

Scott

Bird · Jan 10, 2001

Scott, was it the Grand L or the other L series you read about? I didn't think it was the Grand L. How is your ROPS attached to the tractor; U-bolts around the axle or bolted onto the back end of the tractor? If it were me and I didn't see any visible leaks or cracks, I'd leave it alone; but I don't want to tell you to do that and then you have a problem later./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Bird

ScottF · Jan 11, 2001

Bird,
I thought I read a couple of guys had this problem on a L4310 & a L3710 (I had to do a "crack" keyword search to find them again). My ROPS bolts directly to the axle casing via 6 bolts per side - no U-bolts (casing has a machined flat area with tapped holes for the ROPS bolts). I have to admit I was a little surprised to here about these cracking problems. Looking at the way mine is attached I can't imagine that causing a prolbem - unless Kubota had a handful of casting flaws in there axle casings.

Scott

TomWAiken · Jan 12, 2001

One of those guys was me. A new L3710HST. About a week after I got it I started noticing the hydro fluid drips on the floor. It was coming from behind the bolts holding the ROPS on the right rear side. My dealer ordered new axle casings and picked it up a week later and replaced both sides. He said he had heard of other Grand L's that had the problem but mine was his first. All is well now at 145 hours.

Bird · Jan 12, 2001

Looks like you were right, Scott. I either missed, or forgot about, Tom's earlier message about his rear axle leak./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird

ScottF · Jan 12, 2001

Tom,
Did your dealer or Kubota give you a good reason why your axle housing cracked?

Scott

Anonymous Poster · Jan 13, 2001

Scott,
If your axles have the machined surface you have the updated housings. The earlier housings were not machined to accomodate the rops surface evenly, causing cracks to form at the bottom of the bolt holes.

taiken · Jan 14, 2001

No, when I ask the dealer why this happened he said he didn't know but that he had heard of others with the same problem. There must have been some bulletin on it because he said he had to replace both sides, not just the one that was leaking. It leaked directly behind the bolts so it may have been a torque problem.

ScottF · Jan 14, 2001

Thanks for the info. Mine appear to be the machined housings - surface that the ROPS bolts to is smooth (I'm assuming that the non-machined verions would be obviously rougher). Do you know when Kubota starting using the updated housings (what manufacturing date)?

Thanks in advance.

Scott

Jag · Jan 15, 2001

I sure wish you guys would stop making me worry about things I have not worried before.. This has just got to stop, wife said I can not go out and check my axel till in the morning.