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Read articles →This is a real hands-on repair job on a JD 5520 with brake failure on a hill, prompting a full teardown to access the final drive brakes. It covers draining transmission hydraulic fluid, pulling fenders and rear tires, removing control arms, jacking under the transmission, freeing a stubborn axle with heat and a breaker bar, and torquing bolts on reassembly. Useful for owners tackling their own final drive or brake work.
Posted by the TheFritz423 channel, an owner sharing an unpolished, first-person DIY repair on their own working tractor.
The brakes were failing on a hill crossing a highway, and the tractor almost lost control, prompting a full teardown to inspect the final drive brakes.
Since the final drive houses the brakes, you cannot jack there directly. Instead remove the control arms and jack under the transmission to lift the rear tires.
The axle would not budge, so they applied heat and used a breaker bar with a 10 foot extension, eventually breaking one breaker bar before it slid loose.
Yes, before jacking under the transmission, they drained all the transmission hydraulic fluid using the two drain plugs located toward the rear of the tractor.
