Broken Wheel Horse 244-5 ball joint/steering linkages

CajunMan89

Active Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2014
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  • / Broken Wheel Horse 244-5 ball joint/steering linkages
The ball joint/steering linkages on my Toro Wheel Horse model 72040 broke at the ball joints that connect to the gear sector. The mower was and still is in rough shape, but I've managed to fix everything so far... now I have this problem. I went to steer and they both broke right at the ball joint! They were rust-welded to the point where the ball joints don't move at all! At least the fronts didn't break. I let the ends soak in penetrating oil hoping that they'd loosen up. I am limited with tools and don't have any welding equipment. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can fix these so that I don't have to buy new ones? This thing is turning into a money pit!

I was hoping that if I could somehow get the end ball joints to function since they are still in tact, that I could get some advice if it was possible to loosen the broken ball joints and use JB Weld to re-attach the bolts to them. I'm guessing that it wouldn't work if I was to drill out the old ones and just but a bolt through the entire rod?


Any advice?
 

bertsmobile1

Lawn Royalty
Joined
Nov 29, 2014
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  • / Broken Wheel Horse 244-5 ball joint/steering linkages
The ball joint/steering linkages on my Toro Wheel Horse model 72040 broke at the ball joints that connect to the gear sector. The mower was and still is in rough shape, but I've managed to fix everything so far... now I have this problem. I went to steer and they both broke right at the ball joint! They were rust-welded to the point where the ball joints don't move at all! At least the fronts didn't break. I let the ends soak in penetrating oil hoping that they'd loosen up. I am limited with tools and don't have any welding equipment. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can fix these so that I don't have to buy new ones? This thing is turning into a money pit!

I was hoping that if I could somehow get the end ball joints to function since they are still in tact, that I could get some advice if it was possible to loosen the broken ball joints and use JB Weld to re-attach the bolts to them. I'm guessing that it wouldn't work if I was to drill out the old ones and just but a bolt through the entire rod?


Any advice?

Not much you can do .
Either replace the entire shafts or cut a thread on the shaft and fit a rod end to the rods an a bolt in the fan gear.
This set up will be far superiour to the original design.
A rod end to fit that diameter shaft will have a really big eye and the trick is to buy a grade 5 bolt the correct size for the eye of the rod end.
Cut it short so it fits the rod end neatly then drill the bolt up its center from the cut end.
Thread this hole to take a bolt the same size as the hole in the fan gear.
Then bolt the cut down bolt to the fan gear with a grade 9 bolt locktited into position.
Sounds complicated but is an easy job of the drag rods ( part 7 in the link below ) are not available.

View attachment 7200 series.pdfView attachment 7200 series.pdf
 
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