Much to my chagrin, there's more to my 853 story, but the ending is pretty happy: I ran the 853 around the yard and did a few chores with it Saturday morning. I noticed oil on the inside of the left front wheel. Sure enuf, my seal was leaking. I decided to bite the bullet and tear the front axles out this weekend, lol. The hardest thing about this project was I didn't have the proper puller for the bearing races. I had to build one, but I couldn't get enough "oomph" to make it work. I ended up cutting the races out with a diamond bladed micro-grinder--the same one I used to cut the back hydraulic filter off. I bet that literally took me 4 hours because I was making tiny cuts so as not to damage the bearing seat surfaces. If anybody has any ideas (other than the exact proper tool) if I ever have to pull bearing races again, I'm all ears. Anyway, I'm glad I pulled the seal off the one side and then decided to pull the other side--the other side had a chunk missing out of the bearing itself, and when I pulled the axle shaft out, the pieces fell at my feet! Almost needless to say, I spent the rest of the day Saturday and until 4am this morning rebuilding the front end. I went thru it completely and polished all the driveshaft surfaces, the axle tubes, and the hubs. Doesn't sound like much, but it was a BUNCH of work. The inside races and bearings inside the front chain case were in good shape. I compared them to brand-new parts, and they were so close, I decided not to switch them out. The races were very shiny and smooth with no evidence of wear at all, and the bearings had very little slop in them. I sure am glad I save that length of pipe from the last job, because my installation of the new bearings on the shafts went super-smoothly using it like a post driver. Only a machine shop would have something better. I did NOT replace the speedy-sleeves, but I'm sure I will have to sometime. I didn't have new ones to put on. I did polish up the old ones, and I put a light coat of marine grease on the sleeves and the bearings before I put them back inside the machine. I'm going to keep an eye on the seals to see if they leak. I'm ordering new seals and speedy-sleeves, tho, to have on hand for the future. Oh, the culprit for the leaking seals--poly baling twine found on round hay bales! Two of the 4 axles had it wrapped around them. So, some poly twine ruined my $8 seals which led to about $2000 in repairs. I think if I take care of the machine, it should last a long time, now, tho. Also, I had to use (3) 6-ton jacks and a 12-ton gear puller to get the right side hub off, and when it went, it FLEW across the yard about 6 feet with a BANG! Luckily, after the first hub popped off a couple weeks ago, I stood WAY out of the way this time. I put a lot of anti-seize on the shaft and the hubs and keyways, so they should slide right off next time I take them apart. I think that's it for now. I hope I don't have to put too many more repair topics on here for a while! Thanks.
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Yes that poly twine can sure chop up a seal, it ruined my left rear seal although it did not leak until I pulled a length of it out.Much to my chagrin, there's more to my 853 story, but the ending is pretty happy: I ran the 853 around the yard and did a few chores with it Saturday morning. I noticed oil on the inside of the left front wheel. Sure enuf, my seal was leaking. I decided to bite the bullet and tear the front axles out this weekend, lol. The hardest thing about this project was I didn't have the proper puller for the bearing races. I had to build one, but I couldn't get enough "oomph" to make it work. I ended up cutting the races out with a diamond bladed micro-grinder--the same one I used to cut the back hydraulic filter off. I bet that literally took me 4 hours because I was making tiny cuts so as not to damage the bearing seat surfaces. If anybody has any ideas (other than the exact proper tool) if I ever have to pull bearing races again, I'm all ears. Anyway, I'm glad I pulled the seal off the one side and then decided to pull the other side--the other side had a chunk missing out of the bearing itself, and when I pulled the axle shaft out, the pieces fell at my feet! Almost needless to say, I spent the rest of the day Saturday and until 4am this morning rebuilding the front end. I went thru it completely and polished all the driveshaft surfaces, the axle tubes, and the hubs. Doesn't sound like much, but it was a BUNCH of work. The inside races and bearings inside the front chain case were in good shape. I compared them to brand-new parts, and they were so close, I decided not to switch them out. The races were very shiny and smooth with no evidence of wear at all, and the bearings had very little slop in them. I sure am glad I save that length of pipe from the last job, because my installation of the new bearings on the shafts went super-smoothly using it like a post driver. Only a machine shop would have something better. I did NOT replace the speedy-sleeves, but I'm sure I will have to sometime. I didn't have new ones to put on. I did polish up the old ones, and I put a light coat of marine grease on the sleeves and the bearings before I put them back inside the machine. I'm going to keep an eye on the seals to see if they leak. I'm ordering new seals and speedy-sleeves, tho, to have on hand for the future. Oh, the culprit for the leaking seals--poly baling twine found on round hay bales! Two of the 4 axles had it wrapped around them. So, some poly twine ruined my $8 seals which led to about $2000 in repairs. I think if I take care of the machine, it should last a long time, now, tho. Also, I had to use (3) 6-ton jacks and a 12-ton gear puller to get the right side hub off, and when it went, it FLEW across the yard about 6 feet with a BANG! Luckily, after the first hub popped off a couple weeks ago, I stood WAY out of the way this time. I put a lot of anti-seize on the shaft and the hubs and keyways, so they should slide right off next time I take them apart. I think that's it for now. I hope I don't have to put too many more repair topics on here for a while! Thanks.
