I seen two shims in the dirt... then I realized the usual clunk/bang noise that comes from the front axle area was a lot louder than usual today. It just happened now, so I figured before I look in my manuals and get into whats going on I figured I'd get on line and post for help on this so it gets done safely. plus my manuals are never good in details like this forum. It's my 1988 JD 310c Backhoe.... with the load off the front wheels I can roll the front wheels forward and back and the entire axle move forward and back maybe two inches give or take... I've always heard this noise but thought it was something else, but now it looks to be the entire axle shifting back and forth and what ever is there bolting it to the frame is obviously in need to repair, what I'm not sure of is will this be something that can be fixed with loosening the bolt, pop in a few shims and be done with it.... I hope its not something more extensive in the repairs...
Raise the front wheels a few inches off the ground and check the pivot point. should have a large pin that allows the axle to raise and lower each side with the terrain. think of it as a beam on a see-saw. I don't know if you are familiar with this but it is also known as a teeter totter on the playground. My JD had two bushed holes about 4 inches apart that the front axle pivots on. the shims were most likely on the rear side of bolt.
I see what your saying Bill.... on how the front axle is mounted like a see-saw. I looked but can't see the whole assembly all that well with the grease all over the place... but I can see in the very front there is a round collar that is mounted in place over that pivot shaft, then the collar is held in place with a bolt going thru the center of the collar and the pin in which it pivots on. and when looking at that pivot point under the machine at the rear/back side of the axle it looks like two little fittings (grease). So I'm not sure how this is repaired? If I remove that collar will it let me be able to push that shaft thats the pivot point back to place the needed shims there? so like your saying Bill... this would be rear where its shimmed?
I believe there should also be shims between the " hump" on the axle and the pivot point. Can you get someone to roll it back and forth while you watch with a good work light? you should be able to see where the movement is coming from. Can you lift one side at a time and see how much slop you have in the bushings. As in up and down or side to side. You may be missing some shims but if you have not been greasing it you probably need new bushings also. Any work you do with the front bucket puts all the stress on this pin and bushing. they hold up pretty well if lubed regularly. I have had good luck using JD's website for parts and assembly drawings. You just have to register and pick a nearby dealer. Try it and you should see what the original parts were. As to removing the pin you will need to support the weight of the whole front end while it is slightly elevated to be able to remove the axle.
It looks to have always been greased fairly well.... even though the shims fell out giving me a heads up there most likely will be additional wear to the pin and bushing that the axle pivots on I think I should still be able to re-shim it again, even if its for a temporary fix until I can do it the right way during the Winter if this be the case. Because the sloppy play seems to be only forward and backwards, but I can't confirm that just yet until I can get into it again with some help this time and shake up this axle pretty good checking the sloppy play again to make sure whats going on. I'm seeing evidence from the shim that fell out it looks like someone cut an opening in the round shim so you can slide it onto the shaft this way you don't have to take everything apart.... anybody ever seen this or heard of this?... it looked like a fast short cut... I'll need to do the same type of repair for now until I can take it apart during the Winter and fix it the right way. I forgot about that to go on line and get the exploded view of this section... I'm going to do that right now... thanks...
Final conclusion... I got a final diagnosis now that I got a good look at the whole front axle assy where it pivots on that center section, its the center rod and sleeve that the axle is attached to and balances like a see-saw, this rod and sleeve is worn out enough where after driving for a while as the axle slides forward and backwards as it pushes/presses up on the shims, then over time being the center pivot and housing is worn causes the shims to wear on the top side only, wearing it out to look like a horse shoe, this is why I was finding the shims in my yard because they started to drop out from around the round shaft/rod.... I don't believe the shims are not shown in the picture, they go just behind the bolt number "1" and the shims location is between the number "8" collor and the axle housing number "10". So a decent fix with out spending a lot will be to just replace the shims, and by the looks of the moderate wear it will take some time again before the 5 or 6 new round shims will wear out to look like a horse shoe again.... Hopefully this info will help others...