L series front seals

[Redbug]

Gordon...I have not seen one, but I may be wrong, now you got me to thinking. Now, I need to take the flashlight out to the workshop and go look in more detail.


I went out and checked. Looked closely with the flashlight. Crawled underneith and took off the cowlings. Lo and behold...there IS a vent tube coming from the axle! It was a bit hidden on the right side. I had never seen, nor noticed it before. Thanks Gordon for pointing that out.

So...scratch the hypothesis about an unvented axle. I would assume they are vented after all.

 

[bighammer]

Just hit 600 hrs with my L4240 and noticed my right side has left a bit of an oil spot on the floor. I realize just a little oil can look like a lot. I might try the heavy gear oil in front because I can't say I'm excited about pulling it apart for a stupid seal.

This theory about loader use and counterweight makes no sense at all to me. If you're using the loader, you are putting extra pressure on the front end because that's the fulcrum of your lifting action. I can't see any way that having weight on the back is going to reduce the stress on the front at all. I would think it would actually increase stress because you can lift more.

 

[art]

Just hit 600 hrs with my L4240 and noticed my right side has left a bit of an oil spot on the floor. I realize just a little oil can look like a lot. I might try the heavy gear oil in front because I can't say I'm excited about pulling it apart for a stupid seal.

This theory about loader use and counterweight makes no sense at all to me. If you're using the loader, you are putting extra pressure on the front end because that's the fulcrum of your lifting action. I can't see any way that having weight on the back is going to reduce the stress on the front at all. I would think it would actually increase stress because you can lift more.

If you are putting weight on the three point hitch it uses the rear axle as a pivot point reducing the weight on the front axle.

 

[old and tired]

...This theory about loader use and counterweight makes no sense at all to me...

Have you ever lifted so much weight in the loader that the rear tires came off the ground? ALL of your tractor's weight is on the front axle . Like wise if you are adding enough ballast behind the rear axle, your front wheels will be off the ground. Find a happy medium, your front seals will thank you.

 

[4570Man]

I think the whole front axle ballast on the rear thing is BS. You’re exactly right with the way greater loading potential. Btw I had to put front axle seals in my L3240 around the 1000 mark and it wore a backhoe and loaded tires nearly its whole life. It’s not that big of a job. My machine spent a lot of time in the mud which probably led to the seals demise and not overloading with the loader anyway.

 

[repete]

I do not think the load on the axle has anything to do with the seals leaking. They carry no load and the sealing "lip" simply rides on the surface.

As for the counterweight removing some of the force transferred to the front axle, maybe some day when the State Patrol truck inspectors are pulling trucks over for weight inspections, I may just put a load in the bucket and weigh the front axle then attach the ballast and weigh the front axle again.

 

[aczlan]

As for the counterweight removing some of the force transferred to the front axle, maybe some day when the State Patrol truck inspectors are pulling trucks over for weight inspections, I may just put a load in the bucket and weigh the front axle then attach the ballast and weigh the front axle again.

It does work to add weight on the 3 point, we had a LS P7xxx that was having front end issues (dealer sold it with a plow that made the front axle over the rated capacity unless you had a weight box on the back), putting the 2000# weight box on the back took a fair amount of weight off of the front axle (500-800# IIRC).
Still went through the outer gearboxes on the front axle though. I think they put 4-5 of them on the right front axle in the 4 years that we had it (all under warranty).

Aaron Z

 

[Fallon]

There are many threads on here if you search for them. Many people have validated with scales 3pt ballast acts like a fat kid on a teter totter & unload the front axle.

Loaded rear tires make it harder for the back end to come off the ground, but do nothing to unload the front axle. They actually increase the load on the front axle just prior to the rears comming off the ground.