U. P. Stump Jumper
New member
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2008
- Messages
- 1
Hi, New member here. I was reading this post as I just bought a very used 753 with two rear axles in the same shape as yours(or worse). I bought the machine for $500.00 so I don't think I can get hurt any. The one I bought has a grapple bucket. One way I remove stubborn bearing races is to run a good weld bead around them and just let them cool, they will fall right out. Just be careful not to weld them in. I hope this suggestion works for some of you as we do it all the time,I run a small machine shop so I see this at least once a month. This is my first Bobcat and I am sure I will have many guestions in the near future. ScottYes that poly twine can sure chop up a seal, it ruined my left rear seal although it did not leak until I pulled a length of it out.
Welcome to the site, keep us informed of your progress.Hi, New member here. I was reading this post as I just bought a very used 753 with two rear axles in the same shape as yours(or worse). I bought the machine for $500.00 so I don't think I can get hurt any. The one I bought has a grapple bucket. One way I remove stubborn bearing races is to run a good weld bead around them and just let them cool, they will fall right out. Just be careful not to weld them in. I hope this suggestion works for some of you as we do it all the time,I run a small machine shop so I see this at least once a month. This is my first Bobcat and I am sure I will have many guestions in the near future. Scott
I used a metal bar to knock the cups out, the cones i had a little trouble getting off the axle, i removed the roller retainer and welded small spots so i had something to hod on to when using an air hammer to knock it off the axle shaft.
I guess as a rookie, I made it harder than I had to, but I did get the job done. I found that air-powered micro die grinder (from Harbor Freight Tools of all places - cost about $20 on sale) to be very valuable on about 3 different jobs on this project. I used it with 1" fiber wheels and diamond wheels to slice the race in several places, and then I pulled the races apart with an attachment I made for my small slide hammer. On that note, I did go to HFT and bought their top-of-the-line slide hammer kit, and it has external AND internal pullers, so from now on, I can just use that if I ever have to work on this again. It will be worth the $40 I paid for the the kit not to have to do that kind of cutting again, I assure you! I bought their biggest set of bearing pullers, but they were still way too small. As for the welding of the races, I never would have thot of that, and if I ever get in a situation like this again, I will definitely try it. I assume it just draws the metal to the center and loosens everything up when you weld it? I haven't had to replace any of the inside bearing races (yet), but I figured when I did, I would take a piece of pipe just slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the axle tube (like the guide I had made when I rebuilt that one axle tube) and drive them out. There's little to no room to work inside that chaincase to pull those races from inside the chaincase. That's a great idea with the air hammer, too. I have 2 air chisels, but I was afraid to use them for fear of dinging up my axle shaft. Those old bearings were a treat to cut off the shaft, but they weren't as bad as the outside bearing races because I had room to maneuver, and I could use my 3" cutoff tool. I cut the roller band off and just sliced the band into 3 pieces, and they popped right off when I hit them a couple times with a hammer and chisel. Thanks again for the info. I'm sure I'll have more to write about as time goes on.Welcome to the site, keep us informed of your progress.
I used a metal bar to knock the cups out, the cones i had a little trouble getting off the axle, i removed the roller retainer and welded small spots so i had something to hod on to when using an air hammer to knock it off the axle shaft.
