Hi I am new to this forum and working on heavy equipment, but I am good at wrenching vehicles. I have a 89 JCB 1550b backhoe loader and noticed the brakes starting to squeek, when looking at the rear end I see it has wet brakes close to the differential. After looking I noticed a wheel seal is leaking so I am hoping its just down on oil as the brakes still work. My question is what type of oil can I purchase here in Canada to use to top up? I don't have a JCB dealer in my city and hoping to find something readily available I could use? Thanks.
I did try searching but couldn't find my answer.
Hi rick11 The JCB is special gear oil plus designed for wet brakes.The noise you here is it when the machine is just on the point of stopping if so is the oil burnt do the brakes work as if it has not had an oil change as this is due every 1000 hrs and you will be looking for a oil immersed friction brake axle oil try a local tractor dealer or oil supplier.DO NOT put EP 90 gear oil as this will give a reduced friction on braking preformance .The noise is normally where the dirt in the oil has built up between the friction disc / counter plates ,we used run some hydraulic oil in the axle for 10 -20 nmins as hyd oil is a good cleaner and then refill with correct grade of oil .If your brakes are not working very well they might actually be worn out.
Hi Jeff, Its actually more of a squeal when I ride the brakes steering. The brakes seem strong enough, no problem stopping. It also has a little chatter at times when inching down a grade. I will try flushing it with hydraulic oil and check the JD dealer here if they have immersed friction brake axle oil as suggested. I will report back how it worked. I am retiring this summer and have 100 acre woodlot I want to build roads through and I don't want to loose my backhoe and I can't afford any major repairs. These things are great fun to operate and can do just about everything if your not in a hurry. I just don't want to mess anything up from ignorance.
Not sure about JCB, but I know both Deere and CAT supply gear oil for wet brake axles.
With our cats that have wet brakes 980G and K and 988H we have to use an additive in the axle oils to stop the squealing, Cat P/N 1U9891. We are using Mobil Trans. 30 oil in these machines at present. This additive is labeled as for use in Hydraulic systems to stop squealing but is listed right in the Cat maintenance manual as required in these machines. We have also used it a couple times in hydraulics system to cure a hard to find noise that sounded almost like a dry bushing in the linkage. A quart of thise stuff and five minutes alter no more noise.
Maybe that's all I need. The more I learn I am getting scared of using the wrong fluid. I was talking to a mechanic and he showed me some burnt plates from job he just did where the wrong fluid caused something to swell in the wet brakes and engage the brakes and burnt them up. He didn't know much about JCB though but thought they might take mineral oil. I did find a JCB international specification of API-GL-4 with no friction modifiers for wet brakes (sounds much like what is used in a wet clutch) I will check for that on the jugs when I go looking. I do feel better about the squeal now, it just seemed strange it kind of started all of a sudden. Thanks for all the help guys.
The designation API GL-4 denotes lubricants intended for axles with spiral bevel gears operating under moderate to severe conditions of speed and load or axles with hypoid (see note)gears operating under moderate speeds and loads. These oils may be used in selected manual transmission and transaxle applications where MT-1 lubricants are unsuitable. The manufacturer's specific lubricant quality recommendations should be followed. Just "Google" API GL-4 and you'll get more info, but basically its a gear oil that has to meet this spec.
I see even Canadian Tire has API GL-4 Transaxle oil and it says for wet brakes on the jug $58 pail. Its a 20 litre pail but it takes 23 litres, looks like I will have lots extra and won't have to fix the leaking wheel seal for awhile.. @kshansen how much of the Cat P/N 1U9891 additive did you use in the diff to get rid of the brake squeal? It says its a friction modifier and not to use in wet brakes so I assume you just used a little bit?
Hi Rick11 I have been a field service engineer for a JCB dealer and try flushing the oil in the axle its 1000 hr between service on the rear axle we only used to put any additive in if it was a limited slip diff but used the special gear oil plus as recommended by JCB. The noise that you get is called end grunt and we were told from factory to drain fill with hyd oil 32 or 46 grade put it up on the legs and run the axle forwards and backwards using the brakes to clean the sinterd disc and then refill with correct oil. If you have got probs with brakes your brakes its either loss of fluid due to master cylinders or seal on pistons in axle usually caused by someone putting brake fluid in instead of mineral oil. other things if machine has done lots of heavy road work the brakes get hot and warp and give you a feeling on the pedal as if air in the brake master cylinders ie goes to the floor but if you pump the brakes you get a pedal and stop. noise due to dirt between plates you have the answer for that or just worn out and then you normally back to the discs warping ive seen the plates and counter plates touching causing the axle to over heat. so if the oil is burnt to the smell and black change the oil and flush this usally solves the problem as you have brakes with no loss of performance. Hope this sheds some light for you.
Thanks Jeff, its good of guys like you to take the time to help weekend operators like me. I will do the flushing and leave the additive out it was $51 a litre at the dealer anyway. This is a great forum, been looking around and was wondering why people call JCB "junk"? Is that just a "chevy verses ford" type thing? I always thought JCB invented the backhoe loader and were one of the best. I bought mine at a provincial gov auction 4 years ago for $8000 and have used it to clear 5 acres, build driveways, excavate basement, landscaping (moving a lot of material) and have only replaced a hyd hose or 2 a year which were mostly my fault. This thing has more than paid for itself. I was able to do everything myself building my home I took a day course and got my septic installers licence and installed the septic system by myself and saved a ton of money. I stood all the walls by myself, did not need to hire a crane to install the roof trusses on the second floor, I just left one end wall out and put the backhoe on a mound and lifted them up by myself. I used it as staging ( I know your not suppose to but they make great working platform from bucket). It has a split clam bucket and could grab stumps and shake the topsoil out and carry them away, screen and spread the topsoil salvaged. Makes plowing snow fun. Just so many uses I can't list them all. Its been so reliable and useful that it has become a member of the family and time to do more extensive maintenance to it. The guy down the road has a newer Ford backhoe loader and it has been broke down a lot, once for 2 months at the end of his driveway.
My Ford 5550 brakes squealed with the wrong oil. 134 spec oil and everything was quiet. If you've never had a backhoe, there's a lot to learn. 90% of a hoe is different from all the rest of the stuff you've used.
I have worked for case as well and my preference is the JCB but that's my choice but every manufacture has a lemon model somewhere in its range i guess over the pond from here in the uk people prefer CAT or Deere as its made there perhaps. But glad you like the JCB maintain it and look after it and should be reliable for you.Good Luck with you projects.
I suppose they are all good as long as they work. It is scary for an average guy to own one even if you get it cheap because the parts are expensive and need knowledge to work on them. The first time I changed the fuel filter I could not find a primer pump so I just cranked it over until it started, I read on here that could shear the injector pump doing that so I need to smarten up. Even though mine hasn't broke down it still scares me to take it on the road because I don't know how I would ever get it home they are so heavy and can't steer without the hydraulics. Once I was on the road plowing snow and it wouldn't go into reverse, I did manage to get turned around with just forward and found out it won't go into reverse if the battery is bad. I assume that was the problem because the battery was dead and when I replaced it everything was fine. I am starting to ramble.. thanks again guys...
6000 hrs on a machine is changing all axle oil on hubs and both axles which is break immersion system recommended 3cx backhoe 4x4.not sure im in right forum still nrw here