John Deere 4600 MFWD will not engage

   / John Deere 4600 MFWD will not engage #11  
Yes thats a very good possibility. and that can be checked without splitting the tractor. it would probably take 2 people to check it. 1 to actuate the handle. the other to see if the shaft us engaging under the tractor, or even moving.
 
   / John Deere 4600 MFWD will not engage
  • Thread Starter
#12  
Yes thats a very good possibility. and that can be checked without splitting the tractor. it would probably take 2 people to check it. 1 to actuate the handle. the other to see if the shaft us engaging under the tractor, or even moving.
With the handle pulled or pushed the external shaft rotates and it appears the internal shaft rotates. Is there a way to see inside the housing what is happening without splitting? With tractor moving and handle pulled, it will grind. I tried that yesterday for a second. That tells me that things are moving internally. If correctly, that is another issue, LOL.

Additionally, When I checked the fluid level in front axel yesterday, it was very low. Not complexly dry but I would say 3 qts low. I bought used and I don't know how long it has been low. There isn't a sign of a major leak since I have had it. Nothing on ground after I filled it yesterday.
 
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   / John Deere 4600 MFWD will not engage #13  
you should be able to engage while driving. something is keeping the shaft from traveling forward. u should be Abe to see it in the drive shaft under the tractor for the front axle .
 
   / John Deere 4600 MFWD will not engage
  • Thread Starter
#14  
you should be able to engage while driving. something is keeping the shaft from traveling forward. u should be Abe to see it in the drive shaft under the tractor for the front axle .
Ok thanks! I will try to get a helper and see what I can figure out later.
 
   / John Deere 4600 MFWD will not engage
  • Thread Starter
#15  
you should be able to engage while driving. something is keeping the shaft from traveling forward. u should be Abe to see it in the drive shaft under the tractor for the front axle .
It's not easy to see. Still waiting for a helper, LOL. Will try this weekend. Massive thunderstorm yesterday and lost power.
 
   / John Deere 4600 MFWD will not engage
  • Thread Starter
#16  
you should be able to engage while driving. something is keeping the shaft from traveling forward. u should be Abe to see it in the drive shaft under the tractor for the front axle .
So I did some further checking today. I was wrong on my original thought that the linkage at the rear of the tractor was the problem. It works. I slid the front driveshaft cover back on both sides to expose the front drive shaft. With the mfwd hanlde up (engaged) the shaft does not spin. Down it does. So the issue appears to be in the front differential and not the trans where I originally thought. So no I need to figure out what the problem is in the front differential/axel. The front wheels spin freely with mfwd engaged or disengaged. It makes no difference. they do not spin the shaft and if the shaft is not spinning (Handle up) the wheels spin freely.
So, is it the pinion gear, ring gear or could it be something else and what is the best way to determine the cause of failure. Do I have to drop the front end out and take it apart? Or is there a better way to check?
 
   / John Deere 4600 MFWD will not engage #17  
You're SURE the shaft, the front coupler, and the front axle pinion shaft all turn together and there's no problem with splines on either end of the front coupler?
 
   / John Deere 4600 MFWD will not engage
  • Thread Starter
#18  
You're SURE the shaft, the front coupler, and the front axle pinion shaft all turn together and there's no problem with splines on either end of the front coupler?
Thanks for the reply. No I am not sure that anything inside the front differential turns. The front wheels spin in both directions with zero resistance or noise with the front drive engaged( not moving) the shaft coupler is on the splines front and rear of shaft and connected on both sides. The pinion coming out of the differential doesn’t spin with the wheels spinning. And the wheels spin independently from each other engaged or not
 
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   / John Deere 4600 MFWD will not engage
  • Thread Starter
#19  
It’s almost like there is no ring gear contacting the pinion. It looks like a pain to get into the diff. Likely have to drop the entire axel and Cartier assembly to get in there. Will take a closer look tomorrow.
 
   / John Deere 4600 MFWD will not engage #20  
Hope you enjoy taking things apart to find out what is wrong. No fun if pinched for time, tho.
 

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