I have a 550 that is leaking some oil at the rear hubs and dripping down onto the rims. Is this a simple outer seal replacement or are there inner seals also to check out? Since the tires are loaded, are there any ways to makes this a managable job to do outside? I do have a loader that I could chain the wheel to move it. Thanks
It's not a hard job. The parts diagram shows a seal on each side of the outer bearing. I change the outer seal only on my 560 a few years ago and stopped my leaks. The original seal is made of rawhide and can dry out after years of use. You will need to remove the wheel and hub. Be sure to clean the axle of any burs or nicks so you won't damage the new seal as you slide it over it. I used a thin piece of shim stock wrapped around the axle and slid the seal up on it then moved the whole thing up to the axle housing to protect the seal during installation. Your loader and tractor needs to be bigger than a smaller Kobota type because the loaded wheels will be heavy. Also check and adjust your axle end play while your at it by removing or installing shims between the axle housing and the bearing cap. The Bearing pre-load of 0.004-0.006. This means remove 0.004-0.006 more than "0" end play.
