RE: (ET) "I'm gonna run this tractor ...

["Elie, Larry (L.D.)" <lelie ford com>]

David wrote;

-----Original Message-----
From: David Roden (Akron OH USA) [mailto:roden ald net]
Sent: Friday, June 09, 2000 12:24 AM
To: elec-trak cosmos5 phy tufts edu
Subject: (ET) "I'm gonna run this tractor ...
"

... 'til the wheels fall off!"

And it looks like they might.

I was mowing today and noticed that the left front wheel seemed to be 
wobbling quite a bit.  So I stopped and jacked up the front of the 
tractor.  Sure enough, that wheel has a worrisome amount of axial play -- 
something like one-quarter of an inch.  The other front wheel has much 
less, perhaps half that, but seems awfully loose too.

These wheels don't have real bearings -- they are just sleeves with a 
grease pocket, fastened to the spindles with lockbolts.  So I guess at 
least the left sleeve is about worn out.

Or could it be that the lockbolt is a bit long, and bottoms before it 
gets tight enough to stabilize the wheel?

Has anyone else had this problem? What's the solution?  Will I have to 
buy a new wheel, or can I have a new sleeve pressed in?  If so, where?

Many thanks.

"

I have had nearly that play.  Part of it was a loose bolt (I have seen two
styles even of that, but the most common is a 5/16 or 3/8" fine thread
bolt).  I machined a new 'bushing' (I made it .010" short for tightening)
and put it over the spindle.  That was 3 years ago.  No more problem to
date.  BTW; the spindle should be hardened, I suspect if you mike (or good
calipers) the spindles, you will find both are about the same and the wear
is on the other end, and that would show that the wheel has the wear.  Lots
of us have 'parts' tractors around and you should be able to pick up an
entire wheel pretty cheap.  Today I wouldn't bother with the bushing; I'd
just change the wheel.

Larry Elie