743 axle seals and bearings

[Fefanatic]

It is possible you have a bad sender or a bad gauge. I had a machine that was reading hot when it really wasn't. There was a flashing light on it that was drawing power and making the gauge go crazy.
If you get hold of an IR thermometer, you can check what temperature the thermostat is actually getting to.
You can run it without a thermostat, but the engine will never get to the correct temperature. I have heard stories of this making the oil sludge up from extend use like this as it is never at the correct temperature, true or not i don't know.

I recently went through this with my 743. I replaced all bearings, seals, races, wear sleeves, and chains . I did not pull the motor or any hydraulic pumps. I did remove the rear motor mount and bracket to gain more room to reach the rear gears and axles. Tazza is correct in wedging a wrench on the axle nut and using the engine to loosen them. I made a tool to bolt to the hub to torque the axle nuts. I also made a threaded rod to pull the inner bearing races into the axle tubes. The job is not easy but it can be done without pulling any motor or the hydraulic assemblies. I bought the seals and wear sleeves from Bobcat. They didn't have the bearings and races in stock so I bought the bearings from the local Carquest store. The races that come with the bearings in the box are incorrect so you need to give them the number off one of your races. You have to buy bearings and races separately. I put my unit on jack stands and raised the arms and braced them so I would not get hurt. Be careful if you do put it on stands as it is rear heavy and can fall on you. Reason I say is I had mine tip back while on stands. I could have been killed for that mistake. Take your time and check everything twice. The axle end play should not be more that .013. When done all mine were between .004 and .006". I was happy with that result. Good luck with your endeavor.

 

[donald r can]

I recently went through this with my 743. I replaced all bearings, seals, races, wear sleeves, and chains . I did not pull the motor or any hydraulic pumps. I did remove the rear motor mount and bracket to gain more room to reach the rear gears and axles. Tazza is correct in wedging a wrench on the axle nut and using the engine to loosen them. I made a tool to bolt to the hub to torque the axle nuts. I also made a threaded rod to pull the inner bearing races into the axle tubes. The job is not easy but it can be done without pulling any motor or the hydraulic assemblies. I bought the seals and wear sleeves from Bobcat. They didn't have the bearings and races in stock so I bought the bearings from the local Carquest store. The races that come with the bearings in the box are incorrect so you need to give them the number off one of your races. You have to buy bearings and races separately. I put my unit on jack stands and raised the arms and braced them so I would not get hurt. Be careful if you do put it on stands as it is rear heavy and can fall on you. Reason I say is I had mine tip back while on stands. I could have been killed for that mistake. Take your time and check everything twice. The axle end play should not be more that .013. When done all mine were between .004 and .006". I was happy with that result. Good luck with your endeavor.

thanks for the reply,how did you get inside the rear compartment without pulling the pump

 

[Fefanatic]

thanks for the reply,how did you get inside the rear compartment without pulling the pump

It was around 1 am when I got to that point and as I remember I unbolted the rear mount from the case and jacked the rear up a couple of inches and slid the rear plate out. From that point on I was able to get the job done. I do think removing the pump would have been the better solution but at that time in the morning I wasn't thinking that well.

 

[donald r can]

It was around 1 am when I got to that point and as I remember I unbolted the rear mount from the case and jacked the rear up a couple of inches and slid the rear plate out. From that point on I was able to get the job done. I do think removing the pump would have been the better solution but at that time in the morning I wasn't thinking that well.

thanks for the reply,im waiting till it gets a little warmer as I cant lift the cab in my shop,one other question for you guys,how in the heck do you get to the u joint to grease it,ya ive read to lay on pump and reach around right side,no way is my arm getting in there,i think I will have to take apart the steering linkage,if that's the case I'm considering cutting an acess hole in the body so I can reach right in ab-nd do it myself