730 Taper Lock Flywheel

We've owned this tractor for 30+ years, going over it be for the season it gets really used.. After changing a R/R wheel bearing & having the wheel off
decided go through the clutch.. After reassemble I thought it had a tad too much end play in the crank shaft. I thought might as well look at that
too. To my surprise I find both bolts on the flywheel have the nut spot welded to the bolt. I knew it had a taper lock wheel but didn't know about the
weld? After using a angle head grinder on the welds the nuts backed off fine. Backed off the LARGE square nut just to see how it was built.. The sleeve
for the taper lock seems the have the Bolts pinched in there rather tight?? Is this Normal? I am thinking I must loosen the flywheel be for I attempt
any adjustment for end play. I don't believe it is loose, but what is the procedure now for me to move the flywheel in a few thousands. I have about 12
to 13 thousands end play now. Or should I just leave it alone? In the future I am going to need to replace the ring gear & I am going to need to know
how to get this thing loose? Worked on many Deere's but never on a taper lock flywheel. Other than a head gasket, low pressure fuel pump & a pony
engine a few years ago this tractor has been pretty much trouble free.

You should have left the welded nuts alone!

I have to replace the starter ring gear, the flywheel must come off the tractor, how would it come off without loosening the cross bolts....?

And it would be very easy to put the nut to where it was.

not a smart move on a very limited about of end play...seems like you were tinkering.

You DO NOT loosen those bolts. They are welded for a reason. You need to contact Dave at Allen Machine and find out what they were torqued at when he machined the flywheel, torque them and reweld them and don't loosen them again. Nothing will "set" right if you don't do this correctly and you might not be able to keep the flywheel tight. To get a taper lock flywheel off, all you have to do is, put some pressure against the flywheel pushing it away from the tractor, loosen that big nut and rap it with a good sized hammer but, don't hit it hard enough so you ruin the threads on the bushing. After doing that, the flywheel will come loose. Then you can slide it off. If you don't know the procedure on putting it back on, again, contact Dave at Allen Machine and have him send you the procedure. If you don't do it the correct way, you could cause damage to the flywheel and crankshaft.

rya,

I agree with all the comments made by others here, you need to call Dave at Allen Machine Works to see if what you have done can be salvaged. Do not assume that your flywheel came form Allen Machine Works, mine did not (my old one) but my new one most certainly did come from there . Dave is great to work with, give him a call. You will find the phone number here.
Allen Machine Works

Worked on one of these a few years back and they are a sob. The owner was a machinist and he made a couple of the big square nuts. We had to finness the clearance then tighten the sleve. Those compressions are fool proof when adjusted properly. A past friend of mine worked on turbines at power plants and he said they use a similar compression. The key is the quality of the sleeve and the key. I do know those units are out of sight now in price...maybe $1000 or more. For the life of me I can't see why the poster even consider messing with the unit. He did himself a real disservice.

another friend of mine now passed was a master mechanic at John Deere local dealership. He said when the 730's came out the owners and relatives really didn't know how to properly use the decompression on shut down. He had one case where the crankshaft snapped at the main bearing dropping off the flywheel and all the shroud. Decompression use was the key and not stopping and starting creating a hydro lock. This post also shows an owner not fully understanding complicated 2 cylinder diesel. Move on over to the 24 volt starting and charging system. That's a head full.

The sleeve between the crankshaft and the flywheel is like a tapered collet. The big square nut pushes the flywheel on to the taper so it tightens. Too remove the square nut is backed off (but not removed) and the flywheel is bumped back toward the nut down the taper and it loosens. It sounds like your flywheel is an original that has been machined to fit a tapered sleeve. Taperloc replacement flywheels from Allen do not have cross bolts.

Well I think that was why the bolts were welded. They used a standard flywheel and collared it. I believe however they made a casting for just collared flywheels. John Deere didn't but someone else had them cast.

This is instructions I found on line and used on how to install and remove a taperlock. First make sure your oil slinger is line up and bushing is all the way in for tolerance purposes.First but a bottle jack between the tire and the bolt on the crank in the center of the clutch assembly and put some pressure.Put on the flywheel then hit the rib ONCE with a 16# maul then tighten nut.Hit again ONCE tighten the nut and so on til the nut will no longer tighten, Check clearance.(TO REMOVE)place jack the same way and back off nut til it"s just past the taper lock (the end of the threads)so you don"t mess threads up.Lay a thick piece of flat steel on the nut and hit the steel with a 16# maul.GOOD LUCK.

I talked to Allen's at great length yesterday. Since the one cross bolt on the fly was looser than the other be for the weld were ground off meant
something has changed, this is why the weld was ground off. He said the bolts should have been at 110 pounds. If I set the clicker wrench at 110 One
bolt lines up perfect, while the LOOSE bolt is 3/4 of a turn beyond my index marks are. Still the fly wheel hasn't been moved on the crank & still the
ring gear needs replaced or flipped over. & with a dial indicator I have .025 end play not the 12 or 13 thousands that I guessed at so at some point it
has moved I've checked endplay on this tractor year ago & I know it wasn't over .007 . Regardless of all the nay sayers it wasn't right & needed
attention. Dave @ Allen's thought since we decompression both of our 730 tractors when we shut them down a issue might appears earlier. And when I knew
it had to come off to start with. Going to have the wheel magna fluxed & checked out, if it can be used I will use it & if it needs replaced it will
be replaced.

you can flip the ring over...can drive off but you'll need accetalyne to heat to drop back on....but be sure to cut the engaging angles on the teeth after you put it back on....