Papa Goose
Well-Known Member
OK, here's the latest. I found the reason for the leak this morning - the four side bolts holding the tranny to the torque tube are all loose. Looks like the top and bottom bolts are still pretty tight, and the joint hadn't opened up, so I don't think there's any damage from misalignment. This certainly explains why the fluid was pouring out. I also pulled the shuttle and shift covers off, and everything looks perfect - no evidence of any problems at all. It's tempting to just tighten everything back up and run it, but I've got it down this far, so I'm at least going to pull the shuttle and replace all the gaskets and seals.
Fact is, I've never actually seen this tractor move, because I bought it after the leak got so bad that the previous owner couldn't keep fluid in it long enough to use (hey, the price was right), but he said it drove fine before it started leaking, and so far, everything else he told me has turned out to be true, so I'm not really expecting to find any major problems.
The shuttle valve body looks perfect - no leaks or looseness anywhere, so I'm really tempted to just leave it alone. I would like to take a look at the pickup screen - maybe I can snake my borescope in there once I get the shuttle out. If the screen isn't clogged up, I think I'll just leave the front cover on. Even though I've got the back end all apart, it really doesn't seem like that's improved the access to the front shuttle cover - looks like it would be easier to take that out by pulling the tank, which I could do after I get the rear end put back together. That way, I can test everything, check pressures, etc., before tearing anything else apart - who knows, maybe it will drive just fine once the leak is fixed.
Does this make sense, or should I just tear it all apart while I'm at it? PG
Fact is, I've never actually seen this tractor move, because I bought it after the leak got so bad that the previous owner couldn't keep fluid in it long enough to use (hey, the price was right), but he said it drove fine before it started leaking, and so far, everything else he told me has turned out to be true, so I'm not really expecting to find any major problems.
The shuttle valve body looks perfect - no leaks or looseness anywhere, so I'm really tempted to just leave it alone. I would like to take a look at the pickup screen - maybe I can snake my borescope in there once I get the shuttle out. If the screen isn't clogged up, I think I'll just leave the front cover on. Even though I've got the back end all apart, it really doesn't seem like that's improved the access to the front shuttle cover - looks like it would be easier to take that out by pulling the tank, which I could do after I get the rear end put back together. That way, I can test everything, check pressures, etc., before tearing anything else apart - who knows, maybe it will drive just fine once the leak is fixed.
Does this make sense, or should I just tear it all apart while I'm at it? PG