Venting the front axle on CUTs(with pics)

[Rob-D]

I've been thinking about the vent myself and the mental picture of my desired outcome was something similar to whats on the rear end of my GMC truck....small bung where the dipstick was with 18" of hose leading to a vent cap (on the frame rail of my truck)...on my 3520 I was gonna install that vent cap & hose somewhere nice & neat.
The only reason it hasnt been done yet is I wanted to retain some sort of dipstick functionality...

Dave,
You can do that and just buy another dipstick for when you want to check levels.
The thing is that in my view these boxes need to be vented.

Rob

 

[nmu98]

The reason I mentioned Porsche trannies is because they race in rain at high speed. No tube, no filter system just a small vent cap screwed into the box. Again, think about the physics of it.

Are you saying the trannies aren't vented?

Look at the profile, it's no more obtrusive than the plug itself. The valved on your tire has more chance of getting knocked off. Not only that, the dipstick isn't out in the open it's under the hood and you have to reach for it with about 3 inches of clearance. I built it low profile exactly to avoid problems, it extends about an 1/8 inch above the dipstick.

Rob

I said nothing about trannies not being vented. I know they are. Look at how they are tucked up under the car though. Driving in rain is a lot different that driving through water.

I understand the physiscs, and I like your idea. To Me, I dislike putting metal in plastic. If something pushes on the metal, it will tear out of the plastic. If I were to do your setup, I would look to modify a metal breather dipstick in the pictures I have shown. It would take less effort as all you would need to do is cut the tub and get a bushing for it to fit. Thats Me.:thumbsup:

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Dave,
You can do that and just buy another dipstick for when you want to check levels.
The thing is that in my view these boxes need to be vented.

Rob

I agree with your view of they should be vented...Not too many gear boxes of ANY configuration or application are completely sealed.
Now all we gotta do is all agree on HOW it should be vented :laughing:

Well, then it turns into a PITA IMO...cause inevitably, the dipstick will always be where I'm not...not that I check it all the time, but still...And I dont really keep an oily dipstick in my beautiful cab.....
Hindsight being 20/20....while I dont like doing this...I shoulda drilled & tapped hole for a new dedicated breather.
Which model's back in the day had a breather?

 

[Rob-D]

I agree with your view of they should be vented...Not too many gear boxes of ANY configuration or application are completely sealed.
Now all we gotta do is all agree on HOW it should be vented :laughing:

Well, then it turns into a PITA IMO...cause inevitably, the dipstick will always be where I'm not...not that I check it all the time, but still...And I dont really keep an oily dipstick in my beautiful cab.....
Hindsight being 20/20....while I dont like doing this...I shoulda drilled & tapped hole for a new dedicated breather.
Which model's back in the day had a breather?

Thanks for the illustrations Dave. One of the things I wanted was to be able to check the oil without a hassle. If I ran a line I'd have to drill and tap the box for a fitting with a tube so the dipstick would be used only for checking oil levels.

You can't see it in the picture but the final version has the hole turned so it is behind the pins on the dipstick. There's about a .030" gap so air can get through.

I've seen lots of trannies with just plugs in them, we'll see how it goes!

Rob

 

[dk8019]

I've owned a few deuce and halfs and 5 tons over the years, all have vented axles. The vent is a small cap that is spring loaded, but allows air to vent when it heats up. It's does a fine job of keeping water out for the most part in my experience perhaps one of those could be used instead?

 

[dk8019]

You can buy them here:

Saturn Surplus

Just search for breather, should be $3.50 each. They are small eough I believe to fit in the plastic fill/level indicator on the axle. I may have to add these to my 3032E!

 

[om21braz]

Umh, seems like it's time to get out the calipers and make a nice vented dipstick from say, 6061 alum. Government project time at the cnc lathe!

 

[Rob-D]

I've owned a few deuce and halfs and 5 tons over the years, all have vented axles. The vent is a small cap that is spring loaded, but allows air to vent when it heats up. It's does a fine job of keeping water out for the most part in my experience perhaps one of those could be used instead?

Did you ever wonder how a water resistant watch gets dirt in it? I think about these things because one of my hobbies is making watches and clocks.
Take a water proof watch, not one with a screw down crown like a Rolex or Omega but one with just a sealing gasket like an old Bulova or Benrus. What happens is that normal body heat causes pressure to build in the case that pushes air out the stem past the gasket. When the wearer takes off the watch it cools and the dirt around the stem gets sucked into the watch. I've seen a lot of dirt in watches. The trouble with the spring and ball is that it's a one way valve, when the air contracts in the case it sucks air through the seals along with the dirt around those seals.

What we want to do is keep the pressure inside the case the same as the pressure outside the case.

Rob

 

[Egon]

Sure but so do you. The tranny on your tractor is vented along with every car you ever drove. In fact most have no filter system just a vent in a cap

It may be the pressure that keeps the water out when the front axles are underwater.

Those vented gear cases on vehicles usually have a vent tube installed that reaches above the water level if they are driving in water.

Ordinary vented gear cases on vehicles will allow water in if submerged.

My tractor has a vented transmission but the front axle is not vented!

 

[Spudland_Dave]

It may be the pressure that keeps the water out when the front axles are underwater.

Sounds lke you guys may want to invest in Party Barges & Boats instead of tractors...do you guys spend more time fording rivers then cutting grass? ROFL!

Seriously though...I've not once yet gotten water that high on my tractor. I'm more worried about water from melting snow and wash water....

I'm at work (big day of Conf. calls)....so my tractor is 30 miles away...anybody know what threads are on the dipstick/axle? Got a few ideas in my head...