L4150 Repair Restore

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Go back and read the above post as I edited it:

 

[fried1765]

Well, I pulled the front drive shaft tonight. It seems straight and rolls straight. Couplers and splines were well greased and had no issue.

Also got the tie Rod ends off the hubs. Went to crack the nuts loose on the axle mounts and no-go with the impact or the 2’ Cheater bar. They got a good Kroil bath tonight, will get another one in the morning and and we’ll see what happens tomorrow night.

Worst case I’ll bring up the oxy/acet red wrench to the new shop and give them a hot bath. I thought @Nicksacco was sending me one of those induction bolt melters for Christmas but the package must’ve gotten lost.


Forgot to take pics so here’s a pic of some hot chicks instead.

View attachment 101230

Have a great night y’all.

Sweet, but only 8 of the little poopers?

Kroil rocks!
It will work every time, if you can be patient.

 

[CiscoRanger]

If it were mine, I would want to get it fixed, but the size of the casting would be problematic and expensive.

I don't think the amount of wear is such that it couldn't be safely run like it is for many a year.
just getting rid of the slop because of the failed trust bearing will help tremendously. There isn't supposed to be a hole in the trust collar.

There is a home grown solution, the would be to build up the wear with JB weld using a new sleeve as a form.

As far as the support goes, on the right was early support casting that didn't have a grease zerk and just an O-ring seal, and on the left was the newer support casting with a grease zerk and a lip seal.
I don't see why you couldn't drill and tap a zerk into it if already not equipped.

View attachment 101413

Interesting. Shoe polish the inside of the new bushing and inject some JB in there.

I’ll call around tomorrow to see who does what for things like this or kingpin sleeve work etc just to get an idea.

need to get the bushing on order anyway so some things to consider.
Thank you sir.

 

[CiscoRanger]

Sweet, but only 8 of the little poopers?

Kroil rocks!
It will work every time, if you can be patient.

10 yellow poopers total.

kroil does rock. I was going to post this up separately but I did pull the trigger on the induction bolt heater @Nicksacco mentioned. Got to thinking about it and there’s a few more things on my list I can use it for like my sons exhaust manifold bolts and a few I need to get off of the disks, etc etc.

But it was awesome. They were still seized this morning, when the hot rod showed up… 45 seconds on each bolt/nut and they zipped right out. Plus I had to use it 5 of the wheel lug nuts. I’m pretty impressed. Less worry about catching something on fire too.

as a wise man once said:

“I have never - in all my years - regretted buying a good tool…I have only regretted forgetting where I put it…”. ~ Me, just now.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Interesting. Shoe polish the inside of the new bushing and inject some JB in there.

I’ll call around tomorrow to see who does what for things like this or kingpin sleeve work etc just to get an idea.

need to get the bushing on order anyway so some things to consider.
Thank you sir.

I use teflon / PTFE tape, or teflon / PTFE thin sheets to keep it from sticking to the bushing and then just leave it in there.

 

[CiscoRanger]

If it were mine, I would want to get it fixed, but the size of the casting would be problematic and expensive.

I don't think the amount of wear is such that it couldn't be safely run like it is for many a year.
just getting rid of the slop because of the failed trust bearing will help tremendously. There isn't supposed to be a hole in the trust collar.

There is a home grown solution, the would be to build up the wear with JB weld using a new sleeve as a form.

As far as the support goes, on the right was early support casting that didn't have a grease zerk and just an O-ring seal, and on the left was the newer support casting with a grease zerk and a lip seal.
I don't see why you couldn't drill and tap a zerk into it if already not equipped.

View attachment 101413

I was wondering about the hole in the thrust collar. I’m assuming it wore thru from Parts 50/60/70 which seem to be how the forward/rearward lash / play / pressure (correct term?) is set for the axle to sit between the two axle supports? I have a note to look that procedure up in the wsm as well.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I was wondering about the hole in the thrust collar. I’m assuming it wore thru from Parts 50/60/70 which seem to be how the forward/rearward lash / play / pressure (correct term?) is set for the axle to sit between the two axle supports? I have a note to look that procedure up in the wsm as well.

