Rick Dowe

New User
I am rebuilding the transmission on my JD 50, I had to replace 4 gears and am slowly putting it back together. My issue is should all the bearing be replaced? Some of them are 100 bucks a piece and I was told that I should. It's not like this tractor is going to be used everyday. How do people determine when to install new ones. Thanks
 
That's always the decision, you have to decide the money issue, the time issue, the hassle, the inconvenience. But remember Murphy's Law; only after sealing up the gear box, putting in new fluid, painting it in primer, waiting, and finish paint, and driving it out into the yard and yelling "Hey honey, look at 'er now!!" will the other bearings undergo catastrophic failure.
 
No way would I replace bearings for the hey of it.

If they have rough rollers and the race shows damage, then for sure.
 
The timken bearings are pretty easy to see if bad. Pitting,metal flaked out etc. These are very common to find flaked out from banging around with too much end play.
The ball bearings are harder to see inside of but try and look at them and clean them up good and see if they feel smooth and not real loose.

The outer most one on the RH side in the reduction cover,the live pto idler gear ones,and the one in the center of the sliding gear shaft that sets into the input shaft seem to me to of been the most prone to failure on the ones I had apart.
Sound like you could of had ALOT of metal particals floating around in that oil if you had 4 gears bad ?
 
My general rule of thumb - put into it no more than you want to get out of it.

In other words, if the tractor's making you money - the decision is simple math.

If it's just a hobby, and/or you're not relying on the tractor for any kind of income - Just feel the bearings - if they're crunchy, replace them. If they roll smoothly - ignore them.

If you don't use it a lot and you keep it well oiled, even those old bearings will most likely outlast you.
 
Look really close at the cast in boss the PTO bevel gear goes into. I have seen tractors that it busted it clear out of the case.
 

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