End play L4400 4WD FRONT AXELS?

[mikeinva]

Dose anyone know how much end play you should have on front axles on a L4400 4 wheel drive front axle? Mine has been eating up bevel gears every 300 to 400 hours since new. I have found the axles can move in and out.024 inch. If you set the back lash as the book calls for at .008 to .012 inch using gauge spot it pushes the gears away from each other and the axle out.
With that much end play if you run the tractor on a bank you will go to 0 backlash and the gear will be holding the weight of the tractor.What do you guys think?

 

[Tooljunkie]

Just curious, are you replacing bearings also?

 

[mikeinva]

yes all new bearings ,gears, everything new even the gear cases on one side.
both sides have free play in the axles. Can put a .024inch shim behind inner axle bearing on both sides. cases will go together easy axle turns free.

 

[nickelplated5s]

Just curious but how do you when things are that far gone? I just changed the front axle fluid on an L4740 and it wasn't as clean as I'd have liked.