# Takeuchi TW-80 wheel loader Ujoint went and drive shaft is hanging.



## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

Hey Guys, Pretty frustrated with our Takeuchi wheel loader. Main computer went last winter, I believe it was around $8-$10k to repair with the part & labor. First plow today when traveling from one site to another the U-joint went. The loader is a 2015 with id say roughly 650hrs. or so.

I know the loader was on snow lease prior to us purchasing in 2018. 

Were currently running a PLB 36-15 Metal Pless . 

Is this a common thing to break? Theres no grease points for the ujoint. 

Im think of dumping the Takeuchi , & purchasing a Cat 908m or a Deere of some sort.

Any feedback will be listed to. Thanks!


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## Mountain Bob (Nov 12, 2017)

I would like to see pictures of the "broken" u-joint.


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## Mr.Markus (Jan 7, 2010)

And video for @WIPensFan ...

He's probably charging his battery or he would've asked himself.


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

Maybe broken isnt the proper term. I will snap some pictures in the a.m. The yolk is bent at the rear transfer case and i believe its snapped off of the drive shaft.


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## SHAWZER (Feb 29, 2012)

Is it a slip yoke ?


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## Randall Ave (Oct 29, 2014)

Did the u-,joint break, or the tube broke.


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

Randall Ave said:


> Did the u-,joint break, or the tube broke.


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

Our dealer said 2 weeks for the drive shaft/u joint assembly and around $1000.00. 

Asked if we road the machine, I said yes. (Of course, who loads there wheel loader on a trailer and hauls it from site to site. 

Our machine has around 950 hours on it actually.

Is this a common thing? This loader seems fragile and thats not what I'm looking for.


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## SHAWZER (Feb 29, 2012)

Is there a splined slip yoke ?


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Find a local driveline shop and have them fix it or build you a new one.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

https://www.google.com/search?q=mad...GIAZUWkgEFMTMuMTWYAQCgAQGwAQo&sclient=gws-wiz


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## Mountain Bob (Nov 12, 2017)

Would have to see the other pieces to guess about the failure. I can tell you it would have been making horrible noises for a while, and vibrating.


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## Mr.Markus (Jan 7, 2010)

Squeaky squeaky squeaky....

Also make sure the new one is greasable.
You shouldnt need a new driveshaft.


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## LapeerLandscape (Dec 29, 2012)

Where is the other half of the yoke.


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## Kvston (Nov 30, 2019)

Quality carnage sir!

We've noticed that non-serviceable u joints fail quicker than greasable when exposed to salt. It’s rough no matter what you do.


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## XSKIER (Dec 22, 2018)

Mark Oomkes said:


> Find a local driveline shop and have them fix it or build you a new one.


I was in this predicament last April with a NH W80BTC loader. The driveshaft was bent in the middle and slip yoke focked up. Local D/S shop said that the components were just a bit larger than 3500 pickup stuff and quoted $1200 to fabricate one. $1000 and two weeks was the best route.


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## XSKIER (Dec 22, 2018)

@CK82 that is quite a bit of rust under that machine. Is it stored in the salt bin all year? Was the expensive main computer problem corrosion induced? Perhaps on the next loader look into the factory applied "anti corrosion". I had a 2019 Volvo L25H with that application and it was really quite impressive. Like a 16th thick coating on everything! It had to be scraped off the glass with a razor blade, because chemicals couldn't melt it.


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

Not sure if its a splined slip yolk. We have found a local company that will make us a new one. No idea cost or lead time. As far as the size and strength I would thi k it would be the same or better than factory specs.


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

That is a good amount of rust. It was snow leased to others for 3-4 years I want to say prior to us purchasing. It was in a Cabelas parking lot when i first looked at it. 

The computer im pretty sure was corrosion related. I mean why wouldn't that be sealed completely?! 

Im ready for a Cat or something.


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## Kvston (Nov 30, 2019)

We just took delivery of a next gen 306 excavator. A nice point the rep told me today at the demo: all Cat wiring is color coded and EACH wire remains the same color throughout with no duplicates. In other words, if a wire is brown with an orange stripe it is the only wire on the machine that is that color combo. No duplicates. I wish Ram did that!


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

Sorry for the delayed response here.

So yes, the loader has a splined slip yolk. What is shown in the picture early in the thread is what was left after the break/issue.

Got the drive shaft back after 3 weeks, cost was about $955.00 from a local fab shop. Has new slip yolk, not sure if it has a greasable u-joint. My guys installed, and well something further is damaged. Sounds like the pinion is bent so we dropped the loader off to the dealer. Thank god we haven't had heavy snow having this dang machine down for a month.

If anyone has any feedback on how to prevent this I will definitely attempt to prevent it happening again in the future.

Again is this something that happens often to compact wheel loaders or wheel loaders in general, after pushing snow and roading a machine?

Thanks, Chris!


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## Mountain Bob (Nov 12, 2017)

Very hard to bend a pinion, the way they are supported. Hard to prevent something when you don't know what happened,machine history. Machine may have deeper problems, like bad pinion bearings.


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## SHAWZER (Feb 29, 2012)

How fast was the machine traveling when the shaft let go ?


