Front axle Pin wallard out blues

[Wheelhorse#1 1,669]

I bought a WH 12Automatic I’m semi restoring trying to get into decent mechanical shape.

Going over the front axle,  I can see the hole for the pin is wallard out top and bottom.
Is there anyway to make the hole true again?I thought maybe a washer of some sort and somehow fasten that to front side of the hole ?I don’t have a welder so there’s that. 

I know I need tie rods as well and that would take some of the play out of the steering.

I tried to use search function but can’t seem to find a fix,I’m sure  someone here has figured a way.

Thx

[squonk 41,162]

@pfrederi

[roadapples 6,983]

I know some have drilled it out larger and put a sleeve in it...

[Handy Don 12,237]

26 minutes ago, roadapples said:

I know some have drilled it out larger and put a sleeve in it...

NOT a job for a hand-held drill, of course.

[Wheelhorse#1 1,669]

3 hours ago, Handy Don said:

NOT a job for a hand-held drill, of course.

Well might have to be close enough for now I guess.I don’t have a drill press that could go through that much steal and straight too.

 

Edited October 16, 2021 by Wheelhorse#1

[8ntruck 7,021]

4 hours ago, roadapples said:

I know some have drilled it out larger and put a sleeve in it...

Yup.  That would be the fix.  Plan B would be to replace the axle.

[Handy Don 12,237]

55 minutes ago, Wheelhorse#1 said:

Well might have to be close enough for now I guess.I don’t have a drill press that could go through that much steal and straight too.

 

You'd be taking off 64ths at a time and stepping up bit by bit so it can be slow with lots of cutting fluid. Power probably adequate on most drill presses.

The real challenges are clamping it down in the right spot really solidly and having a drill press with no play in its spindle!

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

Wouldn't it be better to use something like an end mill rather than a drill bit?  With a milling bit  you wouldn't have to worry too much about the drill bit wanting to move over into the hole...

 

Of course, you'd be talking about $300 for just the bit, so there is that.  Then you would need a really solid drill press... 

 

I think you could farm that out to a machine shop for less than the price of a bit to do the job.

 

I gotta ask this though.... what would be the harm of doing nothing?  You would never have known it was worn if you hadn't disassembled it, right?  There were no 'symptoms' that the hole was wallowed out, right?

Edited October 16, 2021 by Jeff-C175

[cleat 6,078]

I drilled one of mine and fit in a thin sleeve.

 

I don't remember the OD of the bushing but since the pin is 3/4 I would assume I used a 7/8 x 3/4 steel bushing.

 

I know I drilled it with a hand drill since fitting the frame into a drill press would be difficult.

 

Since the hole was worn to almost the size of the bushing's OD did not drill too bad.

 

For the front side, I just installed a new front hitch assembly and that was good.

 

Of course a new pin was used at that point.

 

I can't seem to find any pictures to show what was done.

[Handy Don 12,237]

9 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

you'd be talking about $300 for just the bit, so there is that

 Yeah, there is that! 

 

10 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

what would be the harm of doing nothing? 

Excellent point. Unless the pin is dangerously worn, its probably undetectable. Keep it well lubed (with that grease @Peter Lena must own stock in ) and it'll likely work fine for the next 20 years!

[Lee1977 6,673]

I had a stepped bushing made for mine and we made an over sized pin so we didn"t have to drill the back hole or the axle. It was on my C-120 so the front hitch was removable.

We drilled the hitch out to 1" the bushing is 1/2" thick 1/4" stepped down to under 1" I put it back together lined up the axle a welded the bushing.

 

 

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

2 hours ago, Handy Don said:

Unless the pin is dangerously worn

 

@Wheelhorse#1

 

Yeah, if this is the pin, it don't look too awful bad actually.

 

 

 

[ri702bill 8,350]

Lowell sells reproduction axle pins for under $25. What condition is the axle itself in? Are the spindle and pivot bores all worn out too??

I have posted this a while back where I machined the three bores to accept pressed in sleeve bearings and machined the lower bosses to make room for thrust washers. No more play. You can see the pivot bushings installed in the first picture.

Bill

 

[peter lena 8,639]

@Handy Don was just about to suggest that , Lucas x tra heavy duty chassis , but you covered me on that , I  don't have any lucas stock , but what ever i suggest i use , refit a an axel last year , and can verify the lucas zero wear effect , use it every wear now , it just works , no bearing whine and zero bore to axel wear . my mower deck spin up and ease of running drive , is evident , keep it greasy , pete  

[lynnmor 7,309]

10 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said:

Wouldn't it be better to use something like an end mill rather than a drill bit?  With a milling bit  you wouldn't have to worry too much about the drill bit wanting to move over into the hole...

