Cheap Fixes

Jeff NWOH · Dec 21, 2010

Had to pull the trans cover off this Massey 65 I'm working on. Steering gearbox is built in and I found this when I took it apart. Steering wheel and tube over the steering wheel shaft were bent and the bearing at the top was toast. Not sure if you can see it or not, but the bearing parts and such ground around between the shaft and the tube and darn near wore it through about 3 -4" from the bottom.

The new tube is a piece of stainless handrail my Dad had. Turned the OD to fit into the casting. Turned the ID at top to match the old tube with the intention of getting a new bearing from AGCO. Looks pretty, too bad you'll never see it.

Here's where it gets ugly. Bearing list $118 and NLA, but there were a few dealers around the country with one on the shelf. I couldn't do it. It's not even a what I consider a "real" bearing.

Spent a little time perusing the net and came up with a bearing with a smaller ID and OD than the original. Had to weld and turn the shaft anyway, so this just made for a little less welding. Made up a bushing to make up the difference between the bearing OD and the ID of the tube. Bearings were pretty narrow, so I put 2 in there.

Total cost, $5.12, little welding wire, and a couple hours "playing" in the shop.

Anybody else got any other cheap fixes to share?

Sorry, I'm not sure how to get my text in between the pictures.

Jeff

Allan in NE · Dec 21, 2010

You're my kinda man Jeff. I do that sort of stuff all the time.

Nothin' pizzes me off more than this out of control devaluation of the dollar.

It's a wonder some of these outfits don't put a gun to yer head.

Allan

Paul N Texas · Dec 21, 2010

I like it. This is one of the few forums where I find folks who can still make, build, or modify things, and make the work right. I've done that all my life. No so much because I couldn't afford this or that, or that I didn't have time to wait, but just because I could make something work. I've always tried to make anything I do, easily reversed in case someplace down the road I or someone else wanted to go back all original. Good ideas, and good work, Congratulations!!

rustyfarmall · Dec 21, 2010

If you've got a good engine lathe and some salvaged iron, nothing is impossible. All it takes is a little ingenuity.

Vito · Dec 21, 2010

I won't call it cheap but rather intelligent fixes.
Nice work.

Vito

buickanddeere · Dec 21, 2010

There's a difference between "economical quality repairs" and "cheap fixes".
Yours fits it's the first category.

Mike (WA) · Dec 21, 2010

Nice work. What's your address? I'll send you some stuff. . . LOL

Good to see somebody who can still actually fix something, rather than throw new parts at it to see if anything sticks.

Galen Mitchell · Dec 21, 2010

Nice work. My next skill to learn and tool purchase will be a lathe of some sort. Too many times I could have made my own parts and saved a bundle, let alone the day.

TimV · Dec 21, 2010

Very nice, Jeff! The bad thing about old tractors is that parts can be hard to find. The good thing is that often the parts are simple enough to make yourself, and the construction is robust enough to allow a bit of "creative license" when it comes to fixing things.

Crem · Dec 21, 2010

I like your work and ideas. Having a lath is a plus and is one thing that I do not have but would like.

I also like to keep a lot of different metal materials around for repairs. I like to recycle things and keep the parts that I think I can use such as different odd sizes of tubing, bushings etc.

RayP(MI) · Dec 21, 2010

Reel bearings cost $50+ for my hayrake. A $2 bearing, a $2 bolt, a $.50 nut, a $.30 washer borred to make a shim, and a shim cut off a piece of 1 inch pipe, an you're in business. Takes almost as long to tell about it as it does to build the repalcement bearing assembly.

Oldmax · Dec 21, 2010

I have done this all my life as service tech at a local Company. The ones they have now only know how to change out things. My LOL don't like my "junk" so I have a place behind the out building where I have to keep it. Some times it overflows and I katch H##l but when I need a piece on metal I have it.

