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I have a cracked rear axle on the 3112V


jsarro

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My 3112V right rear axle has been accumulating grease over the past year. I have cleaned it off several times, and assumed it was a leaky seal. I planned to fix this down the line.Today I cleaned the axle off, and noted a pretty good size crack coming out of what looks like a small square cut out in the axle. The grease and leak is coming out from this area.I assume I will have to take the rear end apart to fix this, which will give me some good experience.

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Is there any harm in continuing to use the tractor while I wait to do the repair?How difficult are the parts to obtain for this problem?Is this a common occurrence on these 40 yr old tractors?Thanks

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This, along with the BGB, are the two most common failure points on one of these machines. I've seen cracked tubes go a long time, and uncracked (or seemingly uncracked) tubes break for no apparent reason. Try putting hose clamps on it, to aid in supporting the weakend area as you gather parts and instruction.

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The cut out is just the end of a key way inside further. I would use muffler clamps over hose clamps, and not abuse it much. If it twists when it comes apart, they do break the transmission housings.

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So was I loosing just axle grease out of this crack, or can you lose transmission fluid also?

My transmission seemed to be lower than I was expecting when I went to top it off today.

What are the specific names of the parts I will need to fix this axle, when I post a want ad, and what might they cost?

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What you'll need is an axle tube, the two axle seals, and the case gasket. You can also substitute anaerobic sealer for the gasket. It's not a difficult job, just time consuming. I second the muffler clamps on the tube your running now. Remember to go very gently on the clutch!

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Thanks Reed and Dan,

I will have to post an ad for the parts soon.

I have a parts tractor, but I have aspirations of restoring it, so I don't want to strip the parts off of it.

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Funny thing about parts tractors. Seems like most of us get the bug to rebuild those as well. Being into these old tractors, one can't help but take on the challenge to save another one. Good luck on this and keep us posted. I'm going to check mine closer to see if there are developing cracks.

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Yes Rick, all that is true on the restorations.

It would be nice to try to prevent this in the future, if possible.

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The keyway is starting point but not from it being a weak area but from worn rounded keys wedging in the keyway. Learned from tractor pulling, if the keyways and keys are tight the axle does not break.

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quote:Originally posted by Dan123

It's that square cut keyway that is causing all these tubes to crack. Has anyone taken a tube that has not cracked and have the end of the keyway cut with a "Full Radius (Convex) Keyseat End Mill"? I watched a few youtube videos where the guy(Keith Fenner) said that the inside corner was a weak spot on the piece he was making and cut his with a radius keyway cutter. Keith Fenner is a really good machinist and welder and has great videos. Dan


id="quote">
id="quote">When I was a machinists at my last place that I worked. The brake diameter and most all cuts had radius cut for the reason you described above. I do think abuse over time (mentioned below) causes the worn keyways and rounded keys resulting in a broken tube. Stopping a 800# tractor suddenly over time on two 1/4" keys is going to result in something breaking eventually.I have been messing with these tractors for over 15 years and never broke an axle tube yet. Probably luck on my part. I can see these breaking over time from slop in the key ways caused from going from forward to reverse quickly and also from using a plow on the front and hitting something suddenly and coming to a complete stop. Thing about these tractors is you never know how well the previous owner has taken care of or abused these tractors.
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Does the transmission fluid circulate into this axle tube?

Prior, I had been thinking this leak was grease from a bearing or leaky seal, because the accumulation on the rear axle was close to the grease fitting.

The leak has been more prevalent since topping off the transmission fluid.

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The transmission fluid does not circulate in the axle tube. If the gear oil is over full it could get by the two seals. If proper amount is in the case, you can pull the axle out of the tube and it won`t run out or leak.

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I thought I read I was supposed to fill gear oil up to the elbow on the fill spout.

I was not able to fill it this much though as the funnel was slow going, it just seemed to be taking more and more, so I stopped trying to top it off.

Where is the full level?

I used a universal hydraulic/gear oil from TSC. It said it was suitable for hydrostats, transfer cases, differentials, etc.

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I also believe the manual on the bevel gear box said fill to the bottom of the elbow fill spout?

Is this the case or not?

Thanks

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Also, put a muffler clamp on the tube essentially against the tranny. What you want to do is stop one side of the break from popping outward and ruining the hole in the transmission case where the axle goes through. This happens most times when an axle brakes. A clamp out near the keyway helps keep the axle from breaking more than it is, but a clamp against the tranny keeps the tranny case from being ruined when the axle finally decides to come apart.

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You may be able to replace the tube by removing only the right side of the transaxle case and leaving everything else on the tractor.I did one that way once.

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Rod and Scott thanks for the great feedback on this repair.

I have been looking over the repair manual on the axle tube.

What is the easiest way to track one of these tubes down, and what is a fair cost?

I put a wanted classified ad up. No word yet.

Are the seals readily available online?

Thanks

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I just had my broken axle tube replaced on my HB212---it broke in half at an area where there is a snap ring groove and I was told this is a really weak point.

Not a bad thing to learn how to do yourself as it cost me $600 for the new tube, seals and labor...ouch.

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