Yes your right, the bolt wore a hole through the trust collar.
And yes it takes out the front and rear lash.

 

[fried1765]

10 yellow poopers total.

kroil does rock. I was going to post this up separately but I did pull the trigger on the induction bolt heater @Nicksacco mentioned. Got to thinking about it and there’s a few more things on my list I can use it for like my sons exhaust manifold bolts and a few I need to get off of the disks, etc etc.

But it was awesome. They were still seized this morning, when the hot rod showed up… 45 seconds on each bolt/nut and they zipped right out. Plus I had to use it 5 of the wheel lug nuts. I’m pretty impressed. Less worry about catching something on fire too.

as a wise man once said:

“I have never - in all my years - regretted buying a good tool…I have only regretted forgetting where I put it…”. ~ Me, just now.

Nice.......but ......
For the $200+ induction heater price tag I am aged out beyond that.
I am physically beyond fixin most tough stuff, though I do love battery powered impact tools.

 

[CiscoRanger]

Nice.......but ......
For the $200+ induction heater price tag I am aged out beyond that.
I am physically beyond fixin most tough stuff, though I do love battery powered impact tools.

True. It wasnt cheap. I justify some of my tool purchases by telling the boss I save $ fixing our own stuff. But somethings (like this) are nicer than I need. Plus if I don’t buy them, there won’t be any tools for my sons to Steal borrow.

 

[fried1765]

True. It wasnt cheap. I justify some of my tool purchases by telling the boss I save $ fixing our own stuff. But somethings (like this) are nicer than I need. Plus if I don’t buy them, there won’t be any tools for my sons to Steal borrow.

My interpretation:
"there won't be any tools for my sons to borrow",
...... and neglect to return, until asked!

My "boss" left 26 years ago, and a replacement has been on long term lease, for the past 23 years.
Absolutely zero issues, on: "why did you buy that"?

 

[CiscoRanger]

My interpretation:
"there won't be any tools for my sons to borrow",
...... and neglect to return, until asked!

My "boss" left 26 years ago, and a replacement has been on long term lease, for the past 23 years.
Absolutely zero issues, on: "why did you buy that"?

Good morning! Yes sir that is the correct interpretation. Mine are just getting to the age (19 & 21) where they have their own vehicles to fix and maintain. It’s great to see them grow and want to do it themselves, too. That’s worth a few missing tools in my book.

And I didn’t mean to misrepresent my wife. She really doesn’t hassle me about anything. She’s great.

 

[fried1765]

Good morning! Yes sir that is the correct interpretation. Mine are just getting to the age (19 & 21) where they have their own vehicles to fix and maintain. It’s great to see them grow and want to do it themselves, too. That’s worth a few missing tools in my book.

And I didn’t mean to misrepresent my wife. She really doesn’t hassle me about anything. She’s great.

Mine was great also.......until I found out about the many affairs.
Not suggesting that this could happen to you, but I traveled a lot, and sadly, she took full advantage of her opportunities.

That said: 19 & 21 is great,...... but the tools issue may never stop.
My sons are 56, and 51 respectively.
The tools issue remains similar......but it matters not.
They are great guys, and I love them both!
It likely will not be long until they both own everything I have anyway.

P.S. During their teenage years, I had an automotive lift in my garage.

 

[CiscoRanger]

I called about 8 machine shops today. 5 of them were no answers (common out here)...2 were 8 weeks out and not accepting repairs like this...and the final one was a guy that gets good reviews and said no problem, they do this type of work often for the equipment dealers out of abilene...but quoted me 2k for the job . I'm in this restore for about 2k Total right now with parts and fluids, and sure didnt want to double that.

Bushings are on their way. I think I'll see how they look on the axle bosses when they get here and decide how I want to proceed. It may come down to putting the new bushings on and running it for a season to make sure this thing is solid before I double down on the cost. I hate doing a halfway job on stuff, but I also hate throwing good $ after bad, and I still havent run this tractor hard yet to see if there are any other issues.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

I called about 8 machine shops today. 5 of them were no answers (common out here)...2 were 8 weeks out and not accepting repairs like this...and the final one was a guy that gets good reviews and said no problem, they do this type of work often for the equipment dealers out of abilene...but quoted me 2k for the job . I'm in this restore for about 2k Total right now with parts and fluids, and sure didnt want to double that.

