In Reply to: Re: Transmission leak posted by David on May 31, 2022 at 14:33:41:
Maybe not so bad. How you used your tractor can make a difference as to how much drips out at the cotter pin. I had a similar experience with a TO 30 with a backhoe that I used to dig/pull stumps. I was rough on this rig and with the downriggers set stiff I would rock the tractor to gain more rip out while toggling the bucket. That caused the nose of the tractor to aim heavenward a lot. I assumed the engine rear seal was leaking oil into the clutch bellhousing. I was dreading splitting this beast. The clutch was already slipping some so I kept on ensuring the drain at cotter pin was open. Shot some Brake Clean in to wash clutch/flywheel/pressure plate. IIRC I pulled the starter to access the area plus enlarged the hole on the bottom by the cotter pin and shot with both Carb Cleaner and Brake clean. No further leaking.
I was blessed, engagement tightened up, i.e. clutch worked fine. The fix was to keep the front tires on the ground. I got an 8N sometime back (2006) and use a 3pt. backhoe on it but if I need to do some stumping with it I load the front bucket and that generally will keep all 4 on the ground.
I hope you can avoid splitting your tractor but if you can't, like the guys say it's not so bad. I helped my dad and a brother split our family 8N when I was `~14, I'm 79 now and wouldn't be able to do it again.