Re: towing tractors

Posted by Bob on December 20, 2005 at 21:36:32 from (64.21.249.40):

In Reply to: towing tractors posted by Joe Bloggs on December 20, 2005 at 17:31:19:

When you tow a tractor WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING, you risk ruining the transmission because engine driven lube pumps are not running, or, in some cases, the top tranny shaft may not get splash-lubed in that situation, either. In either case, $$$$ damage may be done.

One example is the "New Generation" series of Deeres with synchro range. There is a specific "tow" position on the gear shifter, and, if you tow the tractor with the shifter in any other position, rather than precisely in "tow", you will "smoke" gears on the transmission's upper shaft because the engine is not operating the transmission pump.

A friend of mine has towed his Ford Major Diesel backhoe all over about half of the state, for many years, though. All went well until the range transmission got low on oil, and he did quite a number on that, while towing.

On a slightly different note, some years back, I bought a 1370 Case with a cracked final drive housing, about 10 miles from the shop. It had sat unused for a number of years, so the crack was pretty free of oil, and I figured I could silicon the crack shut, and drive the tractor to the shop for repairs. I sealed the crack with silicon, let it cure for several days, and then dumped perhaps 1/2 the required oil in the rear end, and started the tractor. Almost immediately, the tranny lube pressure gauge came up, so I thought I was "in the clear" to drive the tractor home. I started off, watching the tranny lube gauge, which never wavered. By the end of my trip, I had locked up the high-low-reverse tranny due to lack of oil. That's when I found out lube for that area comes from oil being splashed up into a trough be the differential's ring gear, and since the oil level was low, the ring gear was not dipping in oil, and splashing it in the trough to lube the range gears and bearings!

I couldn't believe that... having good tranny lube pressure, yet "killing" the tranny from lack of lube!

That could happen any time there is a leak, and enough oil is lost to stop that splash lube, yet there is enough oil left for the pressure lube system to work. STUPID system!

So, instead of a simple final drive ring gear and housing replacement, I had to do a $$$$ transmission overhaul!

So when there's a long road distance involved, or perhaps some problems, hauling the unit on a trailer can save $$$$!

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