[Ottawa King]

I recently lost the front wheel drive. When engaging the front axle, nothing happens. I'm thinking either an axle snapped when I loaned it to a friend, or something came out of adjustment and is preventing lockup. Without tearing into it, is there a way to test before doing so?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[walterboatwright]

Get all 4 wheels of the ground,and start turning the tires.the wheels and drive shaft should turn freely if not in a bind.also check front diffs for water in the process .if all the front turns freely,then engage the front drive and listen for ant abnormal sounds .From that point you can determine were the problem might be.

 

[donimbimbo]

To check front axles, lift both front wheels then turn the right side wheel CW. You should see the wheel on the left side turn the opposit direction. That will verify front axles and most of the front sifferential.

I think your front drive shaft is enclosed. So the only way to test that is to engauge 4wd, trans in any gear, lower one front wheel to the ground and try turning the other, it should not turn if the front shaft is OK.

 

[Ottawa King]

I will get the wheels up pretty soon. It's pretty obvious that the front axle isn't engaged, and I haven't heard or felt any binding. The guy who borrowed it mentioned something about the binding, which leads me to believe there's a snapped driveshaft or axle in there somewhere. I'll have to tear into it eventually, but I was wondering if there was a common weak link that would give me at least a good starting point for investigation.

Thanks for the comeback!

 

[donimbimbo]

My 1100 is a bit older than your 1210. But I've done a lot of pushing and pulling with 4wd and never had an issue. One thing they tell you in the user manual is to never use 4wd on pavement. If one of the wheels can't slip it places huge forces on the driveline.

 

[Ottawa King]

I believe that's the problem. He inadvertently left it in 4WD on pavement. It was returned to me in 4WD, so my assumption is that the 4WD was toasted by driving it on hard stuff. All my vehicles are 4WD, so I'm familiar with the requirement to be on slippery surfaces only.

I'm just trying to determine whether there is a weak link somewhere in the drivetrain that fails before any other. For example, instead of tearing the entire front differential and axle assembly apart, do I simply have to replace the vertical driveshaft in the steering hub? Or is it more likely the driveshaft from the transfer case is snapped?

Either way, it looks like I have to do a teardown and replace parts. Because these are older tractors but still popular, I am looking to see what the experiences of others may have been when they've had a similar problem.

Very much appreciate your input!

 

[donimbimbo]

I'm just guessing, but I would think the weak link would be the universals in the steering knuckles. There is another universal where the driveshaft tube meets the trans. (under the seal cover). I'm going by my repair manual for my 1100.

 

[Ottawa King]

Thanks for that. I'll be dealing with it as soon as it gets above freezing (in the garage...).

 

[Ottawa King]

After pulling apart the front driveshaft cover tube off, I detected that the engagement spline located on the front axle pinion gear isn't engaging. If I hold the assembly forward, it'll stay connected, but it isn't consistent. I am unsure if it is broken, worn or out of adjustment. The collar that attaches the driveshaft and the splined shaft going into the front diff looks like it has a removeable pin. If I can knock that out, I can see what the deal is inside. Does anyone know where I can get a schematic of the front axle/driveshaft assembly?

 

[Bar Tread]

Messicks and type in 1210 and it will give you a parts look up and exploaded view hope this helps!

 

[Ottawa King]

Excellent suggestion! Thanks for that. I now have to determine if the collar is simply out of adjustment/alignment, or if the pinion shaft and/or bearings are toast.