Rebuilding TO30 rear axle bearings and seals

Sorry for the delay in getting back. I had to set the tractor repairs aside for a couple of weeks to do that work that I get paid for (aarg!).

And, YES, those bearings come off MIGHTY hard! I ended up using a hub puller with 3/8" allthread to get down to the bearing housing and pull, along with three 3/8" bolts and nuts to jack the housing away from the hub end of the axle. I alternated tightening the hub puller and then tightening the jacking bolts. It took about an hour to get the bearing off this way, but without a hydraulic press, I didn"t have many options.

Anyway, I am trying an experiment. Since my company didn"t have a lathe big enough to knurl the axle, I ended up using a center punch to lightly peen the shaft (a grid on about 1/4" centers) to raise some material and provide somewhat of a press fit. I then applied a bearing retaining compound (Loctite 680) to the shaft after carefully cleaning the inside of bearing and collar, as well as outside of shaft (even at the spline end) using mineral spirits and then auto body wax and grease remover (used before applying paint). I then pressed the bearing on and then the retaining collar, making sure to reapply the Loctite 680 on the collar side of the shaft so the collar was sure to get an adequate amount. This retaining compound is essentially super glue (cyanoacrylate) that bonds only in the absence of air. My hope is that this retaining compound will hold the bearing and collar in place for another 50 years. Also, the peening done with the center punch should provide some grip for the adhesive to sink its teeth into.

I also fabricated a temporary gage that extends from the fender closely over the brake drum, so if the bearing starts slipping off the shaft, the brake drum will start rubbing on the gage before it moves more than about 1/16". I"m hoping I can remove the gage once I get a more experience and understanding of how well the bearing is holding on the axle. So far, I"ve driven the tractor around, but haven"t put any significant thrust force on the shaft and bearing. Right now, it"s in the shop with the other axle torn apart (which will not be cleaned up except for the oil seal surfaces), so I won"t have any updates until at least then.

I"ll try to get you an update as I accumulate time with this band-aid fix. We use this bearing retaining compound at work, and quite frankly, once a bearing is put on with it, you don"t get it off. The difference with this axle application has a bigger load and the load has an axial force wanting to move the bearing down the length of the shaft since the bearing is a conical bearing. This will be a first time for me using it this way.

Wish me luck! Best of luck to you, too!

I have a rear end out of a TO 20 that I need to take apart and get out of the shop I can look at the axels in it but I don't know if they are the same as the 30. you can email me later if you want and when I get it apart I can measure them. Hopefully next weekend.
jkorschotatderbyworksdotnet

Thanks for the feedback. Did your Ford have an interference fit between this same axle diameter and the bearing itself? I know the collar is supposed to be, but I was surprised to find the bearing itself to be a slightly smaller ID than the collar. I thought the purpose of the collar was to retain the bearing at the end of the shaft - with the diameters I'm working with, the bearing itself will be as much of a press fit (in this case more) as the collar. It doesn't make any sense to me. And, yes the TO20 rear axles are the same as my TO30's. If you would be so kind, I'd sure like to have the diameter measurement for the area of the axle that holds the bearing and shrink collar. Thanks again!