Bar Nuthin 1,243 #1 Posted Thursday at 12:20 PM I now have 3 Wheel Horses and all of them have been rode hard and put away wet. '73 No Name, 76 C-120, and a '79 C-141. Each of them has slop in the front spindles when lifted off the ground. I bought new spindles bearings for the C-120, and it took care of the slop at the wheel, but I still have some slop at the cross axle. I just picked up the other 2 tractors and haven't gotten into them yet, but at a minimum, they'll be getting new bearings. My question is, how much free play is acceptable at the spindle/axle before it's a concern? It seems to be pretty common on every old tractor I've looked at. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 73,934 #2 Posted Thursday at 01:42 PM I'm not sure I could answer you with a particular specification but you want it to be as close to zero as possible. At the recommendation of the folks here on the site, several years ago I bought a 7/8 reamer along with appropriate 3/4 ID bushings. Make sure you get the flanges as thin as possible. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bar Nuthin 1,243 #3 Posted Thursday at 01:45 PM (edited) 3 minutes ago, ebinmaine said: I'm not sure I could answer you with a particular specification but you want it to be as close to zero as possible. At the recommendation of the folks here on the site, several years ago I bought a 7/8 reamer along with appropriate 3/4 ID bushings. Make sure you get the flanges as thin as possible. Yes, I've been considering this. Just checking to make sure my OCD isn't causing me to overreact. Edited Thursday at 01:47 PM by Bar Nuthin added photo 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bar Nuthin 1,243 #4 Posted Thursday at 01:52 PM 5 minutes ago, Bar Nuthin said: Yes, I've been considering this. I think I'll look for a short piece of 3/4" rod to use as a gauge to decide how much of the play is from the spindle vs the axle. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 73,934 #5 Posted Thursday at 02:31 PM Center pins are easily reproduced as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 9,796 #6 Posted Thursday at 04:49 PM (edited) I use the milling machine to fix a front axle, with an upgrade or two. First setup is to drill / ream the pivot thru hole and install sleeve bearings from each side. I also face the the outer ends of the bore to be smooth and square to the bore. Play is taken up with shims at assembly. Second setup - I use the pivot hole to help hold the axle square for machining. As the underside of the axle wears, there is excess vertical movement. I remove material on the bottom to allow using either a flange bearing or the thrust washer / bearing stack and only leave .010 to .015 vertical movement. Next, the spindles them selves may have spots that are excessively worn - those get TIG welded up and filed for a proper fit. There should be just a bit of preload on the wheel ball bearings to immobilize the inner races so they do not spin on the shaft. Shim accordingly. Reinstall axle and install a new set of adjustable Heim rod end tierods. This allows you the center the steering wheel and get proper 1/8" toe-in alignment. Finished product is better than new.... Edited Thursday at 07:38 PM by ri702bill 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kpinnc 15,165 #7 Posted yesterday at 12:48 AM 7 hours ago, ri702bill said: I use the milling machine to fix a front axle, with an upgrade or two. I think I know where I'm sending my next axle to for repairs... VERY nice setup! 4 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 14,414 #8 Posted yesterday at 01:00 PM (edited) 20 hours ago, ri702bill said: I use the milling machine to fix a front axle, with an upgrade or two. I got to watch part of this process on a 312 axle. As is so often the case, observing someone having the needed skills and tooling and carefully doing the multi-step setup and preparation was fascinating. Seeing the machine taking off a couple of thousandths on each pass was almost hypnotic! 20 hours ago, ri702bill said: I remove material on the bottom to allow using either a flange bearing or the thrust washer / bearing stack and only leave .010 to .015 vertical movement. Thrust bearings (standard on the swept 520-H) noticeably eased our steering effort. Importantly, while that axle was being overhauled, I discovered that one spindle’s lever arm was bent. How'd it happen? I don’t know, but that surely contributed to the wonky steering. Edited yesterday at 01:02 PM by Handy Don 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 73,934 #9 Posted yesterday at 05:55 PM 4 hours ago, Handy Don said: wonky You and your technical terms...... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 9,796 #10 Posted 10 hours ago 19 hours ago, Handy Don said: wonky Akin to cattywampus and willy-nilly. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bar Nuthin 1,243 #11 Posted 8 hours ago 16 hours ago, ebinmaine said: You and your technical terms...... Coming from the guy that waggles magnets. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 73,934 #12 Posted 7 hours ago 1 hour ago, Bar Nuthin said: Coming from the guy that waggles magnets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
