edgro 677 #1 Posted December 15, 2016 Putting together a plow tractor for my Grandson, went to change the tires, and found this. Was able to weld it up slowly a little bit at a time so the axle never got hot (a cold garage helps also) cut the keyway with a Dremel tool. new seal and new hub, and it's all good. The other side wasn't quite so bad. I was able to cut the keyway wider to fit the next bigger key, and then file the axle slot wider for the new key 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ztnoo 2,298 #2 Posted December 15, 2016 Man, that had to be a lot of work!!! Good job of maybe saving an axle.......at least for a while. What kind of condition is the hub in? Is the key slot in the hub still serviceable? That looks like something you are going to need to keep a close eye on to make sure that stays on tight. If that all gets to wobbling around again, you may have to replace both an axle and a hub. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 38,721 #3 Posted December 15, 2016 Here is a link to the axle keyway repair I made a few years back. If your hubs do not have two set screws, I suggest you add a second one 90 degrees from the existing one. This really helps to secure the fit on a worn hub and axle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeM 7,874 #4 Posted December 15, 2016 Looks good, nothing to lose. Probably last a good while. I know when I drilled an axle to center a hub puller the axle metal did not seem very hard. One time I had a 1 1/8 axle that was under sized, The keyway was good. The only thing that keep the hub on was the keyway in the hub deformed and it would not let the hub slide off. The previous owner must have ran it a good while to wear the axle. I had a local shop bore a 1" hub .002 tight, warmed it up and installed it. It has been running on a FEL now for two years no issue. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Howie 892 #5 Posted December 16, 2016 I bought a piece of 1/4 inch thick copper, took the key and found one of my hole saws that fit the key. Cut a piece out of the copper made sure it was the same as the woodruff key. Clamede it in the axle and welded around it. Axles were out so turned it down on lathe. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edgro 677 #6 Posted December 16, 2016 It was actually a lot easier to fix than I thought it would be, just had to go slow with the welding. I did put a different hub on it, with 2 set screws. seems to be a good tight fit. Also I used the next size longer key and ground & filed it to fit 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites