JD 450 HLR input shaft

I have pulled engine and bell housing to fix trans
pump leak and after pulling pump I noticed input
shaft has about 3/8 inch up down side to side play.
On parts schematic it shows that there is a ball
bearing on shaft that I suspect is bad. When I
drained trans oil I found a piece of ball bearing
cage in bottom of trans. Is there anything to pay
attention to or suggestions on pulling front cover
and top cover to access input shaft.

That clutch housing needs to come out , so the cooler lines need to be backed out of the clutch housing..Pull the throwout bearing off the input sleeve.. Disconnect the vertical linkage rod from the clutch lever knuckle [ 5/16" elastic nut ].. Then pull the top cover to access the top lube line that lubes the pinion gear bearings. Remove the E clip on the HLR shift link.. Remove the 2 5/16" bolts that fasten the upper valve assembly from the manifold [ rear of clutchpacks] ,and lift valve straight up to clear shift spool from the manifold.. Now you will find the clutch rod [ runs from outside the front cover to clutch valve] .. Drive the roll pin out and pull the clutch valve operating shaft straight out the front.. Pull front pump assembly off , then remove the bolts and nuts to remove the front cover.. Take the three input shaft bolts out and pull the shaft assembly out while holding pressure on the front clutchpack so it doesn't allow the clutchpack assembly to slip forward.. Once all apart, pay attention to front pump housing and gears for scoring Change the bearing and seals in the housing.. The new replacement bearing is shorter and has less rollers in it and uses a spacer to take up area used by longer bearing.. If the cage you found is for a tapered roller bearing , you have more problems than front bearing only.. The front bearing is a ball bearing type bearing.. let us know if you need any other help.. R.S.

Roy,
The bearing cage material was definetly ball bearing cage. The piece looked to be sized right for that front bearing. Is this a somewhat common problem and if so what is usually the cause for the failure.
Thanks a bunch for the help

I got the input shaft out,front bearing was trashed.
Laying down in the bottom of front cover was more bearing cage pieces and 2 of what looked to be what was left of some countersunk bolt heads. One piece was big enough to measure and it looked to be about 3/4 of an inch wide at the top of the head. You can see machine marks in the flat part of the head and it is black like it has been heat treated. Any ideas where they may have come from?

I don't remember any countersunk head bolts in there......All the bearing quills for the countershafts are standard 3/8" bolts.. No clue where they came from....That's a strange one ... Wait... What holds the PTO shaft bearing in place ??.. That would be the lower gear inside the front cover....It's been a couple of years since I've been in one...R.S.

I'd look at the pilot bearing for looseness causing a wallowing around of the input shaft.. Those input shaft bearings always get replaced when overhauling a HLR.. There's no fudging on that.. Engine main bearings loose will cause problems but it would have to be extreme to take out that bearing.. You can pry upward in the flywheel to check for crankshaft looseness, but usually the rear main seal will start leaking at that point.. The crankshaft shouldn't move hardly at all..

Roy,
I don't have a pto shaft in this one. The bottom hole is empty.

I'll check pilot bearing. Going to put new one in with clutch. Should I change needle bearing in rear of input shaft even if it seems ok?

Ya know what ?? If it doesn't break the bank , I think I would....