Alternative to hub caps? LA150
- Thread starter Gumby83
- Start date
Ok, so my comments about the boat trailer hubs and making it zero turn were mostly in jest, however I do intend to explore options on tying the bearings together somehow. It’ll be in my garage the whole winter so I’ll have time to mess with it.
That said, I could’ve sworn some years ago that JD had introduced a zero turn lawn tractor, but I’m not finding anything about it anywhere (I have poor google skills). Am I imagining that? It wouldn’t surprise me if it only lasted a couple years, but any search using any combination of “John Deere zero turn lawn tractor” only nets results for the platform type zero turns.
I just figured if I’m gonna do some custom work, why not look at all the possibilities?
That said, I could’ve sworn some years ago that JD had introduced a zero turn lawn tractor, but I’m not finding anything about it anywhere (I have poor google skills). Am I imagining that? It wouldn’t surprise me if it only lasted a couple years, but any search using any combination of “John Deere zero turn lawn tractor” only nets results for the platform type zero turns.
I just figured if I’m gonna do some custom work, why not look at all the possibilities?
bertsmobile1
Lawn Royalty
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2014
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- 24,995
Ok, so my comments about the boat trailer hubs and making it zero turn were mostly in jest, however I do intend to explore options on tying the bearings together somehow. It’ll be in my garage the whole winter so I’ll have time to mess with it.
That said, I could’ve sworn some years ago that JD had introduced a zero turn lawn tractor, but I’m not finding anything about it anywhere (I have poor google skills). Am I imagining that? It wouldn’t surprise me if it only lasted a couple years, but any search using any combination of “John Deere zero turn lawn tractor” only nets results for the platform type zero turns.
I just figured if I’m gonna do some custom work, why not look at all the possibilities?
Half the problem with the front axels & bearings is that JD have gone to "tight turn" steering which puts an enormous strain on the drag links, wheel retainers & wheel bearings .
As you know it is only an E clip and while being heavier than a std E clip they are not designed to take heavy loads, particularly when the load is applied via a rolling bush.
So here’s what I came up with...
I knew attempting to thread the axle was going to be a pain, and even if I managed to get a die started and kept it square, the groove for the E ring was going to mess with the whole set up as it would eliminate 1-2 much needed threads. I would also need a low profile nut in order to fully seat it on the spindle and have room to provide a way of locking it (castle nut, some kind of pin, etc) which would provide even fewer threads.
So, as we all concluded, that wasn’t a practical solution.
What I decided to do was drill the spindle for a grade 8 bolt. I settled on a 3/8x16x1 as it was half the diameter of the spindle and I was confident it would be strong enough to hold the bearings.
I started with a 1/16” bit and worked my way up to 5/16” using 6 different bits. Technically I should’ve been able to step up by twice the diameter but since it’s hardened steel I was erring on the side of caution.
It was definitely a “slow and steady wins the race” job - I used plenty of cutting oil and ran my drill on low speed. I used a 3/4” deep well socket on the end of the spindle to mark the center with a punch as well as use as a reference for how straight the bit was.
To make sure I hit the right depth but didn’t drill too far, I set my veneer caliper to the shoulder of the bolt minus 1/16” to check the depth. I stopped 1/16” short to compensate for the thickness of the washer.
Tapping it was the same - plenty of patience and cutting oil. I’d cut about 1/4 turn at a time, back it in and out before cutting again, then after each full turn, remove the tap and clean everything with compressed air and apply more oil.
I took some measurements of the gap between the roller bearings when seated in the hub and settled on a brass bushing 3/4” ID x 2” long to make up the gap. It ended up requiring an additional 1/16” shim which I had on hand thanks to the roller bearing conversion kit I bought.
Here’s the setup without the wheel for clarification.
The 2 pieces on the end are salvaged from previous projects. The spacer is actually the inner race from a roller bearing that was used on an old lawn cart and the cup washer is from a valve cover on a Honda (don’t be deceived by that - the washer is actually very rigid, and if it doesn’t hold up over time, I can easily replace it with a grade 8 washer - I just liked the idea of it “capping” the spacer).
As you can see, it ends up just barely over the end of the spindle, and once the bolt is tightened, I think it’s ending up flush.
This secures the inner races while still allowing slight movement between the outer races. The wheel spins very freely by hand and the mower turns/handles well compared to how it was last year.
Of course, I still haven’t gotten to the actual hub caps...
But I think this was a good first step. I’ve mowed 3 times so far and checked the play/turning resistance every time - so far so good.
I’ll have to think about what I want to do for next winter, since I ran out of time.
I knew attempting to thread the axle was going to be a pain, and even if I managed to get a die started and kept it square, the groove for the E ring was going to mess with the whole set up as it would eliminate 1-2 much needed threads. I would also need a low profile nut in order to fully seat it on the spindle and have room to provide a way of locking it (castle nut, some kind of pin, etc) which would provide even fewer threads.
So, as we all concluded, that wasn’t a practical solution.
What I decided to do was drill the spindle for a grade 8 bolt. I settled on a 3/8x16x1 as it was half the diameter of the spindle and I was confident it would be strong enough to hold the bearings.
I started with a 1/16” bit and worked my way up to 5/16” using 6 different bits. Technically I should’ve been able to step up by twice the diameter but since it’s hardened steel I was erring on the side of caution.
It was definitely a “slow and steady wins the race” job - I used plenty of cutting oil and ran my drill on low speed. I used a 3/4” deep well socket on the end of the spindle to mark the center with a punch as well as use as a reference for how straight the bit was.
To make sure I hit the right depth but didn’t drill too far, I set my veneer caliper to the shoulder of the bolt minus 1/16” to check the depth. I stopped 1/16” short to compensate for the thickness of the washer.
Tapping it was the same - plenty of patience and cutting oil. I’d cut about 1/4 turn at a time, back it in and out before cutting again, then after each full turn, remove the tap and clean everything with compressed air and apply more oil.
I took some measurements of the gap between the roller bearings when seated in the hub and settled on a brass bushing 3/4” ID x 2” long to make up the gap. It ended up requiring an additional 1/16” shim which I had on hand thanks to the roller bearing conversion kit I bought.
Here’s the setup without the wheel for clarification.
The 2 pieces on the end are salvaged from previous projects. The spacer is actually the inner race from a roller bearing that was used on an old lawn cart and the cup washer is from a valve cover on a Honda (don’t be deceived by that - the washer is actually very rigid, and if it doesn’t hold up over time, I can easily replace it with a grade 8 washer - I just liked the idea of it “capping” the spacer).
As you can see, it ends up just barely over the end of the spindle, and once the bolt is tightened, I think it’s ending up flush.
This secures the inner races while still allowing slight movement between the outer races. The wheel spins very freely by hand and the mower turns/handles well compared to how it was last year.
Of course, I still haven’t gotten to the actual hub caps...
But I think this was a good first step. I’ve mowed 3 times so far and checked the play/turning resistance every time - so far so good.
I’ll have to think about what I want to do for next winter, since I ran out of time.