Splitting a 340 utility

All, working on my spun rod bearing problem by prepping the tractor for a split.

One question I have is: how many bolts should I expect to remove at the bellhousing interface? There are 4 obvious bolts in the RH and LH rear cast "ears" of the block. It appears there might be a bolt or 2 up high under the gas tank and behind the steering-arm assembly but I am not certain. These are definitely smaller than the 4 big bolts above.

Also are there any hidden bolts ala the one that hides behind the starter motor on an H ?

I have the complete Binderbooks set but no info I can derive from that seems to answer these questions.

Thanks in advance!
-Matt

Sounds like you found them all. The 2 upper bolts should be 1/2"X7". Don't forget to take off the dust cover behind the oil pan.

-Leon

It appears, then, that the steering housing has to come off first before I can access the 7" OAL bolts. I can see the heads but getting any sort of a wrench on them is NOK without the prior disassembly.

Yep you have to undo the steering rods as well as the bracket holding the wishbone to the bottom of the bellhousing. Than undo all the bolts holding the block to the bell housing etc. Are you splitting the tractor and than working on the block or are you going to work your way back by removing the axle/bolster etc so it is just the block mounted to the bellhousing and pull it from there?

I'm planning to work my way back to the block cantilevered from the bellhousing, then work on the block by itself.

This tractor is incredibly light in the front end (this is the Pippin backhoe attachment). The loader arms are considerably heavier than what I imagined, and when I took them off, the tractor went to rest on a concrete block I'd placed under the lower hoe-boom pivot point in the rear.

The steering wishbone attaches to the loader frame, this is another point of attention, I think the designers flipped over the 3-bolt socket casting and mounted it that way to a crossmember. The top-cap of the socket is missing, apparently the previous owner drove it that way until the wishbone wore a hole in the oil pan.... :roll:

Those two bolts on my 460U, (340 should be the same, perhaps not) can be removed with a stubby wrench. Loosen them as you separate the two halves. The right one, viewed from the rear, is the hardest.

Much as I'd like to get the two bolts without disturbing the steering, on this tractor, there's a cast "pocket" in the steering housing that envelopes one of the bolt heads more or less. There's clearance, to be sure, but I don't think a box end or open end would be able to get on it. The bolt is also bigger than I expected...guessing a 15/16" hex head.

Looks like the hood shroud has to come off, then fish out the gas tank, then the tank bracket, then finally the steering asm.

The previous owners also threw in a nice curveball, the steering wheel is welded to the shaft, as well as the three arms being welded to the hub. I am currently without a cutoff wheel to carefully slice thru the weld but I think the center console (which holds all the gages) can stay put for now...

These steering wheels must have been a weak link, my 460U is nearly a spitting image of weldment with the three arms also welded to the center flat disk/hub.

I am taking a few pictures as I go, will post these up later.

Thanks again for the replies.

3/4" stubby Craftsman combination wrench. You have to use the open end, it fits crooked and if yours is rusted in you may not have enough leverage. I've had the one off my 460HU more than once. Provided it is the same as your 460U; you can compare. But, the steering assembly is not hard to remove, just takes time.

The top bolts are out. I displaced the steering asm slightly off its mounting studs...that must have been a slight pain to manufacture .

The "shrouded" bolt required a double bicep pull on a long box-end wrench to get it broken loose...so I suppose it was a good decision to pull the gas tank and steering.

I will go back at it in the morning, a thunderstorm is closing in on my metal-roof, open-side work-shed....not exactly where I want to be working

Here are a couple of pics.

The floating ball-joint on the steering wishbone. The front pivot is running on a giant hex bolt with a loose bushing. It steers wild with the tires fighting each other most of the time. One of the control arms on the front kingpins is loose as a goose. The previous owner said there was a hole worn in the oil pan when he got it....:roll:



Got the loader arms off (bucket was already off) and the front tin removed. Radiator was also removed. The tractor is so heavy in the rear due to the backhoe that I have only blocked up between the loader frame and the transmission. The tractor tilted back on a concrete block under the lower hoe-boom pivot as soon as I took the loader arms off.




Front bolster is off. Front axle is just sitting there, only the control rods are still connected. My plan is to lift out the axle once the engine is out. Then I can refit the bushing and make sure the axle pivot is running smoothly and get the rear ball-joint working well too. The wishbone has apparently broken from the tube axle on both sides at some point. It looks like a reasonable job. However, I have considered adding some obtuse-angle gussetting just to make sure I don't have to do it again.