So to make a long story short we have a 5083en orchard tractor which is maybe 4-5 years old. Works great overall but had a few issues we decided to get checked out. For a year or more there has been a bit of oil leaking around the steering column which was so minor we only recently had it checked out. This turns out to be a 2000 dollar fix! Next issue was water was contaminating the transmission fluid over time and it had to be changed, condensation or a bad seal were assumed until the other day when the techs found out there is a crack on the top of the transmission casing right by the lift arms. So near the fill port area, not 100% sure as I have yet to see it. This is an 8000 dollar fix just for that one issue on it's own! These were things we had them check out when the tractor was sent off to replace a sensor under the cab that failed which made the machine nearly useless. Plus the A/C failed again and we had a main power wire break and a heater hose in it's short time here. So after that long story I must ask, had anyone heard of this? Did we get some sort of super dud tractor or was this just a dud model that we got by bad luck? We do not run this tractor nearly hard enough to condone these failures, not even close and in fact we are quite careful with our machines. We have never had this kind of bad quality with a Deere before ever in the past and are really in a worried spot. We may not even buy this brand anymore after using them for many years. I really am looking for advice and information as to what may have cause these constant failures on this tractor but very few on our tractors used for pulling and loading which is much harder than spraying and mowing.... Thanks for any info you may have!
I could not find where these tractors are manufactured. As best I can determine, the 3E and 5E series are manufactured in India, but that may not be so. Personally, I would not buy a 3E or 5E series tractor. I don't know if the EN falls in this category.
The 5E series is built in India. Our 5065E has been nearly 100%, save a few very minor things. Nothing like this, and I don't know what the differences are
between the E and the EN. My assumption is that this is unique.
How many hours?
This is the main issue (The crack) on the tractor. They said it was a stress crack from overloading the 3 point hitch but it sure seems odd considering how heavily supported the area around it is that it would crack there. I do apologize for the angle, left is top.
Cracks in that area can be caused by having a heavy implement on the hitch and then hitting a large bump that causes the hitch to bounce up with force. The internal lift arm can strike the housing so hard that it cracks. Or possibly a misadjusted three point control linkage that allows the hitch to constantly be bottomed out on the housing. WIth hitch raised fully, you should be able to lift up on the draft arms another inch or two. Have the dealer show you the inside of the housing in the area of the crack. I am betting you will see where the internal crank arm has hit it. Also should have them check hydraulic relief pressure to be sure it is not too high.
Oh so that's whare the cylinder is for the arms..... that makes it seem a bit less impossible for that to crack before everything else. I'm going to check the draft arms for that little bit of play on the top end that you mentioned because I cannot think of anything that could bounce up like that unless the cylinder end was almost right against that casing. Theres lots of bumps around but neither me or my dad drives crazy. The only time it's speedy is when we are spreading straw in the winter, I have on occasion hit a bump in the road with a round bale on the back. But I can't imagine that being enough force to do that.
Keeping it sealed is greatest concern. You want to keep dirt and water out as well as keeping oil in. Unfortunately, cracks tend to spread and most likely it will need to be replaced at some point.
ETA: I watched the video repairing a cylinder head. This guy has a shorenuff bad drill bit drilling the holes. I never seem to be able to find a drill bit that drills that fast or cuts that much material. Much less do it repeatedly.
I welded cast before, it's interesting..... never welded it for something important though. I do still wonder what caused all the other failures, if it was only this it would be not that horrible but it has been endless failures. Mostly electrical based or sensors, broken wires or broken solders and so on. Even an ok weld may stop the crack but it has been there for a few years now and is still small. We only knew water was getting in but not why and this is why so it has to have been there atleast 2 years. I'm curious now... I checked the lift arms for play when fully up but I forgot to consider the play that they have on the outside for connecting things and such. Maybe it is bottoming out.
I checked again, amount of play is fine. I guess it could have been as simple as a big bump with a bin of apples on. Well I guess that part is solved, hopefully these electrical problem eventually get ironed out... I had always loved Deere but this has made me want to look at somthing else.
That’s still strange. Even with a heavy load the front end should bounce up before the casting cracks unless you were way over ballasted on the front. I could see where the cylinders hitting could do something like that because of leverage.
As I read through this thread, I was thinking the same thing. Clean the area up really good and apply some JB Weld to keep the water out. Just check for water frequently and observe the area for further cracking.
I just happened upon this thread, and it is very unfortunate that this happened, but I agree with the JB Weld patch. In addition to stop-drill the ends of the crack, I'd use an abrasive wheel to clean off all paint and rough up the surface a bit, maybe a half inch each side of the crack. Wipe it with acetone, then mix up the JBWeld, and layer it on the area that was cleaned.
That won't add any structural value to the casting, but should seal the crack against leaks. Can't hurt; might help.
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