Hey Scott. Nice to have you aboard. I am amazed at how much interest this project has gotten, and if someone else can benefit from my experience, I'm all for it. I liked the idea of line-boring the axle tubes that somebody mentioned earlier, but there was no way I could afford that, so I had to do it the way I did it. If your machine is in pretty good shape otherwise, and you only paid $500 for it--you stole it. I paid a lot more than that for mine, but I still think it's worth double what I have in it now that it's fixed up. I don't ever plan on getting rid of it, tho. AND, I know I'm proud of it, so I obviously think it's worth a lot--probably more than an equipment dealer would think. Anyway, if you run a machine shop that can turn a piece of pipe about 5 to 6" in diameter and up to 4.5" long, you're good to go. That piece that I had made was about 4.5" in length because I cut it off 3.5" from the frame. I don't know if the 753 has this, but my 853 had a line where I cut mine off, so that really helped. It took me about 1 hour to cut that axle off with a sawzall. I took a couple breaks in there, tho. If you could set up a metal cutting bandsaw with an automatic shutoff, that would be the ticket, I think. Those bandsaws are about $200 for a cheap one if you don't have one already. If I had to do more than one axle again, I think I would invest in one, and not the handheld one because I think it would be too hard to keep straight. I'd set that sucker up perfectly level and the Bobcat perfectly level, and go do something else while it did all the work for me. Anyway, back to the lines on the axles--I don't know if those are tool marks from when they originally bore these parts at the factory, but all 4 axles on my machine have these marks. My machinist turned or v'd the edge of the new axle tube so I could get a good weld on it. I thot that was the only way to go since the axle tube itself is about 1/2" thick. The outside 1/2" sleeve was not tapered. I had it untapered so I could weld it flush, and that seemed to work well. Those welds are important, but not as crucial as the axle tube welds themself because these welds just keep the sleeve from sliding around on the tube. Good luck, and feel free to ask any questions. I am a rookie, like I said, but I'll be glad to help you with what I know.Hi, New member here. I was reading this post as I just bought a very used 753 with two rear axles in the same shape as yours(or worse). I bought the machine for $500.00 so I don't think I can get hurt any. The one I bought has a grapple bucket. One way I remove stubborn bearing races is to run a good weld bead around them and just let them cool, they will fall right out. Just be careful not to weld them in. I hope this suggestion works for some of you as we do it all the time,I run a small machine shop so I see this at least once a month. This is my first Bobcat and I am sure I will have many guestions in the near future. Scott
Knocking the internal cup is a snap to remove. With the axle out use a piece of round rod and slide it in the tube to strike the cone, do the bottom then the top, keep alternating till it pops out. I have done this a few times and works well. The air hammer works great, run a bead of weld for it to grab hold of and the race just slides off!Hey Scott. Nice to have you aboard. I am amazed at how much interest this project has gotten, and if someone else can benefit from my experience, I'm all for it. I liked the idea of line-boring the axle tubes that somebody mentioned earlier, but there was no way I could afford that, so I had to do it the way I did it. If your machine is in pretty good shape otherwise, and you only paid $500 for it--you stole it. I paid a lot more than that for mine, but I still think it's worth double what I have in it now that it's fixed up. I don't ever plan on getting rid of it, tho. AND, I know I'm proud of it, so I obviously think it's worth a lot--probably more than an equipment dealer would think. Anyway, if you run a machine shop that can turn a piece of pipe about 5 to 6" in diameter and up to 4.5" long, you're good to go. That piece that I had made was about 4.5" in length because I cut it off 3.5" from the frame. I don't know if the 753 has this, but my 853 had a line where I cut mine off, so that really helped. It took me about 1 hour to cut that axle off with a sawzall. I took a couple breaks in there, tho. If you could set up a metal cutting bandsaw with an automatic shutoff, that would be the ticket, I think. Those bandsaws are about $200 for a cheap one if you don't have one already. If I had to do more than one axle again, I think I would invest in one, and not the handheld one because I think it would be too hard to keep straight. I'd set that sucker up perfectly level and the Bobcat perfectly level, and go do something else while it did all the work for me. Anyway, back to the lines on the axles--I don't know if those are tool marks from when they originally bore these parts at the factory, but all 4 axles on my machine have these marks. My machinist turned or v'd the edge of the new axle tube so I could get a good weld on it. I thot that was the only way to go since the axle tube itself is about 1/2" thick. The outside 1/2" sleeve was not tapered. I had it untapered so I could weld it flush, and that seemed to work well. Those welds are important, but not as crucial as the axle tube welds themself because these welds just keep the sleeve from sliding around on the tube. Good luck, and feel free to ask any questions. I am a rookie, like I said, but I'll be glad to help you with what I know.
