9600 axle seals

[D Lane]

I just got a 9600 last fall always wanted one got a good deal on it. The axle seals are leaking and I have seals ordered question is can I just take the tire off take the old seal out and new one in? Or do I have to take the whole houseing off to do it? Is the seal all Ill need parts man tried to sale me a $120 spacer that I didnt think Id need. I do have a shop manaul but it dosnt tell me much. Thanks

 

[RickB]

You need to find another dealer. The seal and sleeve combined shouldn't be more than $130. If the sleeve has grooves worn in it from the seal, it should be changed. If not, don't. Check the axle for play as you jack the wheel off the ground. Parts breakdown looks like the seal can be changed from the outside IF you don't need to do bearing work.

 

[Bern]

The seal can be changed from the outside without removing the axle housing - you simply pry the old one out and drive the new one in. As Rick said, be sure to check for end play before you just throw in a new seal. Ideally, there should be none, as they are set up initially with pre-load. Having said that, it's tough to find one with many hours that don't have at least 5 thou or so of end play. If the end play is much over 10, I would be tearing it apart and taking a close look at the bearings.

If there is a groove worn in the sleeve, I would simply stagger the seal and not drive it in quite as far as the old one was. This would give the new seal a new wear surface. You do not want to replace that sleeve if you don't have to, because it would require a complete tear down.

 

[D Lane]

Thanks thats what I thought just wanted to make sure. Ill be sure to check the bearing play hopefully they are ok. The tractor only has 3500 hrs I bought it from the first owner and the tack still works.