Hey all:Brake replacement on the W-30 is underway as of today. Son Calvin removed the fenders & trimmings on his own for about 4 hours to get to the rear end lid (tis helpful having a tractor nut son with nothing to do during summer vacation). Removed the bolts to hold on the lid, then discovered 2 threaded pins, bout mid way on each side. These are actually dowel pins that, with help of a nut and/or vice grips, needed to be backed out. Only pressed into the lid/housing. Exposed threads are all there are. Once out, the lid needed to be lifted a quarter inch and slid backwards about 2-3 inches to disengage the rear PTO shaft. PTO power comes from a "gear" in the front of the final drive housing. The PTO shaft has a female gear that mates with that gear. Time for the lid - approximately 1 hour. Band brake required to remove the bolt that clamps one end of the band to the operating shaft. The outside of the housing sports a bracket that the hand brake pivots in. Remove the bolts then slootched outward to allow the band to become free. Tied a string on to the the forward end of the freed band (to allow reverse retrieval if necessary), needed to move one of the shift linkages forward to allow clearnace, then carefully pulled the band free of the tractor by pulling on the rear end of the band. Band has what appeared to be a cotton webbing riveted to it. Only about 10% of the original banding remained (which explained the near non-existant braking capability). Any thoughts on an oil resistant material to use instead of the cotton webbing? Keep you fellow W-30 owners posted with my brake project, as it appears I'm in uncharted territory for many of us. Pete & Calvin
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