 

Of course, you'd be talking about $300 for just the bit, so there is that.  Then you would need a really solid drill press... 

 

I think you could farm that out to a machine shop for less than the price of a bit to do the job.

 

That is not a job for a hand drill or a drill press, you need a milling machine.  An end mill can be bought for as little as $30.  A machine shop might charge about $100.

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

2 hours ago, lynnmor said:

An end mill can be bought for as little as $30

 

Well, that learns me to use McMaster-Carr as a pricing source!

 

Yeah, I see they can be had pretty cheap after asking Mrs. Google very nicely.

 

I wonder how the $30 ones hold up comparted to the $300 ones?  Probably be OK for a one time use I suppose.

 

[lynnmor 7,309]

2 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

Well, that learns me to use McMaster-Carr as a pricing source!

 

Yeah, I see they can be had pretty cheap after asking Mrs. Google very nicely.

 

I wonder how the $30 ones hold up comparted to the $300 ones?  Probably be OK for a one time use I suppose.

 

 

I don't use McMaster for cutting tools, the prices are high and you have no clue about brand quality.  One time I did order some carbide inserts that I did know the brand since there are no other makers of that particular insert.  They tossed them in a bag and every one was chipped.

 

Yes, there are some real cheap cutting tools that won't hold up well, but cast iron cutting is the subject of this discussion and it will machine easily with any end mill. 

[wallfish 17,015]

This can be your best friend for us non-machinist guys that don't have access to the expensive equipment.

https://www.amazon.com/Drill-America-KFDRBSS7-Straight-Premium/dp/B01BNKGGWG/ref=asc_df_B01BNKGGWG?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80608039596521&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584207586077490&th=1

I've easily and successfully bushed many axles by hand drilling them and using 7/8 OD x 3/4 ID bushings. That axle pivot point, the spindle holes and steering components.  Pay attention to what you're doing, go slow and straight.

There are some reamers available that don't have that stop section at the top of the flutes so you can go deeper through the hole like doing the spindle holes in the axle. I used to just ream them from both directions but then ground that stop off so I can just do them from top and leave the axle right on the tractor if the pivot was good. Don't forget to drill a hole in the new bushing for the grease zerk!

[Wheelhorse#1 1,669]

On 10/16/2021 at 3:49 PM, wallfish said:

This can be your best friend for us non-machinist guys that don't have access to the expensive equipment.

https://www.amazon.com/Drill-America-KFDRBSS7-Straight-Premium/dp/B01BNKGGWG/ref=asc_df_B01BNKGGWG?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80608039596521&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584207586077490&th=1

I've easily and successfully bushed many axles by hand drilling them and using 7/8 OD x 3/4 ID bushings. That axle pivot point, the spindle holes and steering components.  Pay attention to what you're doing, go slow and straight.

There are some reamers available that don't have that stop section at the top of the flutes so you can go deeper through the hole like doing the spindle holes in the axle. I used to just ream them from both directions but then ground that stop off so I can just do them from top and leave the axle right on the tractor if the pivot was good. Don't forget to drill a hole in the new bushing for the grease zerk!

Thanks for all the great suggestions here.After looking closer it looks  as if the axle pivot point for steering  is worn the most.The first pic in my post .

Its worn down mostly at the top and bottom of the hole where the pin comes through.

The axle itself looks pretty good.So can I just throw a bushing in the pivot point itself  and would that take out some of the  play in the front end??

 

 

[wallfish 17,015]

31 minutes ago, Wheelhorse#1 said:

So can I just throw a bushing in the pivot point itself  and would that take out some of the  play in the front end??

Absolutely

The pin should have a tab on the rear end of it with a hole in the tab. That tab bolts to the frame which holds the pin securely in place. That it was will keep the pin from wobbling out the new bushings as the pin should be stationary and the axle should pivot on the pin.

[Wheelhorse#1 1,669]

On 10/18/2021 at 8:15 PM, wallfish said:

Absolutely

The pin should have a tab on the rear end of it with a hole in the tab. That tab bolts to the frame which holds the pin securely in place. That it was will keep the pin from wobbling out the new bushings as the pin should be stationary and the axle should pivot on the pin.

Great ..Thanks !