Replacing the rear sleeve bushings on my ST

[Cidertom]

The right side rear wheel of the ST was so loose it was allowing the track, grousers to tear up the body. From reading here it was pretty obvious that the old bushings were shot.

First mistake: I decided that I would have enough slack that I could loosen everything up and remove the rear wheel without breaking the track. After all is said and done, it would have been better to just break the track and get it out of the way. Getting the tire off, not bad, getting it back on ...

So, tire is off. Found that one of the ears that holds the top pin of the st7132 bracket was damaged. No problem says I, pull the cotter key and remove the pin.

Nope

OK, tap it a few times with a hammer and squirt some penetrating oil.

Nope

Put the portapower ram between the frame and the end of the pin to push it out.

Nope

Heat with a torch while the ram is still in place.

Nope

repeat the above plus a few other things.

Nope

Use a thin blade on the sawz-all and use the space between the bracket and the ears to cut the pin on both sides.

Take to friends 80 Ton press to get rid of cut pin.

Nope

Wound up carefully center drilling the old pin out. Still had the slit the remains and use a chisel to break it free.

more in replys...

 

[muleman]

300H&H redid his last year IIRC. He made new bronze ones to fit.

 

[Cidertom]

Pin out and whole thing is on bench. So much paint on everything I decided to sandblast it.

Removed the lock ring, nut from the bracket and seperated the parts. Push out the old sleeves and clean the whole thing in the part cleaner.

I replaced the sleeves with bronze sleeves from ASB their part CB 2228-16 1.375x1.750x2.000 Kirk (300 H&H) gave the dimensions as 1.375x1.765x2.00 Since the difference is 0.015 on the OD, I used some bearing retaining "glue". Loctite 680 is good for up to 0.020 and I have had good results in the past. With the cost of each bearing under U$7.00 I figured it was worth the try. I assembled the sleeves with the retaining cement, and did a very quick fit test. (If you do this, lube the shaft with some silicone grease first otherwise you may find out how good the cement grabs)

Everything fits and no play.

Made a new pin out of a 7/8" x6" tractor hitch pin. I had to turn it down to the original pin diameter of 20mm. I also drilled, taped for a grease zerk on the bracket. I hope keeping it lubed will prevent the new pin from being a problem in the future.

Built up the damaged ear with some 7018 and reshaped it.

Reassembled the whole thing and it all fits. Now the rear wheel is straight not at an angle.

The other side is going to wait until I replace the track this summer. It is not as loose as this side was.

 

[300 H and H]

Cidertom,

That pin you could not get out stayed in mine.....I could see it was going to be a fight, and the clearance was tight. So I just stayed away....

Here is a link to a Lyndon thread that all ST4 owners should have book marked. It contains many clues to the easy way to work on one. The link is to one page of several. great reading, all the way through.

http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=25189&highlight=Lyndon+it%27s+a+surprise&page=3

It would have told you the easy way to break tracks and where to position them for that task. Sage advice from one of the most experianced of all with Snow Tracs operators alive today, anyway..... dds is another one with lots of experiance.

Best regards, Kirk

 

[Cidertom]

I've read all of the "It's a Surprise!" series. It IS book marked. This fix was complicated that I don't have use of my shop right now, it has a money project in there. So all of this had to be done on the equipment trailer. One note, the equipment trailers height made it a lot easier on my back.

I don't know if the damage to the bracket ear was caused by the loose sleeve or not. It was worn almost to the point of fracturing. The bracket also had a place where the grousers have been really digging at. If I hadn't had to work on the mounting ear, I would have left the bracket in place.

There are three things that puzzle me about this assembly:
Why the composite sleeves in the first place? The only place I have seen these before is where electrical isolation is required. Was it a VW part they just happened to have?

Why no (OEM) grease fitting on the top bracket? it has to move almost as much as the bottom one. So I would have thought a pin like the ST7548 retained pin (so movement is inside the bracket not on the thin mounting ears) on the front and grease.

Why no backing nut on the track adjustment screw? Just seems like it should have one to keep the nut from backing itself off.

Don't hear complaining, I knew I had some work to do when I bought it.

 

[JimVT]

Just cut the shaft and press the pin out is the advice i got a few years ago for the froze pins. Leaving it froze seems ok .Most of them are.
a good source that i use for hard pins are old axles

 

[JimVT]

I had the wheel hub #3-12945 separatefrom the flange on me.It is just pressed together. You may want to check yours if it is off.
jim

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

jim i think it is swedged on not just pressed, i had the same problem while hunting and had to walk in to a mine with the parts and weld it up with high nickle rod. it worked ok but it kind of warped the flange so i eventualy replaced it.

 

[300 H and H]

There are three things that puzzle me about this assembly:
Why the composite sleeves in the first place? The only place I have seen these before is where electrical isolation is required. Was it a VW part they just happened to have?

Why no (OEM) grease fitting on the top bracket? it has to move almost as much as the bottom one. So I would have thought a pin like the ST7548 retained pin (so movement is inside the bracket not on the thin mounting ears) on the front and grease.

Why no backing nut on the track adjustment screw? Just seems like it should have one to keep the nut from backing itself off..

I don't know why the composit bushing other than there is little to no wear on the steel shaft...

No zerk maybe because the only time this moves is when in reverse. The cat rocks up in the rear when you backup. Should have had one though...

The backing nut eveidently isn't nessary as it has the tapered washer under it?? I don't know that either, but I have not had mine move since I have had it...They stay tight, so far anyway.

Regards, Kirk