Left Front Wheel fell out. 4025 4WD with FEL

[chero82]

Happened on my 5035. Around $45 worth of hard parts plus gear oil, few hours work to repair.
It did start leaking prior to the wheel falling off.

 

[Reb954]

I don't remember the details but quite a while back my dealer had said one of his customers had a front wheel break off which as I remember was the same or at least similar to what happened to the OP. The dealer hauled the tractor to his shop at no charge and Mahindra fixed the broken side and the other side at no charge due to it being loose also.

He said loading it was easy, just backed the trailer up to it, used the bucket on the trailer to lift the front end, then drove it onto the trailer. He said it just took a few minutes and he was by himself.

 

[ruffdog]

I cant believe the dealer didn't upgrade the other side and Mahindra SHOULD cover it!

 

[RNeumann]

I cant believe the dealer didn't upgrade the other side and Mahindra SHOULD cover it!

TBN needs a way to thumbs up or enthusiastically agree with a post. It applies here!

 

[4570Man]

DO NOT BALLAST FRONT WHEELS. :shocked:

Until you get in the range of big tractors it adds like a hundred pounds a tire. If that breaks the front end I’m glad my tractors aren’t red. Most of the big tractors I see around here have 1000 plus pounds of weight hanging off the front end. Adding weight on the front end is a lot harder on the front end than loading the tires.

 

[rodneumann]

Quote Originally Posted by ruffdog View Post
I cant believe the dealer didn't upgrade the other side and Mahindra SHOULD cover it!

TBN needs a way to thumbs up or enthusiastically agree with a post. It applies here!

OK, so here I am, the OP, with news. The dealer delivered my tractor back today. Took all day because the driver got stuck in a culvert and they had to bring out heavy equipment to pull their trailer out, so they could get my tractor off the trailer. Then they gave me a bill for $198, with no itemization, but said $100 for delivery and $98 labor. BTW, the driver sat in the front of my house till I got home so he could collect the check. Previous phone call this morning before they came out, said it would be $100 for delivery. I am not clear on the $98 but was told they had to charge an hour labor to open up the right wheel to report to Mahindra their diagnosis. Diagnoses being, the right wheel bolts are loose. But they did NOT upgrade like they did, or SAID they did, to the left wheel drive that broke.

So yes, I agree that the dealer should have upgraded the OTHER side, too. AND they should have covered it. AND they should pay for the pickup but maybe it is OK I pay $100 for delivery. Someone posted they easily got their tractor on a trailer with a missing front wheel by dragging the bucket. Well, WE did that, too, And with the help of a winch on the trailer. But as I recall, it wasn't so quick to accomplish.

One more thing, the $98 labor to open up the right wheel drive to "diagnose" it so the dealer could report the problem to Mahindra?.. they say that Mahindra should refund the $98. I'm thinking they had better...or am I expecting too much.

Lastly, I should mention there was no ballast (water) in the front tires...since someone brought it up. The dealer said that if you drive in 4WD on a hard road, you are asking for trouble with the drives. That makes sense. But I've only put 100 hours on the tractor and have driven it around the corner about three times to fuel up, and cannot swear to it I never had 4WD engaged, but I only put in 4WD when I'm already stuck in the mud or afraid I'll get stuck. Maybe the previous owner who used this tractor 330 hours did not treat it as well as I do. This dealer sold me the tractor used, so .... Do you think they check for loose front wheels on tradeins before resell? Probably not.

 

[rodneumann]

but,
FEL use is 1 of the main reasons to have a tractor, and ballasting the 3 point ( heavy attachment or weight box) is a good way to reduce the weight on the front axle- especially when the FEL is used at max capacity plus it adds stability by increasing weight and traction of the larger rear wheel tire combo.

As was posted earlier the design concept for this Mahindra is what (seems) odd, (if) the weight is actually being supported on the actual spline interface And the bolts that are threaded into the stub axle especially if they are inaccessible.

Speaking of FEL's, Mahindra uses FEL's on the 4025 that have breakout forces of 4740-4978lbs and full height lift at pin of over 2860lbs. Those are formidable #'s, hopefully the dealer will get the upgraded large single bolt design installed on both sides.

from the pictures it would appear the stub retaining bolts failed from tension / compression and weight loading forces imparted as the wheel rotated.

A large single bolt does appear to be an upgrade.


Any play in the assembly would also seem to magnify the the forces applied to the small bolts.

Wonder if anyone that has had the upgraded single bolt design installed has had any further problems?

I don't know much about tractors... and as far as mechanical design, I do some but it is not my expertise. In response to what you said about the single bolt "upgrade" I can make up some stuff to say about that. Most of what I know I learned by listening to myself talk about things I know nothing about. I'm an electronics guy and write software. So that's my disclaimer.

But here's what I think may be the reason a single big bolt through the axle stub is better than the three smaller bolts. Since none of the three smaller bolts are at the center of the axle, and since the axle can bend (even so small in dimension), and not just statically or at low frequency, but also higher frequency vibration, the forces on each individual bolt of the three bolts is different than with one bolt in the center. As the splined axle stub flexes, one bolt may be in relatively more tension while another of the three bolts may be relatively more compressed, and these changing conditions walk around from bolt to bolt as the wheel turns. Think "repetitive". On the other hand, one big bolt in the center, may have the same differential forces along the circumference of the threaded bolt, but those differential forces are resolved within the single LARGER bolt.

Or maybe another way of looking at it is the cross-sectional area of the single large bolt is significantly greater than the 3x the cross-sectional area of the smaller bolt. So the single bolt should be mo' betta' just because it's bigger.

Well, that aside.... I ask the same question, "I wonder if anyone that has had the upgraded single bolt design installed has had any further problems?".

 

[4570Man]

I’ve driven my tractor with a front wheel off. Just shim the axel pivot stop.

 

[darmstrong2319]

I don’t know about the single bolt upgrade. After they fixed mine I’ve had no more problems. They said they checked other side at no charge and said they were all three tight. Don’t know but I hope your problem free for a long time good luck

 

[Turbys_1700]

The dealer did what he was supposed to do. I doubt Mahindra would approve repair of a perfectly working front axle on the other side. You would have to pay for the parts and labor on that side. I have seen times when a dealer would do something like that at a discount on labor as a good will measure. I have never seen delivery offered as part of a warranty. Sometimes it can be negotiated in the selling price on a new unit with the first service. It costs to bring out a truck and a driver. Dealers stay in business on service and parts.