Back axle bearings

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 3:10 pm

So I finally got the back wheel off our fordson major to do the brakes. Man it was a b*tch to get the wheel off. Nuts came off fine, but the wheel just wouldn't come off. Had to get a 6ft fencing post and lever it between the wheel and tractor to pry it off. Not sure it had ever been taken off before.

Haven't opened up the brakes yet as it's too windy. There was a lot of play on the back axle though, I think the bearings must be warn. How much play is normal ? The play seems to be mostly up and down, the wheel didn't wobble horizontally.

If i wanted to change the bearings, how do I get to them ? Do I have to unbolt the entire back axle ? Is this a job I can do on my own ?

Post by **Brian** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 5:39 pm

There should be no play at all.

Take the lift off, undo the big nuts on the bull gears, chisel up the tags that hold the seal onto the axle and draw the halfshaft out.

You will need then to pull the bearing off the shaft and you will need a new seal, housing and cork gasket.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:18 am

Okay I've been studying the manuals and parts list, and my only questions are

1) How does the hydraulic pump connect to the parts up above ? When I lift the top off how can I make sure this connection whatever it is is still there ?

2) Will the gasket around this need replacing after I rip it off and can you buy replacement ? or should i try and make it up again.

Thanks

TOH · Post by **TOH** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 9:03 am

1. In the first picture you'll see a pipe coming straight up from the hydraulic pump (the pump is the light grey colored part between the big gears at the bottom). It goes to a corresponding hole in the top part (visible in the second picture). There are o-rings at both ends of the pipe which you'll need to change. When you reinstall the top you'll need to be careful with the pipe so that the o-ring doesn't get damaged.

2. The top cover gasket can be made with silicone gasket paste or whatever it is called.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 3:12 pm

many thanks TOH, that was exactly the picture I wanted to see

I think I'm gonna go order the parts and do this job soon. I will try and photo the whole process if anyone else is interested.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 1:57 pm

How hard is to get the lift cover off ?
I have removed all the bolts but it doesn't seem to want to come.

Post by **Brian** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 5:31 pm

Check round again and make sure you have all the bolts out and there are none hidden under the lift arms. You may have to tap something in the gap and lever if it has not been off for a few years.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:04 pm

I've double checked with the images from TOH above, I've definitely got all the bolts. It's just pretty stuck on there. My concerns over making a new gasket seal for it seem misplaced as I am about 80% sure there is no gasket there.

I snapped a few pics

is it normal you can pull the shafts partially out ?

When I let go it goes back in again.

They also seem to wiggle up and down a fair bit

few other random pics of what i am working on

Dandy Dave · Post by **Dandy Dave** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 1:38 pm

Too bad that you did not pressure wash it before you put it inside. You have a lot of cleaning to do before you open it up or you will end up with dirt where you do not want it. To do a lasting job, keeping things clean is very important. It only takes a few grains of sand to wipe out a bearing. Dandy Dave!

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 2:49 pm

I believe I would clean the whole area before I took anything apart. Dandy Dave is right that a tiny bit of dirt in the wrong place can wreak havoc and it is easier to work on a clean machine. It's worth taking the time to move it back outside and pressure washing it! To get the cover off, I'd recommend using a jackscrew between the axle housing and the lift arm base. Put the pressure to it slowly and it should break free readily. There is likely rust in the dowel pin holes so some penetrating oil around the edge wouldn't hurt.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 5:21 pm

thanks for the advice !
It was actually power washed before we put it in the shed

But getting between the wheels and mudgard wasn't easy. Took a while to get the wheel and mudguard off and I'm not sure I can move it now. I'll try give it a clean before I take the lift cover off it.

Daves rusty bits · Post by **Daves rusty bits** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 9:51 pm

Photos of the axle dismantling would be appreciated Ian, I`ve got to delve into mine at some point its always handy to know what to expect.
On a similar subject, does anyone know, I have water in my rear axle oil, are the top plate and filler plug the only means of entry for it? I don`t want to put in fresh oil just to get it contaminated again.

Mike Kuscher · Post by **Mike Kuscher** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:58 pm

Dave,

Was it fresh oil that has the water in?
If not, and it was seen in the old oil you drained, then I should not worry.
The 'old girls' generate a lot of water, internally to the castings, just from condensation over the years.
You should have seen the state of mine when I drained it.

