L3130 GST drivetrain whine

[jeep23]

Gents,
I have a 2004 L3130 GST with about 400 hrs on it and when ever I get up into the higher gears/speeds there is a considerably loud whining or you could maybe even call it a loud whine with an audible vibration. The sound gets more aggressive as the ground speed increases with the gear range increasing (9th gear it becomes noticeable, 12th gear, it screams) when the machine is under load. (i.e.-going up hill and everything is under load, it's much much louder then while doing down hill with gravity assisting and the drive train has virtually no engine output load on it) My assumption is that it's some kind of bearing in the transmission somewhere but I'm hoping that with my cryptically descriptive explanation here, someone might have an idea as to where I should start looking.

Thanks guys.

Jesse

 

[Hari.K]

In this thread:

http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=276

We've been discussing drivetrain noise , among other things, on a slightly larger machine

You might want to do some of our tests and compare results

Hari.K

 

[jeep23]

Thanks for the reply guys.

So it appears as though I have nothing unusual regarding the drive train noise. Man, to me it seems excessive but observations like this are subjective and what is excessive to me may be not even observed by others.

To answer Mr. Vic, the noise is pretty much similar in 4wd vs 2wd (there is a small amount less noise but that's just from the front end not being engaged) and I know the PTO lever is in the off position so I don't think that has anything to do with it. I am going to look a little closer at that because the noise sound like its coming from behind me while in the drivers seat, or at the rear end of the undercarriage, maybe near or under the PTO. The issue I'm not gaining confidence with is that the noise almost goes fully away when not under load, i.e.-going down hill vs up hill. Lets say I'm on a county road that has some sight up and down rolling hills to it with the hand throttle at a set RPM, say, 2200 RPM. On the down side of a hill, with the engine still turing at 2200, no substantual noise, cruising nicely, but once the machine hits the upside and the engine puts load on the drive train, the thing starts whining like crazy. That seems suspicious to me. To answer your question on service history, I bought the machine used and from the looks of the normal spots of visual wear and tear for a tractor, (FEL/bucket looks like it hasn’t been beaten up or over used, no leaks anywhere, original seat with no damage, original tires with no major damage, low hours for a 2004, ect) the machine appears to have been treated well and not abused. This noise seems too aggressive for me to just stop investigating. You mentioned attachments. Just a 6 foot york rake but I do have about 50 gallons of ballast (Rim Guard) in each rear wheel. Rim guard weighs about 11.5 pounds per gallon so there is some considerable extra mass that's being moved. I don't think that has anything to do with the noise, but I thought it might be worth you knowing. Any ideas??

Jess

 

[jeep23]

You know, I'm not sure if the noise was happening before the ballast. I put it in pretty much right after I got the machine because my property is very hilly terrain and I need the counter weight for FEL work. You think it could be an axle bearing/bearings? Would the axel bearing be making a lot of noise near the rear end of the tractor? Almost as if it's in or near the PTO housing? I have determined that the noise is definitely coming from that rear axle/brakes/PTO housing area. Any details of your thoughts would be most appreciated.

Thanks Vic

Jess

PS- I checked the PTO switch like you suggested. It wasn't on and the PTO splined shaft was not spinning so I drove the machine fast to test if the PTO turned on did anything, and there was no difference.

 

[jeep23]

I'm on board with you about the tires. They are R4 industrial tires and they are spinning in the proper direction. I had the exact same thought when I first heard this noise because it resembles tire road noise....but it's not. It's definitely something mechanical. At least now you have an idea as to what the sound simulates!

I'm going to pull the wheels off (not easy due to the 600 lbs of rim guard in them) and listen to the axle housing with a stethoscope.

Thanks for your help Vic.

Jess