Axle Keyway Cracks?

I'm wondering how common cracks and breakage are around the axle keyway? I had reason to remove my right whee hub on my Big Mo and found the axle around the keyway cracked down to the depth of the keyway. What was curious was that it was the front of the keyway that was cracked.

Is this fairly common or is this a sign of abuse and I need to carefully examine the transmission and differential? Thanks!

John
 
I assume you mean the hub is cracked and not the axle.

My brother a hub cracked hub on his BigMo 400. He had a hub from a M602 parts tractor and found a pipe sleeve to fill the size difference. Has been working good for several years.
 
you more than likely have no internal problem. This is common when the clamping action is lost from the hub to the axle. Loose or stretched bolts are generally the culprit. Any of these tractors that are actually pulled or used need to have a good grade 8 or metric 10.9 bolt in that hub and keep it checked. These old low rpm engines can generate an enormous amount of torque for 40-50 yr old iron to withstand. Have sheared my share of keys before
 

No, not the hub, but the axle itself is cracked. It's cracked parallel with the keyway about 3/8" away from the edge and down to the bottom of the keyway. It hasn't broken away completely but if you gently pry on it it will open up.

John
 

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