Noisy gear box on my 130, should i be scared?

[Kenny'z Garden]

i have this old 57 farmall 130 that we are putting back into service after sitting in someones barn for many years. shes running great still need to get in and adjust the valves and tend to a few other long neglected maintenance concerns. the gear box has been rather noisy since we drove it home. i drained, flushed and refilled the gear box with fresh gear oil but it still puts down a pretty good ruckus of a whine/growl. the oil that came out was nasty, light tan sludgy but i didnt see any signs of metal flakes

the loudness of the noise is such that i can hear it over the running engine but not like i need ear plugs... the noise is while in any gear while under way.

i need this tractor to make it thru the season cultivating 20 acres of row crops.

do these old farmalls have straight cut gears in the box and are just normally noisy. or do i need to start pulling it apart to find what is causing it before some thing big and expensive gives up the ghost?

any suggestions on where to look next if i decide to diagnose further? would i start looking by pulling the top cover or from the back or some other place?

thanks
kenny

[havoc1482]

They are straight cut. My Super A, which is similar to your 130 is noisy as all hell. Funny thing is that from about 5-10 feet away you can't really hear it, it seems so loud because the driver seat is right over it. As long as the fluid is clean and there are no metal flakes you should be okay. Whine is normal


Sometimes I wished IH used helical gears lol

[Kenny'z Garden]

thanks, i was hopeful the loudness was due to perspective. the people around me dont hear it over the engine. glad to hear the gears are straight cut, that could account for the noise

i run it for a while and check the fresh oil to see if there is any metal shavings/findings loading up on the magnetic drain plug i put in

thanks
kenny

[Boss Hog]

you have 2 different kinds of noise gear noise and bearing noise. Bearing noise will make a mess. And even though they are straight cut gears, they should not be that loud. I have had quit a few of them and there are quite ones out there.
Boss

[ricky racer]

i drained, flushed and refilled the gear box with fresh gear oil but it still puts down a pretty good ruckus of a whine/growl. the oil that came out was nasty, light tan sludgy but i didnt see any signs of metal flakes
The color you describe is due to water in the oil. Sitting for many years in the oil/water mixture can rust the bearings. The growl you describe sounds like a bearing noise to me.

i need this tractor to make it thru the season cultivating 20 acres of row crops.
With this in mind, you may want to fix it now rather than in the middle of growing season.

do i need to start pulling it apart to find what is causing it before some thing big and expensive gives up the ghost?
As you mention below, I'd pull the shift tower off and take a look see. Maybe something will appear obvious but I think you will end up replacing some bearings.

any suggestions on where to look next if i decide to diagnose further? would i start looking by pulling the top cover or from the back or some other place?
If you live in close proximity of other members of this website that may own a similar tractor, see if you can stop by and compare the sound of their tractor with yours. That may let you know if yours really has a problem or not. If so, now is probably the time to fix it. Should a bearing come apart at some time, it could get much more expensive to repair and it will never happen at a good time.

thanks
kenny

[Kenny'z Garden]

Hey Boss Hog, any hints on how to tell the difference between bearing noise and gear noise?

any members out there in south western oregon have a similar tractor i can come and give a listen?

thanks for the help folks!
kenny

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Basically gear noise will be more of a whine. Bearing noise will be a growl or rumble (a rough noise).

[Boss Hog]

I am betting you have bearing noise

[ricky racer]

Basically gear noise will be more of a whine. Bearing noise will be a growl or rumble (a rough noise).

Good explanation John.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Basically gear noise will be more of a whine. Bearing noise will be a growl or rumble (a rough noise).

Good explanation John.

I should have said "normal" gear noise. rusty or damaged gears will also be a rumble or other uneven noise.