Leaking 4x4 shaft seal on RK55

   / Leaking 4x4 shaft seal on RK55 #1  

g8erh8er

Silver Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2013
Messages
207
Location
Dade City, FL
Tractor
RK55HC
The rear shaft seal on the 4x4 shaft of my RK55 has been leaking for the past year and I finally got around to fixing it. The PN for this seal is V7441254708.

Overall it is a pretty easy job but you will need an appropriately sized piece of pipe or tube to drive the new seal back in and snap ring pliers to remove the axle shaft. Steps I took to replace the seal are as follows:

  1. Drain hydraulic fluid.
  2. Remove 4x4 shaft guard. Held on by three bolts (2-10mm and 1-12mm). Interestingly, the welds holding the mounting tab for the forward most bolt of the shaft guard had broken and the bolt that secured that tab was slightly bent.
  3. Remove axle shaft. The shaft is held at both the front and rear by a splined coupling and a snap ring. The snap ring rests in a groove cut into the shaft. Just open the snap ring and move it a couple inches toward the middle of the shaft, then shift the coupling in the same direction. Do this at both ends of the shaft, making sure you're holding the shaft with one hand when you move the second coupling as the shaft will fall.
  4. Remove the shaft seal. I used a self tapping coarse threaded screw for this part. I drilled the screw into the seal just far enough to where it grabbed the imbedded metal portion of the seal. I then grabbed the end of the screw with vice grips and pulled the seal out. You have to be careful here to ensure you don't screw too far and damage the bearing behind the seal.
  5. Clean up the seal mating surfaces. I found some paint from the manufacturing process that had adhered to these surfaces so I lightly sanded them.
  6. Insert new seal. You need a tube/pipe. PVC might work but I used metal. What I used came from a motorcycle crank shaft puller kit. The tube was 6 inches long, 45mm outer diameter, and 35.5mm inner diameter. It was like it was specifically made for this job, perfect fit. Anyway, I lubed up the seal's mating surfaces with oil and pushed it into the recess by hand, then placed the pipe over the seal and lightly tapped on the pipe with a rubber mallet until the seal bottomed out.
  7. Reinstall 4x4 shaft.
  8. Reinstall 4x4 shaft guard.
  9. Refill hydraulic fluid.
  10. Check for leaks.

Below are some pics I took during the fix. I also intended to replace the o-ring on my 4x4 actuator shaft as that has a small leak (last picture), but I hit a snag when attempting to remove the housing from the shaft. It's glued on really good with gasket material and other than trying to wedge something in between the housing and transmission case and risk damaging the mating surfaces, I don't see a good way of separating the two. I'm going to leave that fix for another day.

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   / Leaking 4x4 shaft seal on RK55 #2  
Crappy problem in a new machine. Great write up and pics thx for posting.
 
   / Leaking 4x4 shaft seal on RK55 #3  
What year is your tractor and how many hrs on the machine? I assume this wasn't a warranty item.
 
   / Leaking 4x4 shaft seal on RK55
  • Thread Starter
#4  
2019 with about 180 hrs. I have an 8 yr powertrain warranty but not sure if this would have been covered. Regardless, my 50 hr service was a train wreck, so unless the tractor has an issue I'm not capable of fixing myself, it's not going back to the "dealer".
 
   / Leaking 4x4 shaft seal on RK55
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Update: I was able to also replace the leaking o-ring on the 4x4 actuator shaft as well. I used a razor blade to slowly separate the actuator housing from the tranny. The old o-ring didn't look bad at all, but the new one does feel tighter once inserted into the housing.

If you find yourself needing to replace this part, it is V7201024014. You will need a roll pin punch to remove the spring pin that holds the actuator arm to the shaft. Some pics of the unit below.

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   / Leaking 4x4 shaft seal on RK55 #6  
Where were able to get these parts from? The store or? Did it take a long time to get them?
 
   / Leaking 4x4 shaft seal on RK55
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Mowparts.com

Took less than a week to get the shaft seal and maybe two weeks for the 4x4 actuator o-ring.
 
   / Leaking 4x4 shaft seal on RK55 #8  
2019 with about 180 hrs. I have an 8 yr powertrain warranty but not sure if this would have been covered. Regardless, my 50 hr service was a train wreck, so unless the tractor has an issue I'm not capable of fixing myself, it's not going back to the "dealer".
That is pretty low hours for a seal to already be leaking isn't it?
 
   / Leaking 4x4 shaft seal on RK55
  • Thread Starter
#9  
That is pretty low hours for a seal to already be leaking isn't it?
I would say so. There was a decent amount of paint or some other hardened gunk around the mating surface bore, so that could have been the reason for premature failure. Who knows. Hopefully this one lasts longer. Put about 6 hrs on it thus far with no more leaks so fingers crossed.
 
 
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