Replacing front axle shims on G5200.

[dlundblad]

I’m stuck. One of my G5200’s has some terrible play in the front axle. If you look at it from above, it has clockwise and counter-clockwise movement about an inch in each direction.

Where the PTO housing goes through the axle, it has some shims (giant washers really) of various thicknesses than can be replaced and added between the frame and axle to tighten everything up. I just can’t get the PTO housing out of the axle. I removed the 4 bolts and it’s stuck.

The FSM makes it look like it should just come out... more PB Blaster and more patience perhaps? It’s not budging. Definitely don’t want to tap on the shaft to try to move things.

Thanks guys.

 

[lugbolt]

This used to be a very common problem with them and the later G-series (1700,1800, 1900, 2000). People would tend to forget about that grease fitting down there and then the pivot would then get stuck. Mine was so stuck that it required cutting it out of the frame; in other words get all the clearance you can make by prying the frame away from the axle the best you can and reach up in there with a cut off wheel on a grinder and just cut it out. Once out, put the axle (with the remainder of the pivot) in the press and hope & pray that you can press it out. If not, you may have to replace the axle, pivot, all the bearings, everything---and that gets expensive. I was real lucky that mine came out in the press without much damage so it was just a matter of replacing the pivot assembly with bearings & seals--but once done & shimmed, I haven't missed greasing it; not one time.

good luck--they're a bear sometimes.

 

[dlundblad]

I will have to double check, but I wonder if a 4WD ball joint press would do it without cutting the mount off.