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Re: (ET) Cutting the spindles to replace the bearings on the sweeper



Thank you for documenting this. I also have a sweeper, which has seen no use from me since we stopped running electrathon events (used it to clean the track before the event at a local speedway). I think it saw healthy use before I got it. I have not done this level of maintenance on it yet, but now I have some guidance for when that day comes.

Thanks again,

Darryl McMahon
(Who just realized yesterday with snow falling outside, that the plow blade is still on the E12 from last winter, though it has done a lot of landscaping work this off-season. Mowing this year was done with a rescued and repaired (new switch, batteries and intelligent charger) B&D 24-volt mower - CMM1000 I think. And another year has passed and I still have not repaired the snowthrower unit. Too many projects, too little time.)

On 10/11/2013 2:01 PM, CZ Unit wrote:
Once you get the cutting grinder out, everything looks like a problem
you can solve with a cutting grinder....

So I cut the bolts off. Basically I started by cutting them flat on two
sides on the left side bolt, then when it still refused to budge cut it
down to the shaft on the other two sides. Still have to break off the
wreckage, but most of the wheel shaft is ok.

That allowed me to get the brush shaft out to the point where I could
get the gear off the shaft, and the bearing (flanged) came out of it's
housing. However the bearing was melted onto the shaft from a previous
attempt to do something like this (I'm guessing heat on the bolt) so I
had to use the cutting wheel again to cut apart the bearing. But the
bearing inner race was still welded to the shaft so yes again, cutter.
It took 4 cuts to the shaft (hit the shaft once, damn) to get the inner
race off the brush shaft, but it's finally off. Note I hate using the
angle grinder; it sends sparks everywhere and even with welding gloves
those things *HURT*. Ah well.

So now the bearings are out, the shaft is off, and I just ordered two
new bearings, a wheel shaft, six brush clips, and of course a pair of
3/8 locking bolts. Too bad hardware stores don't exist anymore in
Baltimore.

I almost wish I could upgrade to a roller bearing; the shaft has a lot
of potential to be kicked around, and I'd bet that roller bearings would
handle the transverse loads better than all bearings. Ah well, we shall
see.

Once it's together I'll try it again on 36 volts. It might be that the
"brushes too fast" problem was due to the bad bearings and not the
innate speed. We shall see, maybe it will even stop throwing the darn
chain...

Chris

On 11/10/2013 12:15 PM, CZ Unit wrote:
So I've got a powered Elec-trak sweeper with bad shaft bearings. It
vibrates, and broke the chain master link when I tried to fire it up
this weekend. So new bearings are in order.

Hah. In order to remove the bearings you have to remove the wheels
(circlips), and the wheel frames. That's the problem: The bolts that
hold the spindles and frames to the main frame are shot. I can see where
someone tried heat, breakers, etc to get them off to no effect. And you
need to take that off to get the clearance to take the shaft out to get
to the bearings to replace them. Of course.

So I have two choices: I can either cut off the spindles and get new
ones, or I can cut into the slot that the shafts are in through to the
outside of the assembly, rotate the bolts and shaft out, and hopefully
have enough clearance to get the hub and bearings off. Then I'd have to
re-weld the frame once fixed. Or put in a bolted plate so I can do this
again in another 40 years.

Question: Are the spindles get-able? And what size bearings does this
thing take; Home Despot doesn't have anything like them of course. So
all of this has to be ordered online.

Chris

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_______________________________________________
Elec-trak mailing list
Elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
https://cosmos.phy.tufts.edu/mailman/listinfo/elec-trak


--
Darryl McMahon
Project Manager,
Common Assessment and Referral for Enhanced Support Services (CARESS)