Hello All --Well, I bought my first Ferguson two weeks ago, went over it well (I thought) and put her in service Saturday. She's TO-30, SN 131103 with a Wagner front end loader and a Pippin hoe on the rear. After about four hours service the transmission is rapping very hard in reverse, pulled the top cover and there are filings everywhere! Should have stuck to Fords ;) The previous owner or two didn't know a thing, in my opinion, and the trans. did have water in the oil when I bought her -- but not all that much. If I had to guess, since the reverse gear appears to be on the very bottom of the trans. on these tractors, I bet the bearing was running in water and failied, and since the engine is so darned loud (no muffler) I failed to hear the failing bearing 'till it was too late. In any case, I know I'm in for a total trans. rebuild, complicated by the need to strip off both the hoe and loader. My questions for you more learned folks: 1. Assuming I need nothing more than a reverse gear and bearings, is it worth repairing the tractor or should I really be looking for another TO-30 to mount the hoe and loader to? 2. How bad are parts availability for this model? I've heard horror stories about the TE models. 3. While I'm in the gearcase and with the tractor split, what else should I look for? Before I bought her I ladled out a sample of trans. oil after running about five minutes, plus did a visual inspection and "poke around" through the top cover. Evidently I did not do good enough and I don't want to make a similar mistake twice. Many thanks, Pete P.
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