Please give me any of your thoughts on the following: I am trying to replace the transmission filter on a John Deere 550G. I removed the old filter, which was not easy, and now may need to hire an Olympic gymnast midget with 3' arms to install the new filter. I have tried from the top of the dozeer with floor plate removed and from under the dozer with the access plate removed. I can only get one hand on the filter from either direction and though have been able to give it a quarterturn I can't get the threads to catch. The filter is long and 5" diameter and ungainly to hold easy with one hand. In the top view photo you can see small rope that I used to hoist the filter up while I was on top and the filter is a couple inches under the filter manifod. The bottom view is through the access hole and I can only get one arm through. I also tried using boards underneath to give upward pressure while I turned the filter but that was clumsy and didn't work. I don't think having two people would improve the chances of getiting it on. Hope you have some tricks or tips to try. View attachment 239388 View attachment 239388
Following. I have a 550G, but have not yet replaced this filter. It looks like you might have to remove the hose coming out of the housing that is pointing down in your first picture. It would be the first filter I have come across that you have to remove stuff to replace, but that looks like it would give you plenty of room and wouldn't take that much extra time.
can you just get a oil wrench with a couple of rachet socket extensions? i had a digger i done like this from underneath https://www.amazon.com/YUAN-Aluminu...1621410222&sprefix=oil+filter+,aps,400&sr=8-9
Couldn't you just remove a hose end or 2 to gain better access? Don't hire a midget gymnast. Holding a 16" concrete block knee high with your dominant arm for an hour will increase your reach by 6 inches........and thats free!
Back in the early 90's I worked at a Deere dealer, this filter was a huge issue for first service on all the small G series dozers. The filter was installed on the head by the vendor then the assembly was bolted in at the factory. Problem was, the automated install, followed by primer and paint which didn't help, made the filter so tight on there, owners were breaking the aluminum filter head trying to spin the filter loose usually with large chain wrenches. Just do what the factory recommended then, disconnect all lines, unbolt the head, place head in vice, remove old filter, install new filter after oiling seal ring, and reinstall assembly in machine. Cheers,
Thank you for all your thoughts! I don't see the filter cap sizes on the Amazon description. The filter is 5" diameter JD that is smooth at the bottom rather than fluted. I can only get one arm through the access hole under the dozer so I'm not sure if I could get a filter cap wrench to work for installation. Taking hoses off, unbolting the head, and installing the new filter sounds like the way to go. Thank you again!
I know this is an old thread and I assume the OP has finished this job by now. This is more of a follow up post to anyone else that has a G series JD crawler. I just did this same job a week or so ago and @lantraxco was exactly right. It seemed like King Kong put that filter on. I had to take the whole assembly off, put it in a vise and then even with a 24" strap wrench it was a chore to get off. That on top of cleaning out about 400 lbs of oily dirt in the pan and it was more than I was anticipating, but a good piece of mind that I have it all back together. I also replaced the suction hose from transmission to pump and cleaned the suction screen. This all started when I started to get the trans temp and pressure alarm and the brakes wouldn't release. I found the original suction line hose clamps were as tight as I could get them, but I could still move the hose around allowing it to suck air.