AC 5020 broken diff lock?

Just curious if this is something that's going to turn this into a parts tractor. 4wd broken but SUPPOSED to only be bearings. Also the diff lock pedal was stuck down but it was not locked, Took some pressure to pull it back up. The pedal is really tight to move. I assume this means tearing into the differential and hope nothing important is broken? 

oAnybody I've talked to say they are very economical to operate with a very durable engine. So if the cost of repair doesn't get into the stratosphere, and can be bought at a reasonable price it could turn into a good deal.

here is a photo of the diff lock.

DiyDave wrote: Pin might be busted off, in the pedal.  If it was engaged, you'd know it...

Edited by arlon - 20 Jan 2018 at 7:33pm

nice lookin rig Eric




Edited by Gatz in NE - 20 Jan 2018 at 8:51pm

Trying to push the would while it's laying on it's side is very hard to do, so you may have to buy a bigger tractor. LOL

arlon wrote: Hurray, all it took was a little penetrating oil and working the lever back and forth for half an hour. Playing with the tractor today and it just started working as it's supposed too. Got it stuck yesterday just trying to get it to go up a little hill. Added an angle blade to the back (AFTER getting stuck) that gave me a good bit more traction. Oddly that is when the lock started working.  I wonder if there is something that kept it from working when there wasn't enough traction? It was sort of funny, with just the bucket on it, going down a little hill to the neighbors, the back tires just slid down the street, brakes didn't even slow it a bit. With the loader bucket, this thing is just about useless without a fair amount of counter weight. Thinking of ways to add some more weight on top of the angle blade... Like a different tractor with the angle blade on it for ballast! At least I'm learning some new things. Now if I can actually get the 4x4 working, I'll be thrilled.

I was thinking about trying to hang some weights off the blade. I does look like it should work pretty well. That' may be my cheapest and easiest solution.  Back end really needs some weight. Thought about water in the tires too but don't know much about that process. Wheel weights would be a nice touch but probably hard to find and too expensive. 

Dick L wrote: My differential pedal is stuck in the up position. Since I spent 50 years using tractors without a differential lock I had to learn the foot brake touch to work the same as the lock. Once you get the hang of it is easy to keep both tires pulling the same. I did use the lock when the tractor was new and when you took your foot off the pedal it came back up but that only lasted a few years. When it stuck down I could stop and pull it up but most generally not until the front would turn. A few times the front didn't turn and I put the loader bucket into something unintended I decided it wasn't helpful to use it. Never it missed after that. Still don't.

arlon wrote: I was thinking about trying to hang some weights off the blade. I does look like it should work pretty well. That' may be my cheapest and easiest solution.  Back end really needs some weight. Thought about water in the tires too but don't know much about that process. Wheel weights would be a nice touch but probably hard to find and too expensive.  Love those weights on the back of the snow blower! That thing looks too nice to use!

ac45dave wrote: eric pa,that 5020 with the blower is one sweet setup.I like it!!!

I don't know how robust the locking system of the diff lock is on this model, but I DO know the diff lock mechanism of the Kubota BX series, and the best thing to do with THOSE, is to loosen up the bolt that clamps the pedal to the shaft, and remove the pedal completely... 

IMO, Differential locks are okay for automotive and light truck applications, but not for tractors and heavy equipment.  Why?  Because the machine weight is so high, that a turn with full traction AND an unintended diff lock circumstance will result in SOME aspect of the driveline failing, and rarely is it 'inexpensive'.

In the case of the Kubota BX-series, the diff locks are little 'sausage pins' that slide out of holes in one side of the cluster, into holes in the other, and they get halfway in, or halfway out, and the castings break, then the pins shatter, and you get pieces of pin particles propogating to the periphery, penetrating and pulverizing the pinions, pumps, and powertrain.

It was a costly fix, but I minimized the cost and assured that it wouldn't happen again, by totally eliminating the locking components.  It's a 4-wheel drive tractor- if he's slipping a back wheel, he's slipping a front one, too...

Always Better to use the independent brakes, than a diff lock.