# Transmission problemd



## Earl Stoner (Dec 17, 2020)

I have a John Deere 5400 and while bring it home in high gear the back wheels locked up. It will run in all the B gears but not in A or C. In C gears it will not move at all, it's like the tractor is under a very heavy load.
What could the problem be?


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Hi Earl, welcome to the tractor forum.

I think it would help to change title to "John Deere 5400 Transmission Problem" to catch the eye of the JD guys.


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## Fedup (Feb 25, 2014)

Somehow I doubt that many contributors here have ever been deep enough into a 5400 (or any other 5000 series) transmission to give you a definite answer. I'm not sure how many possible transmission versions the 5400 had, but from what you describe, and what I see in the parts lists, there are some gears with internal splines connecting them to the shafts they ride on. Others appear to be free spinning, possibly on bushings or bushing like internal surfaces that are simply oil lubricated. It's a common design, tractor transmissions have been made that way for years. My "educated" guess would be that there is one of those gears involved in the B range somewhere, and it's no longer free spinning. It's seized to the shaft it rides on, turns with it constantly now, and as long as that range is selected, then all is well. When you shift to another range the tractor tries to drive in two ranges at once. That can't work so it "locks up". 

Has the tractor had a history of operating low on transmission fluid to your knowledge? My first thought would be to drain the fluid from all compartments and examine it for metal filings/fragments, etc. That might give you something to start with.


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