Front MFWD - JD4600 - Leaking axle seals

[rmonio]

My JD4600’s front axle is leaking through the seals on the point where the driveshaft comes in and also at the ends of hubs (wheels). My local tractor mechanic indicated that the seals need to be replaced (the tractor is 25 years old) and had been leaking a bit in the past from those areas.

He has it apart and is getting the seals from JD - or we’ll just have them do it. Any recommendations?

I’m hoping to get it back up and running soon - living here in MN with livestock means we need it for moving Hay bales and snow.

Sigh*!

 

[beenthere]

When my 4300 started showing some leakage, that is when I started loosening the dip stick at the filler hole in the front axle housing. Reason is that the leakage happened when the oil expanded due to heating up during use and caused the leakage. Some have installed a vent to account for that rise in pressure, but I've found leaving the dip stick loose provides the needed release.
However, the new seals may be needed. Post new seals, then the venting will help in the future.

 

[rmonio]

Thanks. John Deere reviewed the axle today and is going to replace the seals at the beginning of next week. I will talk to them about keeping the dip stick loose so it can deal with the rise in pressure…. They also told me that the bearings should also be replaced as over the years, the vibration will cause them to go bad and that also causes the seals to go bad. They thought it was odd that I hadn’t replaced them several times already.

When I get it back and re-installed, I’ll post some pictures and updates here.

 

[rmonio]

I picked up the repaired front end axle on late Friday afternoon. They replaced all the seals, checked the axle shafts, etc., and replaced the fluid. It took about 6 hours and several extra days as they had to wait for parts to come in. It is now installed and running very well! Just in time for more snow and hay bales to go out for the horses and cows.

I didn’t get a picture, but it looks the same as before - just ALOT cleaner as they got all the excess grease of the tractor after giving it a bath. It looks as good as new!

Price was reasonable for the repairs - about $1,300…. Thank goodness my daughter’s boyfriend is a diesel mechanic and work as at an implement shop. He took off the axle and re-installed it for me (which saved me some money for sure). .