[AJD] Model LA brake issue

[JDNut at aol.com]

Greetings to all and thanks in advance,

I have refurbished about 5 Waterloo tractors from an early "B" to a "530", 
swore I wasn't interested in vertical two cylinder, and then a "LA" (approx. 
ser. #8,000 as I recall) came in to my life.    Now, I think it is a really cute 
tractor although just as some one said in one of the articles about the LA, a 
34 inch inseam is about too much for this tractor.   

I was using the LA late this summer to pull a small trailer with some hay on 
it.   It started to make some gear noise.   Knowing the left axle seal leaked 
a bit, I thought maybe it was low.   Only took a very little bit to bring it 
to the proper level.  Still noisy.   Checked the transmission, it was fine, but 
after some work I could tell that it had had some water in it.   Drained and 
replaced that oil.   Still noisy.   Best description is gears turning without 
lubrication.   Pretty good howl, such that my mother could hear it 50-100 feet 
away.   Happens in all foward gears.   After several different experiments, I 
found that if I pressed on the left brake pedal, the sound essentially went 
away.   I had to press hard enough to create tension, but it definitely quieted 
the noise.   

I have the parts manual, but, having never been inside this Moline tractor, I 
can't quite tell how it all looks on the inside.   Is there a gear close by 
that the brake band could rub against?   Anyway, I need to replace the axle 
seal anyway, so might as well dig into the brakes also.   Any ideas, help, 
suggestions greatly appreciated.

Take care, 
John Maxwell
Santa Maria CA