Mike

Daves rusty bits · Post by **Daves rusty bits** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:05 pm

Its the old oil Mike, its still in there looking milky white, but if I change it and put in about £75 of new oil will it just go the same? Cheers Dave

Kiwi Kev · Post by **Kiwi Kev** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:33 pm

Dave
The water can also get in through the gear lever and the oil level dipstick.

Ian
Bought myself a new 22 inch moniter today. The other 15 inch moniter was playing havoc with my eyes as the colour was going on it. When I looked at this thread the other day, I couldn't see too much detail, but now I see the tractor has an aux hydraulic lever fitted. (Even thought for a minute that this was a super 4 with the big front wheels until I noticed that they were only leaning against the front wheels.)

What do you use the tractor for. Is it a yard scraper or similar, judging from the rusty bits around the axle/mudguard area. I see theres no rust around the hyd levers area though

Keep the photos coming.
Kiwi Kev

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 8:36 pm

Hi Kiwi Kev,
the tractor used to get used for everything. The loader and hydraulics were altered a bit to update them so we could use a shear grab and a bale grab and a few other things on it. Nowadays its primary job is sitting in the field rusting. We do use it for yard scraping sometimes and some of our buildings are really low. Since it has no cab or roll bar its the only tractor that can be used to clean them out. So for us is quite important in that respect.

I finally managed to get the lift cover off it. 6ft fencing post has amazing level action

But I've left it for now as I realised I don't think i can get it off with the bar on the back. This thing

The problem is, the heads of the bolts are so badly rusted. I've managed to get some of them out but the others have just disintegrated. I hammered on a smaller size socket but still it spins.

henk · Post by **henk** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 10:01 pm

Ian,

Always hammer right on the head from a rusty bolt before trying to loose it. It will shock it and it will come loose easier.

Daves rusty bits · Post by **Daves rusty bits** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 12:45 pm

Ian, if the bolts are beyond saving, grind off the surface rust and weld a biggish nut onto the stump. The combined heating and better purchase usually works, mind you its always easy to give advice!

Post by **Brian** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 5:36 pm

Mind the axle lugs when you are hammering them out. They can easily break off.

Anyway, the top only has to lift about an inch so the bar should be no problem. The lift could be slid out under it on a couple of boards.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:13 pm

I filed down the heads of the bolts until I reached good metal. Then I hammered a smaller socket on the heads of the bolts. Got them all undone now

I've done this before with other stuff. I'll put the bolts in the vice and clean up the heads so they fit nicely on a smaller socket size. Bolt is then good to use again. It's not easy finding imperial sized bolts ..

If I have enough time will try and remove the lift cover tomorrow and get the axle shaft out. Will try and snap some pics also.

Dave, I'm in Dorset also

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 5:54 pm

Well I made some progress today. Got the lift cover off. It's very heavy ! You need at least 2 strong men to lift it off. We had 3 of us lol. Easiest way I found was to get the 6ft fencing post to lift it out a little way. Then just lift it off with 2 or 3 of you.

Got the split pin out, and the big nut off.

Having a LOT of trouble getting the shaft out though. Not sure if there's something I am missing.

Post by **Brian** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 6:27 pm

The seal housing is stamped into a groove on the end of the axle. You should lift the "dings" out with a chisel then prise the housing off. There is nothing else holding the half shaft in once you have taken the nut off the inside.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 7:44 pm

In my pic above
The white arrow, is that what you are talking about ? Chisel there?

TOH · Post by **TOH** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 1:46 am

Here are some pictures that hopefully help a little. If I remember correctly, the seal housing is staked in four places. It is recommended to break the seal housing and get a new one to replace it. However, when I did mine, I couldn't get new housings but just the seals. We managed to remove the outer bearing without damaging the seal housing or the bearing itself but it was quite a difficult job. We made a two-piece tool for pulling the bearing out that fitted between the bearing and the seal housing. If you can get the seals with new housings I recommend getting them and forgetting about saving the old ones. They seem to be quite rusty anyway on your tractor so they might not be salvageable anyway.

I would also change the rear oil while the top is off. There will be a lot of sludge on the bottom that can only be completely cleaned from the top. It's a messy job but worth it. I also had the PTO shaft removed for oil seal change so there was plenty of room to work.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 2:54 pm

many thanks TOH, really useful information.

I got a chisel and hammered off the axle housing. Was pretty rusted but maybe could be used again, but doesn't matter really as I have a new one. As soon as I knocked the axle housing off the bearings fell out all over the place. Was a mangled mess in there

bearings