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Bearing went bad!

Started by dovetails, May 28, 2007, 03:41:37 PM

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dovetails

Well I knew it had to happen sometime....  one of the bearings that suport the drive wheel let go today. Heard a snap noise, then the band jumped off.and of couse it was half way thru a cut!  I got the band wheel off with no problem, but having a problem getting the bearing race off the shaft. Removed both set screws, and tryed driving it off,no joy, just dents the metal, no movement at all so far. Figured I better check an see if anyone has an easy way to get it off? Shouldn't think I would have to heat it, but do have torch if I need to.  Mill is an lt30, 1984 model, with only 63 hours on it.  It sat under a shelter for over 20 years before I bought it. I figure it got some moisture in the bearing and some rust,causing it to let go. I greased it, but guess I didn't flush it out enough, or damage was already done before greasing.
1984 wm lt30,ford 3000 w/frt lift,several chain saws, 1953 model 30 Vermeer stump grinder,full wood working shop, log home in the woods what more ya need?

Tom

Holy Smokes!   A garage kept 1984 with 30 hours?  You've probably got the only one in existance.

Sometimes inner races, that are stuck on shafts, can be broken with a cold chisel and hammer without hurting the shaft.   I'd prefer that to heat.  Heat might hurt the shaft.  'Course hammering might bend it too, but it's probably not likely.

Dan_Shade

welcome to the forum, dovetails.

I've seen my father cut a siezed up bearing off of a shaft before with a torch.  Can you get it out where it will go into a press?  if it's an interference fit bearing, it may be pretty tough to get it off. 

I wouldn't try that torch trick unless you're pretty good.  :D
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

dovetails

I have done that before,but the way the guard is positioned makes it hard to line up on the race to cut it. I may have to remove the whole shaft and have it pressed off.
The mill had just over 14 hours on it when I bought it last spring, was purchased to cut some cedar logs for siding on house, parked under a shelter and left sitting. Hauled it from Texas to NC,on the original tires.   I used a gallon of muratic acid to clean the gum out of the gas tank,some carb cleaner on the carb to free up the float, and fired it up! Now has 63.5 hours on it total. It's the 767th mill WM made, paint is faded,but works fine and is still orange. lol
1984 wm lt30,ford 3000 w/frt lift,several chain saws, 1953 model 30 Vermeer stump grinder,full wood working shop, log home in the woods what more ya need?

dovetails

Quote from: Dan_Shade on May 28, 2007, 04:17:15 PM
welcome to the forum, dovetails.

I've seen my father cut a siezed up bearing off of a shaft before with a torch.  Can you get it out where it will go into a press?  if it's an interference fit bearing, it may be pretty tough to get it off. 

I wouldn't try that torch trick unless you're pretty good.  :D


Well I am good with the torch, worked in junk yard cutting for several years. Have cut off many wheel bearing races with out scoring the axel. But what I was thinking was just to heat it up to expand it a little, them smack it with drift to get it off. Not knowing if it has to be pressed on and off or not, thought I would ask here first.
1984 wm lt30,ford 3000 w/frt lift,several chain saws, 1953 model 30 Vermeer stump grinder,full wood working shop, log home in the woods what more ya need?

thurlow

Guess I'm going against the consensus here, but...................after running Gleaner combines for almost 50 years, believe me I know about stuck/rusted bearings.  I'd just bust the outer race off with a shop hammer; using GOOD eye protection.  The inner race would almost never move, although occasionally you could drive it further onto the shaft; oil/file/sandpaper the shaft and get it off.  Usually I wouldn't even try; just drag the torch out; lay the tip parallel to the shaft and CAREFULLY lover the flame into the race, making sure there wasn't anything to catch on fire.  Idea is not to heat/expand the race, but to cut it off.  You'll not get the shaft hot enough to matter doing this.  I've done hundreds.   ;D  (2 posts since I started typing, but I'm posting anyway)  8)
Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

Pedalbiker

As a maintenance millwright heat would be the quickest and easiest.  Turn your torch down to a low flame, even slightly carberizing and be patient.  You can see the metal of the race melt away from the shaft.  Patience is the key!


