tractor transaxle housing cracked

[godtool]

Hi folks. I have done some successful cast welding in the past and have cooled the parts in rubber maid containers of sand. However this housing I have is too large and too heavy to preheat or bury in sand. Its for a tractor that has a loader mounted on front and backhoe on rear. Due to my ignorance and creeping stabilizers, my rear axles acted as stabilizers and resulted in some thread damage and a crack. When I first bought tractor, I was lubing everything and noticed the two bottom bolts in axle housing were loose so I was able to thread in longer bolts, then 2 years later the same two bolts were loose again. I'm positive the bolts were loose and the housing cracked when I bought it.

Its a chilly winter here still and want my tractor up and going soon. This right side axle housing was separating nearly 3/16" from bottom of this differential housing and the 5/8' bolts literally pulled out threads. I fixed those two holes and a loose hole with a thread insert called "Time-sert". I assume since the axle housing was being pried up this crack occurred in the top of the housing. At first I though not to even bother welding this small crack since I fixed the damaged threads and stabilizer rams are being rebuilt before I put hoe to use again. I also have no way of preheating and slowly cooling such a large piece of metal. I since bought a parts tractor yet feel the crack will not be an issue once stabilizers rebuilt etc. There is not a oil leak issue here. I am putting axle housing back on with correct studs and nuts. If the crack gets worse and the axle housing separates again I will plan a future winter project to use my parts tractors rear transaxle assembly. So posting here just to hear peoples thoughts on their past experience and knowledge of similar issues.

Transaxle Housing



Close up



Even closer up

[Dale M.]

https://www.genpowertools.com/weldin...-know-welding/
Everything You Need to Know About Welding

IF you have read his text I believe his knowledge is beyond what the mentioned welding site can help him with...

Dale

[Dale M.]

My thought if its cast iron , would be to grind some vee grooves into crack, heat area with oxy/acet torch to get temperature up, and weld with good rod approved for cast iron and then blanket area to slow cooling.... But then my knowledge is severely limited when it come to cast iron... I usually do small pieces and tend to braze them and stash in a ash barrel (fireplace ash) to slow cooling rate....

Dale

[theweldor]

There are different grades of cast iron also. ZF used a very high in carbides grade of cast iron for some transmission housings in off road trucks for a few years. The only option with them was to replace the housings. The older this tractor is the better chance you will have of repairing that crack. I have only come across the high carbides in a couple of housings in recent years. Must be some new formula they whipped up.

[Alex T.]

Godtool, what was the ultimate fate of that housing? Were you able to make a repair? Had you determined what had applied so much force to that bolt hole that the housing cracked?

[Ray LeMaire]

There is a method called cold stitching which could solve your problem, we have done it on engine blocks.
ther is a company in Massachusetts that has a kit to make the repair.