Mowing oil seepage beneath bush hog gear box

[Mark @ Everlast]

Update:

I did call my local dealer and asked if they wanted the warranty work or would prefer I took it back to the far away dealer where I bought the mower. Again, very kind & gracious, "Oh, sure, bring it on in! We'll be glad to help you out. We want your business, all your business, including repair work, from now on..." I'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea.

So I get home from work, change into more appropriate clothing, and head out to the van which has the trailer with the mower laying on it already hooked up and waiting for me.

Then I get to looking at it. Hmmm.... That oil ISN'T just seeping from below the gear box anymore. It's up higher on the gear box. That doesn't make sense if it's the output seal. In fact, the oil is quite a ways up the gear box. Hmmm... I get a flashlight and aim the beam under the mower, and lo! there is zero oil beneath the deck. If the output seal is leaking, there should be at least some oil there on the trailer. And as I'm looking at it, studying the gear box, the oil on the mower deck... DRIP. Bigger than life! OK, actually kinda small. But there is a drip of oil from up high on the gear box, up toward the INPUT shaft.

I'm going to try to insert a couple images here. Hope they aren't too large. One shows the big picture. The other is a close up showing the up-and-coming next drip/drop over the spot where they have been hitting recently.

Did they make it? Did I attach the files??

Anyway, I drove the blessedly short distance to the oh so gracious dealer nearby. He unloaded the mower with the fork lift and set it out back, where it now is waiting its turn for repair.

It does seem to me that this will be warranty work. There isn't any reason the input shaft seal should be leaking after only a couple hours of use, is there?

Thanks for all the help, y'all. I'm learning and learning.

~Allen

Warranty work from any farm equipment company is typically a no win situation from the dealer. Its either going to pay a low flat rate, or barely cover the dealer's cost of repair. Warranty work does not pay dealers a "profit" typically as usually the dealer has made his profit on the front end.
And many times the dealer gets caught between company and customer and ends up eating a lot of his front end profit to satisfy the customer. The customer never knows, but the dealer does...

 

[amarlow]

@Dave-- I definitely am new at this. And I very much appreciate any education I can get.

First, some info for you: The one and only time I had the Woods mower hooked up to the tractor, it was necessary to extend the shaft a fair amount to engage the locking pin on the drive end. Based on that, I wouldn't think it was too long.

That said, how does a long drive shaft affect or damage the bearings? Too much lateral force in certain positions, maybe? This gear box has ball bearings (a race?) just behind the seal, then another set maybe eight inches away on the other side of the housing/head where the input shaft ends.

And how does one "shorten a drive shaft when first fitting an attachment"? What does that mean, exactly?

I thought the whole point of the sliding shaft was to be as long or as short as necessary, depending on the angle, the height of the implement, etc.

Obviously there is something I don't understand. Is there a good place for me to read how all this tractor stuff works, what to pay attention to, how to maintain it all!? I mean, I think I'm capable of learning and understanding, but with some things I need to start pretty darn close to the beginning, and not have any assumptions made about what I should already know.

As an example (I love this), the instructions in the Woods rotary cutter operator's manual for Horizontal Leak Repair reads:
1. Disconnect and remove the rear driveline from the gearbox.
2. Remove vent plug and siphon gear lube from housing.
3. Remove input seal. Replace with new one.
4. Fill gearbox with SAE 80W or 90W gear lube until it runs out the side level plug.

Huh.

~Allen

ps. Again, I sincerely appreciate the help and answers from everyone. For the moment, this IS how I am learning.

 

[MarkV]

Allen if a PTO shaft is too long it will put unintended pressure on the input shaft which can affect that seal. This would most likely happen when the mower is in a raised position level with the PTO output on the tractor. That is the point where it would be at its shortest. If there is still room for movement on the shaft when in the level position you are fine. If you ever have to shorten one you do it by removing an equal amount from both ends of the PTO shafts.

MarkV

 

[Soundguy]

except if it is one of those darn shafts where one side is square and one side is round with a square hole.. as that cap is usually only welded on the first couple inches of the reciever end. those are a PITA

soundguy

 

[dave1949]

Allen if a PTO shaft is too long it will put unintended pressure on the input shaft which can affect that seal. This would most likely happen when the mower is in a raised position level with the PTO output on the tractor. That is the point where it would be at its shortest. If there is still room for movement on the shaft when in the level position you are fine. If you ever have to shorten one you do it by removing an equal amount from both ends of the PTO shafts.

MarkV

Thanks, Mark - forgot to check back last night.

If you had to extend the PTO shaft a good bit to connect it, chances are that didn't cause the seal problem.

A good way to check is to mount your implement (mower/chipper/snowblower/whatever) on your lift arms and top link. Connect the implement end of the PTO shaft to the implement. Start your tractor and raise and lower the implement through it's full range. At any point in the implement's travel, you should have to extend the sliding shafts in the middle section by 2"-3" minimum to have it reach the tractor's PTO output shaft. Then you know the PTO shaft will never put compression pressure on the tractor or implement end.

Depending on the geometry and your top link adjustment, straight out may not be the shortest length. It could be when the implement is raised as high as it will go.
Dave.