Patrick Hubble
Coleman, MI

"You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it."      Charles Buxton

dovetails

...................after running Gleaner combines for almost 50 years, believe me I know about stuck/rusted bearings.  

Yup, I'll bet you do !  Thats probably how I will do it myself,just need to drag the water hose out to put out the fire I'll have on the ground while spraying sparks all over the dry yard! It's the outer bearing so no fire hazard as such on the mill,can cut from inside edge to send all fire away from mill. Of course I "need" to was all the sawdust off it first, or would never get the fire out! lol   Thanks for all the quick replys guys. Debating on weather to change the other one at same time, but it only has 60 hours use,and looks to be good,so think I will just pump some grease thru it and see what happens.
1984 wm lt30,ford 3000 w/frt lift,several chain saws, 1953 model 30 Vermeer stump grinder,full wood working shop, log home in the woods what more ya need?

Qweaver

Two other methods that I prefer to heat is to hold a heavy hammer on one side and hit it sharply on the other side to try to crack the race.  But the best last gasp method that I use is to grind thru the race with a very thin cutoff wheel on a high speed air spindle grinder.  I have a puller that will almost always get them but not always.
good luck
Quinton
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

dovetails

Got it off! ended up useing Thrulows method,cut it with the torch, an still had to beat the heck out of it to get it off the shaft.Just did not want to slide off!  Now to go to town in the morning and see if anybody carrys a bearing that size. 8)
1984 wm lt30,ford 3000 w/frt lift,several chain saws, 1953 model 30 Vermeer stump grinder,full wood working shop, log home in the woods what more ya need?

D._Frederick

Take a die grinder and cut a slot across the race, spread it apart with a cold chisel. No problem to remove now.

Don't over grease the bearings, you will damage the cage the holds the balls in place.

thurlow

Quote from: dovetails on May 28, 2007, 06:50:54 PM
  still had to beat the heck out of it to get it off the shaft.  8)

I should have explained further; I usually cut the other side also, especially if I could rotate the shaft enough so that I could see what I was doing.  Wouldn't have to cut the other side completely into.
Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

ljmathias

Hey, I got one almost as old- '86 LT30.  When my drive bearing did the same thing, was told there are no replacements available anymore and was sold a new suspended in oil type- what a pain getting the old stuff off and the new on.  Did what was suggested last though, and that worked real easy: use an angle grinder to cut a slot in one side and then a cold chisel to spread and pop it loose.  Putting on the new one was fairly easy as long as you were careful to tighten down the bolts carefully and fully- didn't get it right the first time and the pulley slid over some when I first cranked it up, belt rubbing on the side of the case.  Once I got everything back together and put the ATF in it, it's been working great.  Well worth the upgrade not to have to worry about greasing it all the time (although still have to grease the other pulley bearings and all the others).

Good luck and keep cuttin'

Lon
LT40, Long tractor with FEL and backhoe, lots of TF tools, beautiful wife of 50 years plus 4 kids, 5 grandsons AND TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS all healthy plus too many ideas and plans and not enough time and energy

dovetails

Quote from: ljmathias on May 29, 2007, 02:25:05 PM
Hey, I got one almost as old- '86 LT30.  When my drive bearing did the same thing, was told there are no replacements available anymore and was sold a new suspended in oil type- what a pain getting the old stuff off and the new on.  Did what was suggested last though, and that worked real easy: use an angle grinder to cut a slot in one side and then a cold chisel to spread and pop it loose.  Putting on the new one was fairly easy as long as you were careful to tighten down the bolts carefully and fully- didn't get it right the first time and the pulley slid over some when I first cranked it up, belt rubbing on the side of the case.  Once I got everything back together and put the ATF in it, it's been working great.  Well worth the upgrade not to have to worry about greasing it all the time (although still have to grease the other pulley bearings and all the others).

