What do you use to install axle seals?

[ebinmaine 68,405]

I'm looking for tips and tricks or some kind of odd sized piece of pipe or tubing or whatever it is that you may find works well on 1" or 1-1/8" axle seals.

 

Right now my only known method is not quite correct I'm sure but works okay. I very very patiently drive very very lightly with a small flat screwdriver and eventually it just goes into place.

 

[19richie66 17,522]

Pvc pipe?

[rjg854 11,493]

a piece of plastic tubing or plastic conduit

[Racinbob 11,232]

I slip a heavy flat washer over the shaft then use a pvc pipe. The washer will bottom out on the case assuring the seal is perfectly flush. 

[Lane Ranger 10,992]

I do just like Racinbob does but I  use two washers and if the oil seal is oiled first and aligned correctly on outside of the shaft if should set fine.    Make sure PVC pipe end you are going to use is cut straight and if you use a rubber mallet or wooden block and mallet on the end one true tap  (not real hard) should set it.   You should hear a slight sucking sound if it sets and seals just right.

 

 

 

[JAinVA 4,623]

I use the drive hub itself.I make sure that it is clean and install it backwards.Works for me.

[19richie66 17,522]

Good idea if it slides on/off easily. 👍

[AMC RULES 37,134]

 Start by filing down any burrs on the axle, key ways...

might even apply a piece tape over the key way to protect that new seal. 

[JoeM 7,874]

30 minutes ago, JAinVA said:

I use the drive hub itself.I make sure that it is clean and install it backwards.Works for me.

I have one hub that is slightly worn and marked as such. 1 1/8, I only have one machine with 1" axles and its good.

I use a piece of electrical tape on the keyway, slide on the seal, of course with a little oil on the shaft, remove the tape and use the worn hub to tap the seal in place.

[oliver2-44 9,872]

I picked up several good ideas here, that's what great about this place!

[McGrew 460]

I realize this is not what Eric is asking, but want to comment on something I found helpful when installing new seals.  I destroyed several new seals when putting my 5073 back together... Keep in mind there were no shafts in the holes, just empty cases.  What I found that made a HUGE difference was chamfering the lip of the case.  The factory edges on the case are completely square.  Once the edges were chamfered, the seals slid in with no problem.  I used a machinists deburring  tool.  You can buy them for as less than 10 bucks, and I promise you will find a hundred other uses for it!  Danny

Edited December 30, 2018 by McGrew
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[WHNJ701 4,165]

2 hours ago, Racinbob said:

I slip a heavy flat washer over the shaft then use a pvc pipe. The washer will bottom out on the case assuring the seal is perfectly flush. 

that's the way I do them 

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,318]

I never thought of using the flat washer...great idea...I will have to remember that when I get transmission put back together for Ray's tractor. Also need to do the axle seals on my worker C125 before spring. When I did the ones on my 1277 a couple years ago I just took the seal with me to the local lumber yard and hunted around in their cutoffs until I found a piece of PVC that was the right size, used it to very carefully drive the seal into place. Worked great, but I can see where the washer would make it a lot easier to drive it in square and get it seated properly.

[ebinmaine 68,405]

2 hours ago, OILUJ52 said:

I have one hub that is slightly worn and marked as such. 1 1/8, I only have one machine with 1" axles and its good.

I use a piece of electrical tape on the keyway, slide on the seal, of course with a little oil on the shaft, remove the tape and use the worn hub to tap the seal in place.

This is the method I ended up using this morning.

Took a couple minutes to sand down the axle shaft a little more which I was going to do anyways and then cleaned up and sanded out the hub that I was using as a puller.

Deburred the groove and slid the seal mostly into place.

The Hub works as its own Slide Hammer as well.

 

Excellent method. Thank you for sharing that.

 

[953 nut 55,825]

I keep an assortment of used bearing for installing seals. Clean the axle or shaft, lubricate the shaft, slip the seal on and then the old bearing. Now you can use the hub/brake drum/whatever as a slide hammer to tap the seal in. The bearing will provide a good alignment with the shaft and ensure a nice square fit.

[tunahead72 2,433]

22 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

I picked up several good ideas here, that's what great about this place!

 

Likewise, and totally agree.

 

And thanks to @ebinmaine for asking these questions in the first place.  I'm not much of a mechanic, pretty much learned by myself over the years just because I was interested.  And I find a lot of answers to the question "Am I doing this right?" in Eric's posts.  Thanks, and keep 'em coming!