Tazza, I hope I don't have to replace any more bearings, seals, or races for many years to come, but if I do, I'm betting my learning curve has improved drastically due to personal experience and the advice I've gotten here. Thanks.Knocking the internal cup is a snap to remove. With the axle out use a piece of round rod and slide it in the tube to strike the cone, do the bottom then the top, keep alternating till it pops out. I have done this a few times and works well. The air hammer works great, run a bead of weld for it to grab hold of and the race just slides off!
I totally understand! Its a job one never wants to have to repeat. I honestly don't know why the previous owner didn't notice it and fix the problem!. If it was caught early it was simply a seal and bearing change, total cost of maybe $50 at most.Tazza, I hope I don't have to replace any more bearings, seals, or races for many years to come, but if I do, I'm betting my learning curve has improved drastically due to personal experience and the advice I've gotten here. Thanks.
I just bought a 753 from up north at auction, i was told it had a drive problem on one side, they thought chain. I may have the joy you had shortly trying to pull axles out of a fully assembled machine!
I must admit, once you have done it once you get a good idea if what to do and whats the best way to do it. I have fully stripped a 743 down including pulling the axles out and replacing the bearings and seals. You usually pick up small things that you think why didn't i do it that way before???
A friend of mine stopped by to see how I was doing on my project, and he said basically the same thing you said--he noticed I've learned a lot on this project. As for separating the axles and hubs, anything that is a pain in the butt to do, we'll surely try to find a better way for next time. I polished the axles and hubs up nicely. If I ever have to take any of them apart again, they should come right off--without 24 to 30 tons of pullers! I have a new Bobcat-related project now. I got a bucket from my Dad off his old 973--it's huge. It needs some work, but I think I can make it work on my 853 for light work but specifically for snow removal this winter. I measured, and the height of my mounting plate is approx. 18 inches, and the width is approx. 44 1/2". This bucket is fine for the width, but I'm gonna have to weld another plate on the backside about 5 inches up because the height on the big bucket from the latch bracket to the top is about 23". I'll let you know how that works out. I might even take some pictures...I have been known to do that from time to time...Cya.I totally understand! Its a job one never wants to have to repeat. I honestly don't know why the previous owner didn't notice it and fix the problem!. If it was caught early it was simply a seal and bearing change, total cost of maybe $50 at most.
I just bought a 753 from up north at auction, i was told it had a drive problem on one side, they thought chain. I may have the joy you had shortly trying to pull axles out of a fully assembled machine!
I must admit, once you have done it once you get a good idea if what to do and whats the best way to do it. I have fully stripped a 743 down including pulling the axles out and replacing the bearings and seals. You usually pick up small things that you think why didn't i do it that way before???
Please don't take this the wrong way, but you do understand the purpose of the tapers rite? They are designed to *lock* the axle to the hub. The worst possible thing you can have happen is have the hub slide back and forth on the axle, it will wollow the key way out. The correct way to install any taper is to clean all traces of oil or grease from both surfaces and install. If there was any rust on the axle or hub this will not lock the hub on. The more surface area the more force is required to get it to separate.A friend of mine stopped by to see how I was doing on my project, and he said basically the same thing you said--he noticed I've learned a lot on this project. As for separating the axles and hubs, anything that is a pain in the butt to do, we'll surely try to find a better way for next time. I polished the axles and hubs up nicely. If I ever have to take any of them apart again, they should come right off--without 24 to 30 tons of pullers! I have a new Bobcat-related project now. I got a bucket from my Dad off his old 973--it's huge. It needs some work, but I think I can make it work on my 853 for light work but specifically for snow removal this winter. I measured, and the height of my mounting plate is approx. 18 inches, and the width is approx. 44 1/2". This bucket is fine for the width, but I'm gonna have to weld another plate on the backside about 5 inches up because the height on the big bucket from the latch bracket to the top is about 23". I'll let you know how that works out. I might even take some pictures...I have been known to do that from time to time...Cya.
I had a good example of why you need to clean both surfaces, i assembled a 12HP briggs engine. I installed the flywheel with the key on the crank, tried to start it and it fired then stooped, it refused to start again. Turned out the grease i put on the taper allowed it to slip, it sheared the key and turned so the timing was off, thats why it didn't start. Its very important for any taper lock that you clean then first.
*end rant*
