Need help with 1988 Kuhn el35

[bjsmith919]

Hello everyone, I'm a newbie to tractors and attachments so though I was getting a good deal when I paid $250 for this tiller. It's a 1988 year model el35 with a "broken shear pin." Well after reading up on it, it doesn't have a shear pin, it's got a clutch system that's supposed to keep anything from breaking. I don't think it helped. The pto shaft spins freely all the way to where I can feel it go inside the gear box and I can hear slight pinging in the gear box while spinning the pto but nothing moves. I took the cover off the side and those gears look brand new so I'm thinking something snapped inside the gear box. Is there an easy way in that I'm not seeing or do I just have to take the whole side off? Are parts readily available if I do find stripped gears? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[bmaverick]

View attachment 849184
Hello everyone, I'm a newbie to tractors and attachments so though I was getting a good deal when I paid $250 for this tiller. It's a 1988 year model el35 with a "broken shear pin." Well after reading up on it, it doesn't have a shear pin, it's got a clutch system that's supposed to keep anything from breaking. I don't think it helped. The pto shaft spins freely all the way to where I can feel it go inside the gear box and I can hear slight pinging in the gear box while spinning the pto but nothing moves. I took the cover off the side and those gears look brand new so I'm thinking something snapped inside the gear box. Is there an easy way in that I'm not seeing or do I just have to take the whole side off? Are parts readily available if I do find stripped gears? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Kuhn Ag HQ is located 16 miles up the hwy from me in Broadhead, WI. Really good people. A little pricey on things, yet good at what they do. Poke around their website here: Services & Parts | KUHN

Most of the stuff they make. And they make things globally now. Some things they buy as a kit, then value add and finally offer it as a full product. Its like many industries today.

 

[bmaverick]

View attachment 849184
Hello everyone, I'm a newbie to tractors and attachments so though I was getting a good deal when I paid $250 for this tiller. It's a 1988 year model el35 with a "broken shear pin." Well after reading up on it, it doesn't have a shear pin, it's got a clutch system that's supposed to keep anything from breaking. I don't think it helped. The pto shaft spins freely all the way to where I can feel it go inside the gear box and I can hear slight pinging in the gear box while spinning the pto but nothing moves. I took the cover off the side and those gears look brand new so I'm thinking something snapped inside the gear box. Is there an easy way in that I'm not seeing or do I just have to take the whole side off? Are parts readily available if I do find stripped gears? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Ha, found the OPS manual right off the bat on the first try,

https://content.storefront7.co.za/stores/za.co.storefront7.rovic/uploads/kuhn/02-soil-preparation/03-power-tillers/el-35.pdf

Read up on your model,

https://www.countrytractor.ca/fckimages/pdf/EL-Series-Power-Tillers.pdf

 

[bmaverick]

View attachment 849184
Hello everyone, I'm a newbie to tractors and attachments so though I was getting a good deal when I paid $250 for this tiller. It's a 1988 year model el35 with a "broken shear pin." Well after reading up on it, it doesn't have a shear pin, it's got a clutch system that's supposed to keep anything from breaking. I don't think it helped. The pto shaft spins freely all the way to where I can feel it go inside the gear box and I can hear slight pinging in the gear box while spinning the pto but nothing moves. I took the cover off the side and those gears look brand new so I'm thinking something snapped inside the gear box. Is there an easy way in that I'm not seeing or do I just have to take the whole side off? Are parts readily available if I do find stripped gears? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

any markings or ID plate for just the gearbox ?

 

[bjsmith919]

 

[bjsmith919]

The transmission shaft is snapped. Local dealer wants $700 for new one so let a buddy at local machine shop see what he can do with it. He claims he can fix it but I have my doubts with the amount of torque it has to take

 

[bmaverick]

The transmission shaft is snapped. Local dealer wants $700 for new one so let a buddy at local machine shop see what he can do with it. He claims he can fix it but I have my doubts with the amount of torque it has to take

You would be surprised at the things a machine shop can do. If he's talented or has people there to assist, you are in good hands at a reasonable price. You could do a few searches on YT to find similar vids on welding these types of shafts and give them so pointers.

Where it broke, is it possible to put a pinned coupling in?
McMaster-Carr, Grainger, etc has these. And a key is used to keep it in place too.

The JAW coupling would handle the torque you need.

 

[bmaverick]

The transmission shaft is snapped. Local dealer wants $700 for new one so let a buddy at local machine shop see what he can do with it. He claims he can fix it but I have my doubts with the amount of torque it has to take

The ID tag says Kuhn France year 1988, L35 - 55C S/N 0277

So no marking on the gear box itself eh? That's somewhat disappointing.

 

[bmaverick]

The transmission shaft is snapped. Local dealer wants $700 for new one so let a buddy at local machine shop see what he can do with it. He claims he can fix it but I have my doubts with the amount of torque it has to take

Did you reach out to Kuhn directly too? $700 seems a bit much, unless it has a bit of machining, welds, and other items onto it. A used Yanmar rotary tiller of the same era reconditioned like new goes for $1,200.

 

[bjsmith919]

I have a friend that does alot of business with our local John Deere dealer which also is our local Kuhn dealer, he was able to get me the transmission shaft for a little under $500 with freight. Got everything put back together this past weekend and when filling with oil it came pouring out of the rotor shaft hole so just ordered $60 worth of seals and gaskets from there. Hoping it's not going to be too hard of a fix as I don't have a repair manual so flying blind