Good luck and keep cuttin'

Lon

no replacements available anymore ???  I just went to store in town that carrys bearings,hydrolic hoses,fittings ect, told them I needed a bearing for 1.25 shaft, and for less than $20 I'll have it tommorow morning.  other than color of paint, looks the same as original one.
1984 wm lt30,ford 3000 w/frt lift,several chain saws, 1953 model 30 Vermeer stump grinder,full wood working shop, log home in the woods what more ya need?

ljmathias

Ouch! Makes my $400 look a little expensive- thought of doing what you did but assumed (naively- don't work much with this type of repair) that the manufacturers bearings were a higher grade/higher load or lifetime... guess I was wrong and should just have asked first.  I'll know better next time- thanks and good luck.

Lon
LT40, Long tractor with FEL and backhoe, lots of TF tools, beautiful wife of 50 years plus 4 kids, 5 grandsons AND TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS all healthy plus too many ideas and plans and not enough time and energy

dovetails

Quote from: ljmathias on May 29, 2007, 06:04:06 PM
Ouch! Makes my $400 look a little expensive- thought of doing what you did but assumed (naively- don't work much with this type of repair) that the manufacturers bearings were a higher grade/higher load or lifetime... guess I was wrong and should just have asked first.  I'll know better next time- thanks and good luck.

Lon

sure don't know about quality, on the bottom of the bearing houseing, it says MADE IN JAPAN.  This mill only has 63 hours on it,but has sat idle for 20 odd years, I just figure it got some moisture in it and corroded some, but looking it over close, looks like the race cracked,and caused it to come apart. All the ball bearings were shinny and greasy.Any way, $20. fixes it. I always look around home area,before ordering anything,get it now, and no shipping.

am I reading it right that it cost $400 for one bearing??????
1984 wm lt30,ford 3000 w/frt lift,several chain saws, 1953 model 30 Vermeer stump grinder,full wood working shop, log home in the woods what more ya need?

Engineer

Using a 1984 vintage LT-30 with 30 hours...  :-\

Kinda like running your vintage '53 Vette at the drag strip.   :D

I bet WM would like to see that rig.

jack

Heat sounds like a good deal,  HEat it slowly,  and then in know it sounds stupid.  but spray some pentatrating oil in the thing.   DOnt ask me to explain the reason it works, But it has to do with the expansion and the properties of the oil and the fact that the corrosion that holds the thing tight cant handle it.....do this a couple of times then hit it with a hammer.......quench it with water and the sudden cooling will allow it to come free.     Old Massey Fergason mechanic, did that for the bearings on the rusty equipment.....after i beat and hollered at it til i was blue in the face.........in about 15 min.  he had it loose and the rest was history.
Oh Dont breath the smoke.....doh i just can see someone forgetting that part.

Lets see some pictures of that WM.....
work hard and wear deoderant.
JAck
GRAB life by the Belly fat and give it a twist!!!!!

Went from 5 employees to one, sorry to see a couple of them go.  Simplify life... building a totally solar run home, windmill pumps my water, and logs keep me warm.

dovetails

Quote from: Engineer on May 29, 2007, 07:31:04 PM
Using a 1984 vintage LT-30 with 30 hours...  :-\

Kinda like running your vintage '53 Vette at the drag strip.   :D

I bet WM would like to see that rig.

I prefer to buy older tools, the quality is "usualy" much better than the newer stuff.Most of my chainsaws are at least 20 years old and work fine.(028,038,056 stihls)
My stump grinder is a 1953 Vemeer,most of the shop tools are from back in the 60's.
And I also have a 57 MGA, with a 350cu.in chevy in it that I used to run on the drag strip. The list could go on to include my 1950 Desoto, 1960 MGA Coupe,64 Lemans.
I need to go read about posting photos on here, at a glance it looked to be a pain to do!
1984 wm lt30,ford 3000 w/frt lift,several chain saws, 1953 model 30 Vermeer stump grinder,full wood working shop, log home in the woods what more ya need?

thecfarm

dovetails,posting pictures maybe a pain the first few times,but after you do it a few times it's easy.Best thing I could of done was learn how to put picture in my gallery.I have to downsize pictures to share with my e-mail friends,so that one step is done all ready and than the next step is to put them in my gallery so the forum can always enjoy them for many years to come.No dreaded red "X" when reading a old post here.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

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