MightyRaze - Red Bandit

I've struggled with that as well and how I FINALLY got the wheel off the Mud Duck was by using a bearing seperator underneath the wheel bolted a steering wheel puller to it from the top and let er have it! I did still wreck all the plastic on the hub of the wheel but I just wanted it off. Had I took my time by added tension, penetrating fluid then hit the shaft with a little heat and kept that up for a few days it probably would've come off with minimal damage.

THat was round 1.  I almost folded my gear puller like a taco around it.  Round 2 was an air hammer with heat.  I was starting to melt the steering wheel hot.  I even ran a drill bit and drilled out the key.  Issue is, the dang hub on this thing is about 3 inches deep and hard steel.

You try quenching it?

Rustbucket Garage wrote:

You try quenching it?

Yep.

I'll keep at it until I absolutely have to move on.  I have already looked into a steering wheel hub and steering wheel that I may get.

Here is a quick mock up. Nothing is attached at this time.  Just a visual of how it is looking.  





(Disregard the off color of the frame.  It was old paint that apparently went bad? or bad mix.  It has been fixed.)

I guess it is time to drop the trans and lock it.  Will still need a set of seals for it.  Hopefully the leaky hubs have well lubricated them.

Looks great!

More progress today on the body restore. Was a little upset the one graphic stuck to my blue masking tape. It would have probably came off on the first pressure wash in the future. Oh well, just character I guess.







Just a couple more pieces to paint then I will shift gears into the transaxle. In talking with the Wheel Horse guys, It would appear that I have a 10 pinion limited slip transaxle. All sounds good, but the LSD is not that great if it works at all, and the 10 pinion is hard to weld up. It will still get locked, just not via welding but using Doc Sprocket's method of putting in metal tabs. I like that idea a lot. We'll see how that goes!

After some thinking, I think the steering wheel is going to have to go. As cool as it would have been to keep the 51 y/o wheel. How brittle is it going to be when offroading stress is applied? I don't know how long this thing has sat out in the sun. I know at least long enough to make the left side of the body on this tractor much more faded. In the name of safety, I think the wheel will be chopped today.

Fun little image.  Street view shows the tractor where I found it.




It had original back tires back in 2021.  Someone snagged on those.

Bummer about the sticker but wow it looks nice with a new paint job!

Being as old as it is wouldn't that steering wheel be metal framed with a composite outer? If you're unsure use a 1/16" drill bit from the underside to find out, if it is metal framed and you'd rather save it consider using a split shaft collar to make the brace for the steering shaft. You have 2 fellas at your disposable with machining capability so boring one out while clamped tight isn't a problem... just saying

Yes, it appears to be steel covered wheel.  I did some checking and it appears to be in great shape other than rustwelded to the shaft..

Good news, and possibly better news.

I cut the steering wheel off.  It is now off, so now I can replace all the missing bushings and washers so I can take out the wheel slop.

Now the better news.  I was able to cut it with a singular slice (down the keyway) that "could" be welded back together and some plastic weld to fill in the cut on plastic.  Not sure why the plastic pied out like it did, but that is OK, it isn't as wide as it looks.

Moving along and hit the wall with the transaxle.  I can't get one of the hubs off.  Messed with it for an hour and a half.  Wore out from swinging the tonya harding 4000.  I'm going to see if the guy down the road has a press in his machine shop.  He has about everything else.



She stuck.  On the other hand, this transaxle despite sitting outside for years, does not look to have had water in it. YES!
Looking into a locker at the moment.  The LSD on this thing looks to be worthless.  Just a pressed in spring collar.  Whatever...





All bearings are good and smooth as butter.  I will say one thing.  The 2300 has nothing on this trans.  Super simple and I bet a half case weighs about 30-40 pounds.  Whole thing is near 100lbs it seems if not more.

Now for some other parts...





Still a long ways to go after the trans is back in.

Reassembly of the body to the frame, then engine work.  I know it runs, but I will need new points (probably wont last), condensor(doesn't work), coil (going bad), new head gasket (copper?), and new carburetor.

Once that runs good, then I will need some pulleys, and build a belt system.  

Then find a seat and work all the little things like lighting etc.

Man, I didn't really want to weld this up.  I was hoping I could use Doc's locker 3.17 on this ol girl.  WH, just made things too tight to put in slugs unless I grind down gears and casing.



I guess I will have to think on this while I also think on my hub on how to get it off. If I absolutely had to, I might could reverse order putting it back together, but it will be a chore.  Not sure a fight I want.

Fill it with nails and screws

You probably could just fill all the teeth with 1/4" hardened steel dowel pins and that'll stop it from spinning so long as they couldnt come out. Can't gear flip this one?

If it was me I'd just grind it down a lil where the doclockers goes on 3 of the side just a lil so the will fit snug in there an slap it together and it in the mower and try it

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

Fill it with nails and screws

You probably could just fill all the teeth with 1/4" hardened steel dowel pins and that'll stop it from spinning so long as they couldnt come out. Can't gear flip this one?

No gear flip in this one.  I'll post up the gears.  I actually thought of Nails, but they would hit the gears on the other side and not ride all the way through.

