Cub Cadet 6284 broken wheel hub shaft (front axle shaft)

[scoops]

While mowing, wheel fell off.
I do mow with the loader on, but had no idea a shaft would break so easily.

Ordered parts, will document fix.

1 of 911-04141A - Cub Cadet - SHAFT-WHEEL HUB W/ @$116.51ea.

1 of 721-0497 - Cub Cadet - Seal, Oil, 35mm x 55mm x 8mm @$7.07ea

 

[scoutcub]

Ouch!

 

[scoops]

scout,

That was the cheapest I could find the parts. As a comparison (sort of) I just replaced a half shaft on my pickup truck, which was alot more metal than this, and it was only $50.
interesting note though, the part for the 6284 was 711-04141a, and it was superseded by 911-04141a (which is the part for the 7284 tractor, so one has to wonder is it a better part?

 

[scoops]

Well.. Parts came in, and wouldn't you know it, not the right size.
Turns out my 6284 have 5000 series parts in them(note, axle has never been apart before)

I've read about the 5000 series breaking axles, and sure enough mine has the 5000 series axle shafts, go figure.

So I new part was from a 6000 series, so I just now had to order different oil seal, bearing and cover as the 6000 is 5mm smaller than the 5000

I'll post part numbers and more pics next week when more parts arrive.

 

[jnelson]

Well.. Parts came in, and wouldn't you know it, not the right size.
Turns out my 6284 have 5000 series parts in them(note, axle has never been apart before)

I've read about the 5000 series breaking axles, and sure enough mine has the 5000 series axle shafts, go figure.

So I new part was from a 6000 series, so I just now had to order different oil seal, bearing and cover as the 6000 is 5mm smaller than the 5000

I'll post part numbers and more pics next week when more parts arrive.

View attachment 381146

Thanks for sharing. It's sad, but Cub really screwed up on their support for the 6284's (service manuals, parts identification, etc). I like my 6284 but the lack of accurate documentation and support are frustrating. Cub deserves to be out of the compact tractor business for their lack of owner support. Some people (myself included) actually do serious work with our tractors and I am sure thankful I am able to perform service and repairs myself, since the Cub dealer and factory support are basically non-existent.

I found the same confusion you did when servicing the front end on my 6284. A parts manual for the 6284 does exist, but in the absence of a 6284 shop repair manual I had to rely on shop manuals I found for the 5000 and 7000 tractors. I found that the 6284 parts manual only lists one kingpin seal per side while the 7000 shop manual specifically details two per side. In the end I found it far easier and less confusing (not to mention much less expensive) to identify bearings and seals by measuring the old parts and ordering them aftermarket instead of trying to use Cub's parts ordering system. I am especially glad that there is a small community of 6284 owners on this site where we can share information.

To be sure, I like my 6284, but I sure don't feel any loyalty to owners from Cub.

JN

 

[scoops]

finally got all the parts in and put back together. Waiting on permatex to dry for 24 hours.
Here is a list of parts I bought. Note these parts are for the 6000 series, mine had 5000 parts in it, but I opted to replace with 6000 parts instead of just replacing the 5000 axle (911-04060)
911-04141a axle shaft
919-04024a axle cover plate
941-3033a Bearing (goes in axle cover plate)
716-0201 retaining clip (prevents axle coming out of axle cover plate)
721-0497 oil seal

Some things to note: the axle diameter towards the outside bearing end is smaller than the 5000 series, the axle cover plate is thinner than the 5000 series, the retaining clip is thinner, the 5000 series uses a thicker c-clip.

Bottom line is now I have some 6000 parts on the drivers side and the old 5000 parts on the passenger side, I guess time will tell which side will hold up better, you would think the 5000 parts as they are thicker, but maybe the metal was inferior?

 

[jnelson]

maybe the metal was inferior?

It is interesting that you mention that. I am not a metallurgist, but I thought that the fractured end in your picture looked like poor quality, low density steel. It seems to me that good steel appears as a much 'cleaner' break when it fractures, but again I have no real scientific basis for my observation.

You mentioned that the 6000 series has a thinner C-clip. If I remember correctly your break occurred at the point where the C-clip is installed. Perhaps the groove required for the thicker 5000 series C-clip was a design flaw that weakened the shaft at that point. I think I remember others posting about breaking axles so maybe they can reply with information regarding where the breaks happened on the shaft. In general, the fact that most of the dimensions of the 6000 shaft are smaller indicates to me that it is engineered using higher quality (stronger) metal.

Based on your findings I think that your 6000 was an early production model and Cub used up their on-hand supply of 5000 parts in your front end. While I can understand a company wanting to use up existing inventory, the fact that the running changes are not documented in a way that lets you accurately identify and order the correct parts makes repairs like yours a nightmare. If someone lacked the skills, intelligence, and perseverance you exhibited they may have incorrectly decided the parts are not available and given up. Thanks again for sharing your information. While I hope I don't encounter a broken shaft on my 6284 I will sure reference back to this if I ever do.

JN