Front tires caused axle failure...?

[the old grind]

Wonder how many times the front axle oil was changed? FEL and 4wd work requires maintenance.

Finding that sand/grit (from + FEL work) had got into seals and allowed knuckle oil to leak on one side and let water in on the other (milky-looking) I learned to check all three front axle fluids semi-annually. (Center w/stick too) IMO, half an hour every six months isn't a big time commitment.

Meanwhile, .. "I'm a stay with PO neglect under-estimated", hours on the clock (if all of them), and this being a one-time thing with a more diligent owner.

 

[Smokeydog]

Owned several FWA ag tractors with factory FEL. All could have their wheels spaced in or out per the operating manual. Don’t recall any mention of excessive front axle wear or cautions using the FEL. Around here 3 sets of front tire replacement for one set rear is common. Imagine there is a substantial rolling circumference difference during tire wear. Again no caution in owners manual or WSM.
My poor FWA tractors spend most of their lives engaged. Life on a hillside is rough. My truck does too on the farm. From when I enter the farm to when I leave. I’ll bet I have less tire and driveline maintenance than having to constantly shift in and out 4wd when slipping. Not to mention driveway wear. In the hilly woods you slip, you slide, your stuck against a tree.
Often wanted wider front tires on the ag tractors for FEL work. Boy they could dig trenches. Miss those auto locking front axles on my current M59. Hopefully the slippery R4 tires protect my driveline ;-)
With gear and bearing damage my first focus would be to lubrication issues.

 

[Smokeydog]

Owned several FWA ag tractors with factory FEL. All could have their wheels spaced in or out per the operating manual. Don’t recall any mention of excessive front axle wear or cautions using the FEL. Around here 3 sets of front tire replacement for one set rear is common. Imagine there is a substantial rolling circumference difference during tire wear. Again no caution in owners manual or WSM.
My poor FWA tractors spend most of their lives engaged. Life on a hillside is rough. My truck does too on the farm. From when I enter the farm to when I leave. I’ll bet I have less tire and driveline maintenance than having to constantly shift in and out 4wd when slipping. Not to mention driveway wear. In the hilly woods you slip, you slide, your stuck against a tree.
Often wanted wider front tires on the ag tractors for FEL work. Boy they could dig trenches. Miss those auto locking front axles on my current M59. Hopefully the slippery R4 tires protect my driveline ;-)
With gear and bearing damage my first focus would be to lubrication issues.

 

[thoner7]

Here's some pictures of the super bald stock tires next to the current tires.

Dropbox - condensation - Simplify your life

Yall still tho I the front tires had nothing to do with it? I was thinking it must have been the cause. Maybe by using 4x4 rarely it wouldn't be an issue, but who knows. ....

 

[/pine]

Doh!....Tire wear is very gradual and so would be the damage being done...without making visual inspections it (the damage) would likely go unnoticed...take a new machine with no gear wear and put worn (much smaller) tires on the front and see what happens...!!

 

[rScotty]

Here's some pictures of the super bald stock tires next to the current tires.

Dropbox - condensation - Simplify your life

Yall still tho I the front tires had nothing to do with it? I was thinking it must have been the cause. Maybe by using 4x4 rarely it wouldn't be an issue, but who knows. ....

Either I am missing something or you posted the wrong photo. That photo you posted shows two tires that don't look like that could be anywhere close to having the same loaded rolling circumference. Specs might be a misprint. But the loaded rolling circumference is simple enough to measure with a stretch of flat ground, piece of chalk and a tape measure. It can't be calculated from the loaded radius.
rScotty

 

[Rancher Ed]

thoner7,
Those 15x19.5 (R4) tires look like a great replacement for the stock 9.5x22 (R1) tires as they have the same diameter/circumference while providing a much wider footprint. With over 3,000 hours on the tractor the bearing likely failed due to age/wear which then caused the gears to fail.

Your M5400 is a (small) utility tractor, and was designed with 8-position width adjustable front rims so the tires could be set to the desired width. Setting the tires wider will increase the wear rate of the front bearings, but not to an extent I would worry about it. If this was my tractor I would fix the bear, gears, hub, etc and put the wider tire back on. I would then replace the bearing on the other side as a preventative measure and enjoy the benefits of the wider front tires.

 

[RickB]

Rancher Ed I agree.

 

[sandyc]

Have you looked at hydro pressure to make sure it wasn't raised above spec so heavier loads could be handled which in turn could cause undue wear on the front end. Make sure the rims weren't reversed cause that can change the geometry and wear stuff out too.

 

[the old grind]

IIRC, both front and rear wheels had been set 'wide'. While that's fine for 3PH work, IMO with as much or more FEL work being done spacing-out the rears-only is enough, and 'preferred'. (relying on the front axle & its stops for stability suggests o'loading or 'off-balance' for terrain. (xgot grapple?))

I suggest that 'sticky-outie'-offset wheels (as on boom-thumper-audio vans and 1/2-ton boggers that never see mud ...) seem to display an off-camber look by 20K mi or so. (What = that in tractor hrs, esp if 90% of seat time is muckin' stalls & movin' piles??)

Personal experience: 5+ yrs each with 2WD 'crash box' 45 HP gas & diesel ~'70 JD 1520 & '99 5210 short WB LUTs with JD 48 & Allied 495 FELs respectively. (Sold the diesel 5210/Allied 495 fall of 2019 with 36" tall 11" x 16s on 11" wide rims with std offset for the o'sized Allied. (a 395 S would have been better suited) Some of you folks have seen this shot from last year elsewhere.