Leaky front axle

   / Leaky front axle #11  
I just had to do one on my MX a few months ago. Dealer stocked the seals because there are alot of the tractors that share the same axle and its a pretty common thing. Bout $80 for a seal and about an hour to do.

There are some good you-tube videos so you know what you are getting into. Clean the area good first so you dont end up with a bunch of dirt contaminating the area. Then when you jack it up and take the wheel off....let the axle pivot to the other side so you are working on the high side, and you wont loose hardly any oil
 
   / Leaky front axle #12  
I like the Kubota “bevel axle“ design, but it is more complex and prone to failure than a simple u-joint front axle
Kind of like the Humvee H-1 gear reduction front axles. Really cool design to increase ground clearance, but costly to fix.
 
   / Leaky front axle #13  
I like the Kubota “bevel axle“ design, but it is more complex and prone to failure than a simple u-joint front axle
Kind of like the Humvee H-1 gear reduction front axles. Really cool design to increase ground clearance, but costly to fix.
Do any modern compact tractors use a simple straight u-joint axle? All the ones I ever see are of similar design to kubota
 
   / Leaky front axle #14  
Do any modern compact tractors use a simple straight u-joint axle? All the ones I ever see are of similar design to kubota
I think the older ones might???
I have bigger Kubotas and my bigger other brands have straight axles
 
   / Leaky front axle #15  
The first and smallest tractors that comes to my mind right away with straight U joint axle and planetary hubs is the Fiat or New Holland 35-66 and the Agrifull 35. Not sure if those fit on the modern category though.

Oh and the isodiametric tractors, the ones that have front steering instead of being articulated, also use straight axles with U joints.
 
   / Leaky front axle #16  
Would not want a tractor with front axle U-joints. Don’t even like them on my trucks. Puts a huge strain on driveline components and loss of traction with non constant velocity rotation.

1965 Dodge W300 has smooth manual steering lock to lock.
IMG_2033.JPG


Bevel gears is about the only way to get high angle steering articulation.
 
   / Leaky front axle #17  
My 2003 L3430 4wd leaks a bit of 80/90 at the turning joint for the right wheel, not the left. Enough leaks to wet the inside of the tire a bit but not a lot. I jacked the front end up and shook the wheel and the joint has only the slightest detectable play. Checked fluid level and it only needed 1/2 quart.

Seems like a simple leaky seal. Have you seen this before on these models? Is the seal hard to replace? Think it's minor and can be ignored?

The left does leak just enough to wet the surrounding metal and collect dirt.

Thanks for thoughts.


Are those front axles vented, or are they non-vented like the one in my Ford 1310 was?

Mine was obviously building up some pressure when the axle gear oil etc. was getting warm from use and it leaked some oil from the seal on one side.

My (temporary) solution was to make a new dipstick with a vent, but I realize this is likely a temporary solution and the seal(s) will eventually have to be replaced but so far so good and there are no visible leaks now about year and half later!


IMG_4413 II.jpg


New dipstick with JD 5801 vent installed:
IMG_4417.1.jpg
 
   / Leaky front axle #18  
My 2003 L3430 4wd leaks a bit of 80/90 at the turning joint for the right wheel, not the left. Enough leaks to wet the inside of the tire a bit but not a lot. I jacked the front end up and shook the wheel and the joint has only the slightest detectable play. Checked fluid level and it only needed 1/2 quart.

Seems like a simple leaky seal. Have you seen this before on these models? Is the seal hard to replace? Think it's minor and can be ignored?

The left does leak just enough to wet the surrounding metal and collect dirt.

Thanks for thoughts.
Same tractor, same problem. The right side seal started leaking UDT2 fluid at around 200 hours. I switched to 80/90 gear oil which stopped the leak. At 350 hours, it started leaking the 80/90 so I switched to 85/140 and the leak again stopped. I traded the tractor 2 years later at 550 hours and the leak hadn't returned. I was honest when I traded the tractor and told the dealer about the problem. He just shrugged and said "common problem".

All along, I figured I'd have to replace the seals at some point but the heavier oil solved the issue. I don't know how much longer it would have lasted though.
 
   / Leaky front axle #19  
Like your vent. Venting the axle is a good point. My 80s era M5030 front axle was leaking some. Especially after bush hogging or transporting trees/brush. Hillside farm you stay in 4wd. Didn’t have a dipstick, only fill and fluid level plugs. Made vent tubing filter/plug for the fill port. No more leaks for 20 years till I sold it.

Newer tractors have plastic dipstick plug. Not sure how or if they vent. Do the newer tractors front axles have a vent?
 
   / Leaky front axle #20  
Just for general info. I tried some seals off from Ebay that were about a third of the kubota price. Worked ok for a couple of months, then started leaking.
 
 
Top