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
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.