Combines Rear Axle Pivot Point Cracking

I had same situation on a 94 R-62, except ours was cracked on both ends when we first noticed it so we pulled the axel out and re welded the whole thing and the began greasing the pivot tube every day and never had a problem again , welds looked like poor penetration from factory in our opinion.

That was my first thought when I saw them, was poor penetration, but looking closer we found it was the actual weld cracking then the boltering plates are cracking along the heat penetration lines from the welds. Now it is cracking in my welds, and I was pretty sure it was one of my better jobs I ever did. My thought is pull the axle off, cut and grind the thinner bolster plate off, reweld the tube(which is cracking now),and weld on heavier bolster plating. I am considering using a heavier tube for the pivot. This kind of thing can really spook a guy. if that would break, it would be bad! Thanks!

How often do you grease your axle pivotsIJ

I grease them every ten hours of operation. Maybe I am not getting enough in thereIJ But it seems what I am looking at is not a friction issue, but a torque load or lever load on the pivot tube. The factory welds that are on the "front" side of the axle around the pivot tube are not cracked. The ones on the "back" (the side you can see from the rear of the combine) are the ones cracking. I would think a lack of grease would cause welds on both sides of the axle to crack. When I first saw this issue, was two weeks ago. The cracks had rust in them. I am one that will not let our equipment set outside unless it is in use. There are exposed metal on the machine that never even surface rusted over the winter. I suspect that the cracks were there and we did not notice them til now. We do quite a bit of plot work, and a number of our fields and terraces are 2 to 5 acres in size, so we do a lot of backing and turning. Very rarely do we have a full bin, unless I am doing bulk acres of corn or milo, and when I do I am very careful about turning and not jerking the machine. That is I don't shove the hydrostat full forward, and slam on the turning brake to turn around. Plus thank goodness, we dont have to worry about pivot tracks! I dealt with them for nearly 20 years. In the back of my mind I wonder if we should not have gotten a 52, but this 42 was a bargain, and we have less than 300 acres total with 4 crops. Due to this I try to be preventative on major breakdowns that we can avoid! Thanks!

For what its worth, I added a third grease fitting to the axle pivot because I felt the rear one wasnt getting enough grease where it is needed. Now there is one fitting on each side (of the rear using your definition). The first year I had the machine (an R60) I would have to put a jack under the frame to take enough weight off the axle so grease would distribute evenly to where it is needed. After adding the third fitting I no longer have to resort to jacking up the machine. Good luck in solving the problem you are experiencing.

Hmmmm, I think I better take a look at that. You may have a good point. I did not condsider that there may not be enough grease zerks in the right locations. I complain about engineers at times, in that they never have to repair or work on what they designed. (ag engineers are usually better with this, but.....) Thanks!

Good point Tom. We jack up rear frame on most all machines that come in preseason. We spin wheels to listen for dry bearings, grease spindles and center pivot until grease pours out. This allows grease to get to area that is under pressure when machine is let down. Many times the machines have been in someones hand that won't run a grease gun. Once it is ignored long enough the bushing and shaft have worn to the point that grease will no longer get to where it is needed the most. Just listening to the back end creak when you just jack up one side gives you an idea of the stresses of dry pivot bushings under load. If some of these owners only knew how much a little grease would save them over time. Have a great harvest!!