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## LapeerLandscape (Dec 29, 2012)

Mountain Bob said:


> Very hard to bend a pinion, the way they are supported. Hard to prevent something when you don't know what happened,machine history. Machine may have deeper problems, like bad pinion bearings.


Yes very hard. Everything else should bend or break first.


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## zlssefi (Dec 29, 2011)

Out of 7 wheel loaders only one of mine ever needed a driveshft and it was because the center pins werent greased and wiped out the bushings causing excessive play in the center pivot. The excess play ended up taking out the driveshaft. Could your driveshaft mounting bolts have been loose causing the shaft to start flopping and causing the damage?


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## SHAWZER (Feb 29, 2012)

Any update on your Loader OP ?


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

SHAWZER said:


> Any update on your Loader OP ?


Sorry for the delayed response..i need to allow notifications when anew message comes in.

Quoted a little over $8k to replace gear and pinion set in the rear end. When the slip joint failed OR u joint failed whichever it was it bent the pinion. $6400 for the gear and pinion...outrageous on a 12,000 lb. loader in my opinion. Also $1600 i believe for diagnosing.

Would you feel its nevessary to replace the gear since its a set, or just the pinion? Pinion is #11 in the diagram.


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

CK82 said:


> Sorry for the delayed response..i need to allow notifications when anew message comes in.
> 
> Quoted a little over $8k to replace gear and pinion set in the rear end. When the slip joint failed OR u joint failed whichever it was it bent the pinion. $6400 for the gear and pinion...outrageous on a 12,000 lb. loader in my opinion. Also $1600 i believe for diagnosing.
> 
> Would you feel its nevessary to replace the gear since its a set, or just the pinion? Pinion is #11 in the diagram.


So all in all will be over $8000 for parts/labor & $1600 for diagnosing. Ridiculous!


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

On another note..the dealer had to cut the end of the splined end from the pinion in order to remove it. Besides going new, would there be any possibility of the bent/cut pinion being welded and repaired? Id imagine no chance in hell but thought id ask. 

Parts could be out anywhere from a few weeks for OEM to July for aftermarket. 

Its a Dana-Spicer rear end so i have found aftermarket..just no one has it in stock.


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

Just read the previous questions.

Loader may have been going 20mph or close to.

I believe the slip yolk failed and or the drivshaft snapped itself causing it to break free from the rear u joint. When this happened I believe it flung the slip yolk around until it snapped from the rear u joint causing it to bend the pinion.


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## BUFF (Dec 24, 2009)

CK82 said:


> Sorry for the delayed response..i need to allow notifications when anew message comes in.
> 
> Quoted a little over $8k to replace gear and pinion set in the rear end. When the slip joint failed OR u joint failed whichever it was it bent the pinion. $6400 for the gear and pinion...outrageous on a 12,000 lb. loader in my opinion. Also $1600 i believe for diagnosing.
> 
> Would you feel its nevessary to replace the gear since its a set, or just the pinion? Pinion is #11 in the diagram.


If the ring gear isn't showing any signs of damage I would replace the pinon, finish the season and sell the loader.


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## Mountain Bob (Nov 12, 2017)

R&P both must be replaced.
I cannot tell from that picture, what is there.
So we know pinion was bent at the yoke, was it bent in other places?
Has the transfer case been checked out?


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## Randall Ave (Oct 29, 2014)

I do not think you can purchase those items separately. Fix it and dump it.


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

The part that was bent was on the pinion that sticks out of the transfer/gear case, that is all. Everything else is functional and not damaged.

The gear looks very good too, however I am sure there has been ever so slight wear on the pinion and gear over the years. Just don't want to replace the pinion, then all the sudden things don't mesh with the gear and we have more issues.

Fix'n it and dumping the machine is exactly what is going to happen.

It's not a terrible machine, however I am done with it and the dealer.


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

@Randall Ave, correct you the gear and pinion are purchased as one. I believe the rear axle shaft? has to be pulled in order to pull and replace the gear?


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## SHAWZER (Feb 29, 2012)

Little confused ....... you said the pinion in the rear end was bent and now you are saying the shaft on the transfer case is bent . Just trying to understand .


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## Randall Ave (Oct 29, 2014)

I have never done a ring and pinion on a machine but, I have done many truck carriers. Per your parts blowup, yes you are removing the axles, and gutting the assembly. Now, I have never seen one bend, only break from a shock load. And does this have planetary axles? I think a year or two ago I had posted some pics of a planetary I was doing.


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## CK82 (Sep 17, 2005)

So the pinion? goes through the transfer case, extending out the front side a few inches. That front splined end is bent. I believe the drive shaft tube and slip yolk failed and they separated, leaving the drive shaft tube connected to the front axle u joint. The slip yolk? was still connected to the rear axle u joint. By the time my operator realized what had happened I believe the section of slip yolk flung around as the gear and pinion revolved. The flailing around as the gear and pinion revolved while driving eventually snapped the slip yolk from the rear u joint. Prior to it snapping off I would imagine there were some crazy forces that bent the splined end of the pinion. I believe the rear u joint yolk is bent somewhat as well.

Hopefully what I am trying to explain makes some sort of sense.


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