Cracks in Axle Housings

[ScottF]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

Scott

 

[Anonymous Poster]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

[ScottF]

Yeah Jag, I know what you mean. Too much information can sometimes be a bad thing when it comes to sanity/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Scott

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Yes the older housings are the same surface all the way accross. Don't know for sure when the change was made.
No service bulletin out. Have changed more than a few.
when ordering replacement housing they "majically" come in with the machined surface.

 

[Jag]

Scott and everyone else, now that you have made me think and go take a look, (now I am ok) Has any one who has a cracked axle housing had a FEL on it. My L2650 ROPS has a flat plate on the bottom (top of axle), and a flat plate on the bottom where the FEL support ties in. It is bolted together with four regular bolts, not U-bolts.... Has this type of setup ever done the no-no to the axle?

 

[Harv]

Jag -

Is your setup similar to my L2500 as partially shown in this picture?

I'm following this thread with interest. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[Jag]

Damm it Harv, you have made me climb under the tractor the second time.... Ha, ha it was parked out in front without anything hooked up.... Hate to tell you this but no. My axle housing (1995 model) is square the mounting plates fit down flat on the housing.... Also on the back side, now that I have looked closely, the housing has four machined holes with plastic plugs (about 1/2 inch) already there for mounting some attachment...

 

[ScottF]

Jag,
I'm not sure about the FEL brackets causing cracks - this would be a better question for kubmech. The FEL bracket on mine bolts to a separate hole on the axle housing -not to the ROPS mounting (the setup on the Grand L's is a little different than the L series).

Scott

 

[Anonymous Poster]

jag, don't sweat it, never seen the "no-no" on a 2650 and it's likely I wont. ( unless you lay the tractor on it's side and hook up to the loader lower frame support to pull it back up-right and in the process rip the bolts out of the axle assy. but that"s another story) If you have a "10" series grand L check to see if the axles have the machined surface, if you do you should be ok (so far) but if the surface is not machined, be afraid, be very afraid...............