B-12 tranny oil leak

August 26, 2003

Hi, About a year ago I got a AC B-12 that had sat under an apple tree for, ?? , well a long time. Before I decided whether or not to restore it, I wanted to get it running to see if it was fixable. A new belt or two, cleaned out the gas tank, and away she went. Yep, she's worth keeping. Now a couple questions. The transaxle has an oil leak at both ends or sides of the shifting slide shaft, up at the top. I can't see any type of seal for it nor do I see anything in the parts manual. What do I do to fix this problem. Second question. The anti slip system , wrong name for it, on the right hand hub with the two setscrews torqued to 25 ftlb. still seems to slip and allow one wheel to spin too easly. What is the cure for this? I thought about locking the differential but am afraid to. Thanks in advance for help. Ron Frost

August 26, 2003

I have a B-12 also. The sliding shaft for the shifter leaks oil on my tractor as well. It leaks slowly though, so I just wipe up the oil and the accumulated dust, etc. Every once in a while, I add a small amount of 90wt. gear oil. I don't think there is a fix, so I just accept it. Can't help with the second question, though. Joel

August 26, 2003

Curious that you should bring that up. I also have a B-12 that leaks around the shift rod. It's the only one of my gear drive (B-1, early B-10, Big Ten, B-110, 2 B-210's, and a 710) tractors to have this problem, so I've never had one apart yet. I have checked the parts manual and see no o-rings or seals, and I am waiting until winter to have the time to tear it down. As to the differential, I believe there are plastic plugs under the set screws that tighten against a plastic bushing. I would assume that the threads for the set screws are rusty, giving a false torque reading, or that the plugs or bushing is worn out. Pat

August 27, 2003

Yes! Curious that you should bring that up. My b12 does the same thing. There are no o rings or seals on the shift shaft. The only problem is that it makes the gear case get dirty and I have to spray it with gunk and clean it off about 3 or 4 times a year. It never seems to impact the oil level much. I do add a little ever spring. I use my tractor about 6 hours a week all summer, so it is more of a nausance than a problem. My big ten does the same thing. I figure that it means there is good oiling ALL the way to the top!

August 27, 2003

I had both my B110 and B10 transmissions rebuilt by a local dealer. The B10 does not leak but the B110 does. He too said there are no seals up there and this is normal.Another dealer told me this could be caused by reversing one of the parts when the transmission was reassembled. Could it be extra wear on one shaft and not on the other that is causing the leak?

August 27, 2003

There is seals on the later 3-speed transmissions - I think it started with the B-210 series. The transmissions on both my b-10 and b-110 leak from there. The b-10 tranny was just rebuilt too- think viniie is right - probably due to wear.

August 27, 2003

The older 3-speeds do not have seals. My B-1 leaks slightly but I never have to add oil. I'm not neat enough to clean it off. Just blow the big chunks of grass, etc. off occasionally.

August 28, 2003

I've noted the same thing about the early ones not having seals while the later ones do. There are other minor differences too, including a different shift stem and the bolt to activate the transmission neutral safety switch...

August 28, 2003

My B-12,B-10,Landlord also leak around the shift rod. I just clean them off with the pressure washer and Gunk. Looks like this a common problem on these tractors.:( Karl