Final Drive/Tansmission question

[Grant Richie]

I am about ready to put my Oliver OC-4 to work.  I have replaced fluids and filters, engine is running like a champ.  I am waiting on a some new U-joint assemblies from fordor.com and waiting on steering bands from oliverchris.  One of my last issues is the connection between the final drive and the transmission on the right side.  I have a slow but steady drip of oil coming out.  I noticed one of the bolts was a 1/4" out so I went to tighten it down and the threads seem to be stripped.  I have another up higher that just turns.  Is the transmission housing itself threaded or is there a nut inside of there?  The reason I ask this is that the left side has bolts sticking out of the transmission with nuts to tighten it down.  So I either need to take the backcover off the transmission off to put a nut back on (seems like a couple of loose nuts in the transmission could/would do severe damage) or I need to go up a bolt size and rethread.  Looking at the pictures in the manual gives me no clues.  Any answers out there from someone who has torn them apart before?  Thanks,

Grant

[Grant Richie]

I should use the correct terminology, the final drive attaches to the differential.  Also, when I filled up the final drives with oil the oil just came pouring out.  Looks like my oil seals are shot.  Anybody rebuild the final drives?  How easy or hard to get parts?  It was a bit depressing seeing that oil come pouring out after I have went through everything else on the machine and thought I had it ready to roll. 

[oliverchris]

All will be revealed when you get the new brake bands and go to change them 

The bolt pockets are threaded. And in those are the studs, so the bolts are on the outside. But it is not unusual to them either re-tapped to a larger stud size or stripped-out to use a bolt and a nut. I've seen it done well, and I've seen it done terribly 
This is a common problem in earlier HGs, and less of a problem in OC3s. Earlier HGs had little strengthening in that area, and were only designed to push or pull farm implements over reasonably soft ground. When folks stated fitting blades and loaders on them, and/or running them over tougher terrain the constant battering caused bolt-hole cracks and failures. Cletrac and then Oliver strengthened that area gradually through HG production, but the best 'fix' was on OC3s - they have an extended mainframe that sandwiches the transmission on either side between the axle spacers.
I have seen it suggested that one of the excellent thread-locking products would help stop the leak in these areas if you have a re-tapped stud in there, so long as you can degrease it well enough to begin with I guess. I have also heard it said that a few drips here and there are of no great consequence in an old machine, so long as your levels don't fall too low. But sounds like your drip is unacceptable.

Probably 2 out of every 3 transmission cases I see have issues either on the side studs, or front studs - or both.

I supply final drive parts.

[oliverchris]

Sorry Grant. I was talking about HGs and OC3s there, but much the same applies to the stud pockets in OC4s. Earlier OC4s like your 4 cylinder 42 gauge were made stronger as they became fully industrial machines.