Ultradog MN · Dec 21, 2010

That's called ingenuity. Combined with some skill it makes darned nice work.
I would have loved to have bought this old turret lathe. Got to run it a bunch of times and could have bought it at the auction last Thursday.
It sold for $375. Ran good.
If I'd only had 440V three phase and a place to put it...

Will- Tx.-Mn. · Dec 21, 2010

Good job Jeff!,

Thanks for posti'n the pics and the info and sharing with us, and btw Merry Christmas to you and your family.

~Will

rustyfarmall · Dec 21, 2010

(quoted from post at 18:53:49 12/21/10) That's called ingenuity. Combined with some skill it makes darned nice work.
I would have loved to have bought this old turret lathe. Got to run it a bunch of times and could have bought it at the auction last Thursday.
It sold for $375. Ran good.
If I'd only had 440V three phase and a place to put it...

<img src="http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h56/Ultradog/Wheel%20Weights/100_00891.jpg">

Where in ???? do you find a lathe like that one for $375? I don't have 3 phase either, but I would've figured a way around that obstacle.

omahagreg · Dec 21, 2010

Nice work you done there! I have a Porter Cable 10" compound, slide miterbox. I have had zero repairs on this thing for the last 10 years! I could tell the bearings were going out in the motor-I did a google search and found the bearings for $35.00 total. I could even get the windings and armature if needed! Sunday, I asked my retired Dad if he would be willing to work on it-I had already bought a cheap miterbox to keep in the truck, so there was no big deadline. He said he thought he could get the bearings at Precision Bearing, here in town. At 3:30 yesterday, one day after he took it home, he emails me and tells me it is fixed, cost $9.39! Good thing I did not order those bearings from Porter Cable...LOL!

scott mcintosh · Dec 21, 2010

Quality work if I say so.Scott

johndeereman · Dec 21, 2010

mowing hay late saturday afternoon chain broke that runs the rolls nobody open at that time and was 2/3 done with the field looked around and all the parts were still there one link just seperated for some reason well i put it back together tack welded it on the side hoping it would last to finish the field well that was 2 years ago its still going i wont change it till it quits working lol

Ultradog MN · Dec 22, 2010

Lot #16
Auction

Mike (WA) · Dec 22, 2010

I was about 100 bales from finishing baling a field, and broke a billhook. Sunday, of course, so I rummaged through the toolbox on the baler, and found an old pair of billhooks- looked ratty, grooves worn from the twine, but I thought it would be worth a try to get through the day. Put them on, and didn't miss a bale! Bought a new pair, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it, so left the old ones on. For the rest of that year, and all of the next. Missed far fewer bales than usual.

When I sold the baler, it went with a new set of billhooks still in the wrapper.

Inno · Dec 22, 2010

Great work there! I wish I was handy with a lathe, oh the things I could fix then!!
Not exactly "cheap" but certainly cheaper than buying all original new parts for my Massey Ferguson. Over the past couple of years I broke a lot of steering components because someone had removed most of the power steering parts from my 202 and left others just hangin' there rusting. To make a long story short, new parts estimated at around $1600 to repair what was broken and replace what was missing. For somewhere around $600 I build my own hydrostatic power steering that runs off the loader hydraulic pump.
Video of the completed project here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXM-ISkLfjQ
And one with my son (9 at the time, just turned 10) backing it up. Shows just how easy it steers now!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-YfOKjc9oc

Just one of many upgrades I have done since I got the tractor just over a year ago but certainly the best one!

Inno · Dec 22, 2010

Inno · Dec 22, 2010

Well that didn't work. Anyone know why editing has been disabled?

Rick Kr · Dec 22, 2010

Very nice work.

My lathe has paid for itself over and over,fixing all the things that could have been scrapped by others.

That led to my buying a mill. It hasn"t quite paid for itself yet, but it is aweful close. I guess if I count all the times I cheated and used it for a drill press since it has more power than my old press. Its earned its keep.

Always nice to see the other projects on here people have fixed, instead of just opening the checkbook.

Rick

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