Axle Free Play Question
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Just to be clear, there are two types of free play.
One is "In and Out" play which you check with the wheel off the ground and you push and pull on the tire or axle shaft. This is not super critical unless it gets out of hand which is ultra-rare. There are shims to take care of this but you have to remove the trans-axle from the tractor to deal with it. The procedure is covered in the Transaxle Service Bulletin which will be posted HOPEFULLY soon in the Tech Section by me.
The 2nd type play is the one I was referring to in the other thread and that is "Up/Down/Side to side" play that indicates a worn axle bushing. There is no spec that I'm aware of. In my opinion, if you can detect it by feel, then wear is there. The question then becomes "What shall I do about it?. That depends.
How bad is it? If the seal isn't leaking, then it can't be too bad yet. And if you have no real reason to pull the trans-axle out, then you could put this repair off until you see signs of oil seepage beginning and then schedule it for a winter-time project. If you have to clear snow, then buy a second tractor. :sidelaugh: You know you want one.
One is "In and Out" play which you check with the wheel off the ground and you push and pull on the tire or axle shaft. This is not super critical unless it gets out of hand which is ultra-rare. There are shims to take care of this but you have to remove the trans-axle from the tractor to deal with it. The procedure is covered in the Transaxle Service Bulletin which will be posted HOPEFULLY soon in the Tech Section by me.
The 2nd type play is the one I was referring to in the other thread and that is "Up/Down/Side to side" play that indicates a worn axle bushing. There is no spec that I'm aware of. In my opinion, if you can detect it by feel, then wear is there. The question then becomes "What shall I do about it?. That depends.
How bad is it? If the seal isn't leaking, then it can't be too bad yet. And if you have no real reason to pull the trans-axle out, then you could put this repair off until you see signs of oil seepage beginning and then schedule it for a winter-time project. If you have to clear snow, then buy a second tractor. :sidelaugh: You know you want one.
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Thanks for the info.
On both my '74 and '75 446s, if I grab the top off the rear tire and push toward the tractor and pull away from the tractor, there is play, no leaking.
I am planning to tear down both in the spring to do a little maint. and painting. (You may remember my rattle can spray booth photos when I started on the '74 last summer. I then decided an HVLP was the way to go to get a more durable finish and ran out of time before the cold weather set in last fall)
I'll take a closer look at that time.
On the snow front...The snow came early and heavy this winter, but now we have only been getting rain and warmer temps. The wet weather and partially frozen ground is wreaking havoc on my gravel drive, but the '75 46 with the 54" blade is doing a nice job keeping things smooth.
On both my '74 and '75 446s, if I grab the top off the rear tire and push toward the tractor and pull away from the tractor, there is play, no leaking.
I am planning to tear down both in the spring to do a little maint. and painting. (You may remember my rattle can spray booth photos when I started on the '74 last summer. I then decided an HVLP was the way to go to get a more durable finish and ran out of time before the cold weather set in last fall)
I'll take a closer look at that time.
On the snow front...The snow came early and heavy this winter, but now we have only been getting rain and warmer temps. The wet weather and partially frozen ground is wreaking havoc on my gravel drive, but the '75 46 with the 54" blade is doing a nice job keeping things smooth.
Yes, I think I recall that thread on MTF. Everyone was trying to convince you to buy a HF HVLP gun and you eventually did but you felt that there was going to be a learning curve.
If you are going to take them apart, then doing the seals and bushings on the rear end NOW will mean that you will likely NEVER have to touch the axle again. The other thing to do is to replace the 4 bolts and there will be an article in the FAQ's to deal with that long before you need it.
If you are going to take them apart, then doing the seals and bushings on the rear end NOW will mean that you will likely NEVER have to touch the axle again. The other thing to do is to replace the 4 bolts and there will be an article in the FAQ's to deal with that long before you need it.
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