Ford 4000 rear axle UTF and general maintenance

Hi all.

I am new to tractors and recently obtained a '69 Ford 4000 (3cyl Diesel).

Not to long into using it the snap ring retaining the PTO shaft failed while shredding and all the fluid from the rear axle leaked.

Snap rings, PTO seal and gasket were all replaced.

I'm trying to top off the fluids again. I understand that model to take somewhere around 8 gallons. However, I'm having trouble finding where to ardor how to measure in the future.

There is a bolt that sits aft of the seat on the R hand side, but it appears fairly small to be trying to add anything through.

Any advice is appreciated. I'm also open to any advice on preventive/general maintenance that should be performed for a tractor this age.

I have a shop manual for this tractor and have an owner's manual on order.

Thanks!

Invest in an operators manual, good reprint available from this web site.
4000 G&D 3-Cyl (1968-1975) - Operators Manual, 172 Pages - Part No: FO-O-2-5000 and only $29.95
Check your PTO shaft on the cutter, as the cutter moves up and down the shaft has to lengthen and shorten. If it is froze up all the end thrust has to go into the shafts in the tractor and/or the cutter. Should be able to slide the shaft in and out with just finger pressure.

Square head plug at step level on rh side. Fills at hex cap behind/ below seat on R H side.

Do everything that you can in order to reduce any pulling force on your PTO shaft.

Make sure that the PTO shafts on your implements extend freely, as in keep them straight and well lubricated where they slide together.

Some implements are murder on these particular Ford PTO shafts and the snap rings that retain them.

For me, it was a bush hog that I ran. I have run balers, haybines, other equipment, etc for hundreds and hundreds of hours without mishap.

Sometimes, I could run that bush hog for hours and hours without incident. Then, if you hit an obstacle that gave a quick rearward tug on the bush hog chassis...boom...snap ring slips and the PTO pulls out of the back of the tractor....ooozing all of your valuable hydraulic/rear end fluid all over the ground.

I never did quite figure out the deal with that bush hog. I suspected that the PTO shaft was maybe bent a little or didn't telescope freely under stress...or maybe it was just a particular way that the front of it would dig in and yank back on the PTO.

Either way, if it did it once....it might do it again.

I got pretty expert at getting that PTO off ...replacing the snap ring... and putting it back on again. Way better at it than I ever wanted to be.

Fill plug is the large hex head on top of the differential housing Directly below your right butt cheek when you are sitting on the tractor. It is easier to get to from the rear of the tractor than from the side in front of the rear axle.

The level check is a hole on the right side near where you right heel is when you are sitting on the tractor. It should have a square headed pipe plug, but that may have been changed at some point over the years. Fill it through the fill hole on top until fluid just begins to drip out the level check hole on the side and then put both plugs back in.

(quoted from post at 12:54:07 06/01/18) Invest in an operators manual, good reprint available from this web site.
4000 G&D 3-Cyl (1968-1975) - Operators Manual, 172 Pages - Part No: FO-O-2-5000 and only $29.95

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Think you're too late on that one. I believe he said he one on order when he posted.