Krone AM323S cracked gearbox

I have a Krone mower with a cracked main gearbox. It is cracked on the bottom rear. We haven't hit anything, so there's no apparent reason for the damage.

We welded up the crack as best as possible (part of the crack goes into an area near the cutter bar that isn't accessible while the cutter is all together), so it still leaked a small amount.

When I picked up the cutter with a forklift the case developed another crack above the first one. I think the gearbox case is very brittle and this may be what caused the original problem.

Has anyone else ever run into this problem?

I see most folks bought the AM283S instead of the longer / heavier 323.

Was there a reason for that.

Thanks

Sam

Krone AM323S cracked gearbox