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Hey forum! This is my first time posting here and I'm looking forward to all the knowladge you all have to give I have a husqvarna lawn tractor, 56" deck 25hp kholer engine and I noticed that if i push the gas...lever down fastish, I hear a heavy metal sound, it's almost like if you were to drop a brick on to another brick and then have one slide off...it comes from the rear. I've heard that the rear axle can't handle the torque that this engine puts out and the rear axle will break around 50 hours...which is where I am...the sound has been here since day one. I can't remember if I heard it on my old murray cause it died years ago. So is this a normal thing? Or should I be worried? Also if I ease on to the throttle (which is hard for me as I have a lead foot......or......hand...) it doesn't happen, and if i spin tires on the rocks it doesn't happen.

I hope you all can help me have some peace of mind as I also pull a trailer sometimes and wouldn't like to hear my axle is too weak

Thanks in advance!

Hello & WELCOME to LMF...

You can overload almost any axle, even heavy equipment used in earth-moving will have it's limits.
Jack the rear of your tractor up... and check the axle bearings for any 'excessive' play... if the bushing/bearing is failing, it will be loose & will put quite a bind on the rotating axle... It is better to replace worn parts before they cause associated pieces to fail... :smile:KennyV

KennyV said:

Hello & WELCOME to LMF...

You can overload almost any axle, even heavy equipment used in earth-moving will have it's limits.
Jack the rear of your tractor up... and check the axle bearings for any 'excessive' play... if the bushing/bearing is failing, it will be loose & will put quite a bind on the rotating axle... It is better to replace worn parts before they cause associated pieces to fail... :smile:KennyV

Click to expand...

Thanks for your quick reply! I know a fair amount about engines but not so much about what they power :wink: could you please explain exactly what Im looking for? Sorry if you already did and I missed it.
Also, I fail to see how a manufacturer could get away with putting an axle on their tractor that can't handle the torque of the engine...obviously I don't slam the gas lever when I'm pulling the trailer for obvious reasons.


Thanks again! :biggrin:

With the weight off the rear axle, try moving the wheel up and down forward and back... if the outer bearing is excessively worn it will have a lot of movement at the axle housing...If the bearing or bushing gets heavily worn it can allow the axle to bind and something will eventually break...

It is possible to over power an axle and break it with torque... but on a tractor, it is usually an overload on a failing part that causes a break.
Tractors have a lot of traction, you can put a huge load on the axle bearings when pulling or heavy accelerating, and with any heavy load...
but if a bearing is failing, you can usually discover the failure before it causes additional damage... :smile:KennyV

Unfortunately, axle and transmission/engine mismatch is a very common problem. As the hp. wars heated up, manufacturers put larger and larger engines into the same frame and axle combinations. The axles that were barely serviceable for an original 14 hp unit (for instance) are easily overwhelmed by the additional torque, weight, and hp of a larger engine. Add to this fact is the additional load of pushing a 54" deck instead of, say, a 42", and you have arrived at exactly the plight you are in! Check your tractor's differential for excessive radial and lateral end play. If they are moving more than .002 to .004, you probably need some attention. Synthetic lube will help, not hot rodding around will certainly help, and slowing down when the field gets rough will help too. This stuff just isn't built to be bulletproof anymore.:thumbsup:

KennyV said:

With the weight off the rear axle, try moving the wheel up and down forward and back... if the outer bearing is excessively worn it will have a lot of movement at the axle housing...If the bearing or bushing gets heavily worn it can allow the axle to bind and something will eventually break...

It is possible to over power an axle and break it with torque... but on a tractor, it is usually an overload on a failing part that causes a break.
Tractors have a lot of traction, you can put a huge load on the axle bearings when pulling or heavy accelerating, and with any heavy load...
but if a bearing is failing, you can usually discover the failure before it causes additional damage... :smile:KennyV

Click to expand...

Hey, thanks for your reply, I guess I could let up on the acceleration a little. :laughing: I shall check the bearring tomorrow and report back, thanks again.

You betcha! We're here to make all this stuff last another couple of seasons, if we can.:biggrin::thumbsup: