I bought this 2003 40XT with a little under 900 hours on it a few months ago. Its not new by any stretch but it had low hours and we have an acreage that we are clearing that was completely overgrown. The machine runs great and I've been beyond happy with it. The previous owner only put 90 hours on it over the last 8 years. I've been going through it as time permits and its been raining non-stop here in OH so i decided to pull it apart and check the drive chain adjustment since I'm approaching the 1000hr mark. 3 of the 4 drive chains look like new but the other is chewed up. I got in there with a flashlight and it looks like the forward left drive sprocket has some teeth that are chewed up also. Based off the photos, what do you guys think? I know the right thing to do is take it apart and replace them. I'm not opposed to that, I just don't know 100% what all that entails.. Have any of you had damaged components like this and kept running them? Will it cause more damage? There is no noise, vibration, or anything so it was a huge surprise when i took the side plate off and found that damage.. How in the world would that have happened in the first place? I checked the tension and while I plan to tighten them, i don't think they are too loose by any means according to the 1.5" tolerance the manual states. If I do replace them, I need some pointers. The chain is the one on the inside so the rear chain is in the way currently. If i loosened the rear and slid the rear axle housing forward, would it loosen it enough to get it out of the way? Can the sprocket come out of the side access plate without removing the drive motor? Also, the oil on this side is slightly milky colored while the other side is clean/clear oil. Would moisture cause that? It wasn't full like others have experienced from drive motors leaking, just milky.
I don't think we have the whole story here. How does a chain get chewed up on the outside like that? Maybe it came apart on the first owner and somebody put it back together and sold it? Moisture is the most likely thing to make the oil milky. I'd drain it, look real good for anything inside that case that shouldn't be there, check the bottom of the bucket that you drain the oil in. If nothing shows up, refill it and run it. A chain drive is not like a hydraulic system, pretty crude and not much to go wrong.
Could just be the pictures but those parts look fine from here. I would take a close look at everything to try and spot any other potential issues (like foreign objects or improperly installed parts), then compare what you actually have to an exploded view to make sure everything is where it's supposed to be (i.e spacers, shims, bolts, ect). If you don't find anything else run it for another 500 hours. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the chain failing shouldn't be a risk to any other components. Seems like the front left wheel assembly on most skid steers sees more wear than average. Maybe it has to do with right handed operators? I don't know.
Thank you guys for the replies. I’ve got the cases draining tonight and I’ll get in there with some paper towels and get it all cleaned out. I’ll do a thorough inspection. Like I said it hasn’t had any noise, vibration or anything. I’ll run it slowly also with the cover off to see if anything looks off once I get the chains adjusted. I reuploaded the photos at a higher resolution so hopefully they are more clear.
I'm gonna guess that that chain may have come off the sprockets at one time. Or maybe was run with the hub bolts loose and the chain was binding up?
First things I'd check for is leaky box, then foreigh matter, in the bottom of the case, then chain looseness, remember to count links, and also look at the chain, to see if it is the correct one, and the same as the ither one, in the box... JMHO
That type of damage could be caused by a chain link breaking & the machine was continued to be maneuvered, the sprocket clashing with the broken chain. Does the chain have a joiner link? Factory fitted chains were endless. Any dents or scoring in the chain case directly under the sprocket?
I used to put large speaker magnets in the chain cases on our graders, it gave me some piece of mind knowing the steel trash was in one place. This seems to be a similar situation.
That could have hit a piece of debris, but it would have to be a big one. I think alrman is right, it was towed with a broken chain. I would clean the chain case out good, put in new oil, and run it. The only way I wouldn't, is if it is going to a job where downtime would be horribly expensive. I think the worst thing that might be likely is for that sprocket to wear that already damaged chain out a little sooner than normal. If you break a chain, stop where it is and at least pull out the broken chain.
If you want to do that again, get some used hard drive magnets (scrappers on fleabay, etc.) the pull on those things is crazy. If they're still stuck to the mounting bracket, take two vice grips and twist the bracket, the magnet will pop right off. You can epoxy those things to drain plugs, or stick them to the outside of metal cartridge or canister filters.