just lost rear end in JD 540b

[robdiesel]

i just lost the rear end in my 540b i used the service brake to winch in a twitch (i have no e-brake) when i released it my rear left tire was froze up i thought it was the brake at first so i locked it and unlocked it nothing.. it rocks a little bit i think the brakes come undone and a chunk locked it up or the differentials came apart and froze it up? i had a 440d in the past that blew the differential and housing appart, it ended up costing 5k in the end. i have a parts and tech book for it but the brakes are alot different... i would just like to here someone elses experiances with these rear ends.. i just went to a junk yard and bought a couple car hoods to stick under my rear tires and i'm going to unhook the drive shaft and i think i should be able to twitch it out of the woods....
                                 if you know what your talkn about any info would be great
                                                                                                                thanks rob

[Andrew Lawrence]

Friend of mine just did his 540's rear, brakes,axle and bearings. Not alot of fun but not horrible

[thecfarm]

robdiesel,first post and trouble. That is a bummer. Sorry to hear of your problems. But welcome to the forum.

[John Woodworth]

Check on the side that's locked up, you probably blew the planetary, where you pulling a turn at the time and the rear tires trying to get over a downed log or anything to make them slip and jump? I'd just about bet you on that, I've replaced numerous planetaries 540-640 for that reason. You can do it with out dropping the rear end completly out if that's what it is. Broken spiders the wheel shouln't be locked up and you should have some sort of noise with the ring gear, any thing getting wedged in the ring gear would generaly be breaking teeth.
If you think it's in the brake have you cracked the brake bleeder to see if it's still under pressure? 

[robdiesel]

well.. it was the brake but not the way i thought, the ring/pinion and planetarys are in real nice shape luckly.. but one of the brake pads broke and fell in the bottom and wore on the brake disk till it made a hole in the disk and the pad wedged in ther and locked it up... didn't see that coming but it could have been worse

[robdiesel]

well I got my 540b back from the shop, pretty happy to have it back, i had a few other things done to it while it was there a little welding on the frame, valve body in the transmission, couple accumulator pistons, some hydraulic lines, hydro fill tube and couple other lil things, and the rear end and brakes work good so far, glad to have it back never noticed how bad the 440b beats your back up till i had to go back to it daily.. but i still love it, my grandfather and i have yarded a lot of wood with it for years and years with very few issues good machine but i love 540b's powershift transmission, and overall ergonomics, man i love skidders i'm gona get back on mine now!!!