Hillbilly mowers wrote:

If it was me I'd just grind it down a lil where the doclockers goes on 3 of the side just a lil so the will fit snug in there an slap it together and it in the mower and try it

I am highly considering taking off a 1/16th off the 2 teeth between each gear.  I think that would allow for some 14-12 gauge metal tabs.  It could still be reversed but not sure why I would. I do know welding the LSD often fails.  I am not a welder by trade, just barely hobby.

@ mightyraze that what I would try to do if it was me cause I would be kind scared to weld them gear in the cause it may of cause more damage that grinding 2 of teeth down just a lil and drop in some snug fit peice in the like doc did his videos but I'd leave enough of the teeth so that they want move around in there .

Can you show all the internal guts of that LSD? There must be other ways to tighten it up or another way to lock it. Not sure how possible it is but if the 2 center gears were welded together it would be a strong locker and fully reversable, just need to chamfer one egde on each really deep and take it to a pro.


***EDIT***
I was able to find some exploded views of the carrier, it's hard to know for sure without having one in front of me but it almost looks like you could remove the friction ring and replace it with another gear like a Moose Knuckle locker.

I went ahead and ground down the axle gear for slugs 14 gauge thickness to fit in and it worked.  That should work with my style riding just fine.  If I wanted to reverse it, I can.  It could fail on the axle gear, if so and I wanted to go back, I'll just try to get new axle gears.  Right now the spider gears are not modified as well as the worthless LSD ring.  LOL

I thought of adding another axle gear, but I have heard it would need to be planed to make it thinner.

No pictures? I'd like to see exactly how you did it and I'm sure others would too.

Never saw inside a 6 speed horse tranny. That’s one stout motha.

OK, Here are some pictures.

First off the LSD.


That is not a crack on that inner washer but debris.  I'll clean that out.

You can see the spiders actually mesh up with the other side about 1/4 an inch.  That's why I could not put something through it. (or an extra gear for that matter)  It would hit the gear on the other side.  Another interesting thing, the spring ring only touches one side of the spiders.  Who knows.

Now the locking metal tabs.

I tried to only grind down about 1/16th but the other side it had to be more 1/8th.  
One side the tabs could be straight, the other side they had to be bent.  One side I grinded down groups of 2 gear teeth, the bent side had to be 3. Not sure about those hardcore guys, but my riding style, it should be fine.  Little more insurance for the hills. Tabs are roundy at the top they do fully engage the spiders.


You can see this side is bent and I had to take just a tiny bit off a 3rd tooth.


Once I got that figured out, I spent the next 3 hours cleaning the case and painted it.  I went with the slight shade darker (Regal Red) for the transaxle. The Tractor is Sunshine Red.  It seemed to match the frame paint better.


Pulled all the gears out.  Yep, that's all that is in the WH trans.
Not thinking, I dropped one of the shift balls.  I found it.  Then I was like, how am I going to get that in?  I quickly saw the hole you can stick a wire or something like that to push in the ball to reinsert the shift shaft.  "Whew!"


Reassembly will happen when I get my new oil seals.  I still haven't got the one wheel hub off, but I think I can reinstall it with it on much like how I took it off.

I also got my dash painted and reinstalled on the body.  I had a new key switch and installed that too.  I kept the vendor badge.  Thought it was cool.  It was originally sold in Mansfield, OH, I purchased it in Greenwich, OH about 20 miles away.  Now it is over a 1000 miles from there in Oklahoma.


Yes, I am using all new hardware on the body.  So far, I have only reused 2 bolts.  I also rebuilt the original fuel shutoff.

Now for a fun pic... 



As I mentioned, waiting to get my oil seals to put the trans back together.  So... I am at a wall right now.  I may make a headlight plate for an LED light bar, but that is about all I can do at this time.

Once I get the trans back together and reinstalled, I can put the body on the frame then move on to the engine!

I will wait to work on that.  I will probably paint the engine the Regal Red as well.  That way it will kind of stand out. 



I really dig this engine.  I plan on new carb probably, I'll check this one out.  I'm going out on a limb and say the fuel pump does not work as it iwas not hooked up.  I may look into making a vent plate and use a briggs style fuel pump.  New points, condensor and coil.  I am looking, I think I can find a copper head gasket for it, but the original and the replacements I have found are also metal and reusable unless they are old.  I also read, that you replace the head bolts with standard grade 5 or 8 bolts.  I'll do that too.

Once that is done and it is running on it's own well, the restore part will be complete.  Then it is off to mod it for off-road!

Tires, Trans-brace/skid plate, bumpers and whatever I think I may need!

Steering wheel almost fixed.  Welded back together and the plastic has been epoxied back together too.  Just need to let that sit a bit and sand it down smooth.  Then hit it with some satin or flat black to blend.

Looking good, mighty! Is the trans mount plate on this one cracked? It seems they usually are, even just in stock form. Locker looks good! I'm sure it'll hold up to your kind of riding.

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

Is the trans mount plate on this one cracked?

I'll have to inspect it, but it appeared ok.

Check this out, I like to research history on a rig when I can.  This is more than likely the place the tractor was originally sold.  I found an article about the owners of the shop "Motters" and their landmark Wheel Horse on a pole outside.  Well, here it is!




On to other things.

Steering wheel done,  Good enough for what we do!





I also got a bushing to put in the dash to take out the steering wobble.



That is all for today.

Nice work @MightyRaze it's really coming along nicely!