BGB woes

[RichardJay 25]

Picked up this sweetheart 918h recently, to replace the boys cub. Got it on the cheap knowing it had a BGB issue and had a friend pick it up for me on opposite side of the state. Those of you who attended the 2018 meetup in Ottawa have probably seen it already. Kristin and I tore it down and replaced the BGB with one I had previously pulled from a tractor as a good spare part. A couple hours under the knife in front of the workbench and we had it up and running like new. Kristin is a great help with projects like this!

initial 20min test drive and following 2 hour period parked on level ground produced no leaks! Success!!

Unfortunately after another hour long test drive by the boy, and an overnight park again on level ground...produced a soda can(mtn dew, of course) sized puddle. Dang BGB is leaking from the pto side. Shoot! 

Looks like I’ll be putting it under the knife for my third BGB swap in as many weekends. 

Nevertheless, it runs great and is a very low hour machine. Came with a nice deck(in need of rollers, though) and a 42” blower setup with the spring assist lift and tire chains. The boy sold a ratty newer cub and bought this for the same money. It was a great deal!

[fishnwiz 3,289]

Very nice tractor.

At least all the bolts are loosened and the labor should be cut in half now that you practiced. 

Not sure if there is a way to test a BGB BEFORE you install them?

[RichardJay 25]

12 minutes ago, fishnwiz said:

Very nice tractor.

At least all the bolts are loosened and the labor should be cut in half now that you practiced. 

Not sure if there is a way to test a BGB BEFORE you install them?

I agree. 

I put oil in the box and let it sit for a few days before installing, just to “test” it. No leaks. It’s my suspicion that while the box sat on the shelf for a year or so before installing in the 918-the seal may have a dry rotted spot in it. Parking it the first time after initial test run may have put the bad spot up and out of the oil, while the second time the bad spot is maybe down in the oil allowing it to weep.

Time will tell. Will have to refill before each outing until I get time to swap in another BGB.

[RichardJay 25]

First time poster here. Fee free to give a few pointers or tips, as I may have posted or reply’ed incorrectly, or even in the wrong place. Still learning to navigate the website!

[fishnwiz 3,289]

Welcome to the site....it's understandable that you don't know your way around the site. One of our moderators may assist you with relocating your post to the Talking tractors portion of the forums just to get more exposure to your questions from our membership. It's no big deal.

Again, Welcome. 

[Brettw 1,019]

What are you using for the BGB oil?  I had an 3415 that we used 10w-30 and some ATF in the rear end to clean it out and flush it.  It had been sitting for years.  It leaked with the light wieight oil.  After the flush and 75-90 oil, no more leaks.  If the oil you are using is too light, that might be an issue, and an easy fix?

[720nut 3,809]

Is your case vented, pressure will cause a leak if not vented,  Just my $.02

[Talntedmrgreen 1,920]

Welcome aboard Richard! Post looks great to me.

I haven’t looked to see the bidding but there is a 48 inch deck with a little bit of rust but a great set of rollers on it, in the auction of Kents items.

 It is an early RBT deck but the roller bar mounts May line up with the deck you have. It could be as simple as a couple bolts. I can get a couple measurements if interested you. I don’t have another 48 inch year to compare it to. 

[Brettw 1,019]

20 minutes ago, 720nut said:

Is your case vented, pressure will cause a leak if not vented, 

True too.  The fill plug should be a vented plug (bronze "honeycomb" insert).  Another potential easy fix.   

[PhanDad 3,251]

Before I'd "put it under the knife" I'd replace the PTO side seal without swapping out the BGB. 

You'll have to take the cone clutch off for sure.  I don't remember if the hole in the side plate is big enough to pass to the seal.  I do know removing the seal without the side plate in the way would be easier and that's what I'd do.

In case you've never removed a seal without complete disassembly, in this post here's a write up of a procedure many of us have used with success:

https://simpletractors.com/forums/topic/55294-sundstrand-15-leaking-input-shaft/?tab=comments#comment-160091

 

[RichardJay 25]

I did just pick up some fresh 80-90. I’ve no ide what was put in it before I got it, so it will get drained and refilled and hopefully that will cure some of the issue.

 

if the seal could be replaced without removing the box...that would be great. I’ll def look into that!

 

ill be bidding on the deck to talntedmrgreen. 48’s aren’t easy to come by around here.

[a_sannine 801]

Just change the seal 

I did it a while back on my 912 , I took the plate off .

make sure u buff that shaft smooth before putting new seal in .

lube shaft and seal as well.

what a beautiful tractor, enjoy it .

you can use engine main seal leak stop , they work as well .

 

Edited May 3, 2018 by a_sannine

[RichardJay 25]

30 minutes ago, a_sannine said:

Just change the seal 

I did it a while back on my 912 , I took the plate off .

make sure u buff that shaft smooth before putting new seal in .

lube shaft and seal as well.

what a beautiful tractor, enjoy it .

you can use engine main seal leak stop , they work as well .

 

I did not know the deal is replaceable from the outside. Truth be told, I don’t know much about the BGB’s period. 

Thank you for the info. This repair sounds like something I can tackle with the basic tools already here.

 

fwiw, I changed the oil in the box to fresh 80/90wt. The leak has all but dried up. Not sure if it had anything to do with the fresh gear lube or maybe just a pit on the shaft was sitting just right in the seal allowing it to leak. It will be monitored😊😊

 

thank you everyone for your input!

[Chris727 1,705]

Fantastic looking machine Richard. I've considered BGB swaps but have usually opted to disassemble and repair whats wrong with them. That way you know what you've got. 

Edited May 6, 2018 by Chris727

[RichardJay 25]

Thanks @Chris727. It doesn’t have many hours on it. 

Part of the selling point of this machine, was that I had a complete hydro rear including BGB/side plates/hydro from a 912 sitting in my shop from a previous Parts machine. I had kept it because I’d drivin the parts machine and knew it was in good shape. Made the swap easy to do...and kept costs down. 

[MikeES 417]

Maybe had the gearbox too full of lube, most will leak if too full. 

The oil level should "just" touch the bottom of the dipstick without screwing it in.

Beautiful tractor 

Edited May 7, 2018 by MikeES

[fishnwiz 3,289]

Glad to hear your leak has stopped.

[gwiseman 1,444]

On 5/2/2018 at 8:12 PM, RichardJay said:

fwiw, I changed the oil in the box to fresh 80/90wt. The leak has all but dried up. Not sure if it had anything to do with the fresh gear lube or maybe just a pit on the shaft was sitting just right in the seal allowing it to leak. It will be monitored😊😊

As Wiz said above - glad she stopped leaking. That is one beauty of a tractor!!!