Bushings are on their way. I think I'll see how they look on the axle bosses when they get here and decide how I want to proceed. It may come down to putting the new bushings on and running it for a season to make sure this thing is solid before I double down on the cost. I hate doing a halfway job on stuff, but I also hate throwing good $ after bad, and I still havent run this tractor hard yet to see if there are any other issues.

If you don't like Wolfman's suggestion you probably won't like this one, but here goes. Shaft repair sleeves are available from McMaster-Carr and others. These are thin (~0.010") steel sleeves, sometimes with a flange on one end. If you can find one with the right o.d. you're in luck. Lightly grind the boss if necessary to get the sleeve to slide on. Clean everything up, apply J B Weld and slide it on.
BTW, make sure you check your pinion bearings while you have the axle off.

 

[CiscoRanger]

If you don't like Wolfman's suggestion you probably won't like this one, but here goes. Shaft repair sleeves are available from McMaster-Carr and others. These are thin (~0.010") steel sleeves, sometimes with a flange on one end. If you can find one with the right o.d. you're in luck. Lightly grind the boss if necessary to get the sleeve to slide on. Clean everything up, apply J B Weld and slide it on.
BTW, make sure you check your pinion bearings while you have the axle off.

Thanks Po. I’m not opposed to either idea at all. These are great suggestions and I appreciate them. They might be exactly what I end up doing, in fact. I just want to rule out doing it the right way first, either cost prohibitiv, etc. I like the secondary sleeve idea a lot, so that I can marry it to the part and leave it. Thanks!

im actually in the shop now pulling out the micrometers and bore gauges To see where we’re at.

 

[CiscoRanger]

BTW, make sure you check your pinion bearings while you have the axle off.

How do you recommend checking them? I dont sense any play in the pinion shaft, as recommended earlier. No grinding noise or much lash rotating forward and back. What else should I check? Thx.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

How do you recommend checking them? I dont sense any play in the pinion shaft, as recommended earlier. No grinding noise or much lash rotating forward and back. What else should I check? Thx.

I'd just give the input shaft a good up-down side-to-side yank. Any noticeable play is probably too much.

 

[CiscoRanger]

I'd just give the input shaft a good up-down side-to-side yank. Any noticeable play is probably too much.

Your idea on the sleeve got me thinking if i cant find one, I may be able to just have these guys make one to the max current OD of the boss, to the correct ID of the new bushing. Then JB it in there. That’ would help it be as centered as possible, and got to be a little more cost effective than 2k per side. Hell, I could do that in a couple hours with a lathe and a piece of round stock.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

Your idea on the sleeve got me thinking if i cant find one, I may be able to just have these guys make one to the max current OD of the boss, to the correct ID of the new bushing. Then JB it in there. That’ would help it be as centered as possible, and got to be a little more cost effective than 2k per side. Hell, I could do that in a couple hours with a lathe and a piece of round stock.

Googling 'shaft repair sleeve' shows a bunch of options, English and metric.

 

[CiscoRanger]

Googling 'shaft repair sleeve' shows a bunch of options, English and metric.

So I got my excel nerd on tonight and crunched the numbers on where I was. I'll have to measure the bushings when I get them to get an exact, but I'm out of spec by about 100 thousanths on both bosses even with new bushings.

So back to your idea of taking my max current OD and getting a sleeve to take it back to spec...and then 2-part it in like NIW had said.

1.939 ID (maybe a few thou more to get it to go on) with a factory 1.967 OD (again, depending on the bushing measurement I get.

By the way...My kubota WSM sucks on their MM to inch conversions. A couple of them were off by .050. I'm assuming they build them using MM so I did my own conversions in excel.

Thanks guys. I'll make some more calls tomorrow.