A new home for a crippled Bolens G174

[D4mm1t]

Hello guys and gals, new member here starting off by begging the smarter members for info to see if this thing is worth the effort to repair.

I was given a Bolens G174 that has issues, the transmission input shaft is stripped at the spline boss, which I assume is also stripped, but otherwise the tractor is fully functional, they bought a new compact tractor and gave me the G174 in hopes it can be fixed and not parted out as he really loves that tractor.

For a temp fix my neighbor ground down a screw driver to form a "pin" to fit into the spring clip hole and more or less bound the two shafts together that way, that worked for one summer but it broke again last spring while mowing, I have not looked yet too see if the screw driver "pin" was sheered or something broken from localized stress.

My question is, if only the screw driver "pin" has sheered could I replace it with something harder (Super hard stainless steel) and it be happy or do I absolutely positively have to break the tractor apart and replace the transmission input shaft and spline boss.. As a comparison, I noticed that the rear wheels are only held on and torque transferred by what looks like 1 every day grade 8 bolt per wheel, pretty much the same idea my neighbor had on his ground down screw driver repair. I was also thinking I could do a bit of welding but I'm concerned the heat would ruin the seal closest to the trans then I would be forced to break the tractor apart and fix it right anyway, the economy has me super broke and for the moment I would prefer to eat than putt around on a cool looking little tractor.

On a side note, the tractor has some implements and my neighbor wants to use them on his new tractor, mostly the 3 point finish mower, I haven't seen the new tractor close up but it's green so I'm assuming its a compact John Deere with a class 1 three point, I have read the Bolens has either a class 0 or 1 and was wondering if his Bolens implements would work on his new tractor so he could save some money and not have to buy a new'ish bush hog, not too sure if the Bolens PTO shaft will fit the PTO of his new tractor either.

I will take pics of the tractor and post them later tomorrow, it sat since spring of last year and started right up today, doesn't look too bad for it's age either.

Thanks for any and all info guys..!!

 

[CliffordK]

So, I assume you have two shafts that are pinned together. A screwdriver would be reasonably strong steel.

I'm wondering how tight the two shafts fit together. Any gap, looseness, or flex would be very bad for your screwdriver pin.

Also, does the shaft require forward and backward movement?

 

[TomSeller]

I believe the G174 is Class 1 limited. Meaning Class 1 size with limited lifting height. The guru of TBN on these old Bolens/Isekis seems to be Mitch. He is likely to chime in and help you out. They are tough little tractors and have a following.

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

My question is, if only the screw driver "pin" has sheered could I replace it with something harder (Super hard stainless steel) and it be happy

Welcome to the forums.

Be careful not to confuse "hardness" with strength as they are two seperate qualities. Tungsten carbide is very hard, but has only a moderate tensile/shear strength. 4140 is roughly 2-3x as "strong" as tungsten carbide would be in this application, but it is not as hard. If you must, find a pin made of 4140 steel or greater strength material for a temporary fix. There are other materials that would help but a splined connection is superior to the "gudgeon bolt" design you have on the wheels, that's why it is not working well in its place. The shear area is much smaller when you put a pin in place of a spline and you'd need a much larger shaft (and corresponding pin) to transmit the same torque than a spline does which is what you have on the wheels. You really ought to focus on restoring the original connection. I'd check around for "used-but-good" replacements. It may take some time, but you should be able to eventually find something that can fit your budget. I'd pick welding as an absolute last option. It would be stronger than a pin (assuming a quality weld), but creates other problems like you eluded to.

The implements from the Bolens should work on the newer tractor.

 

[D4mm1t]

Thanks for all the good answers, honestly I was grasping at straws hoping for an easy fix, I ruled out welding as I would have to grind off the part of the shaft that was welded to break the tractor apart (well maybe), if welding worked at all as I'm not the best at welding.

I'll ask my machine shop buddy if he has some scrap 4140 steel or stronger laying around I can use but I have yet to look under the thing to know if it only sheered off his home made pin.

I changed the coolant as it will have to set outside for a few days till I make room for it in my garage this weekend, I hate seeing it outside as it lived most if not all of it's life in a barn, it still may get cold enough at night to freeze water around here and didn't trust the age of the antifreeze that was in it..

Haven't tried installing the mower to my neighbors tractor yet, he's in his 70s and didn't want to come out and play in the cold.

Pics are coming, will take a few when I go out to pull the charger off, the battery is charged enough to start it but after setting so long it needed topped off.

 

[D4mm1t]

So, I assume you have two shafts that are pinned together. A screwdriver would be reasonably strong steel.

I'm wondering how tight the two shafts fit together. Any gap, looseness, or flex would be very bad for your screwdriver pin.

Also, does the shaft require forward and backward movement?

I was told that a screwdriver was used to make the pin, for all I know it could have been a dollar store screwdriver made out of soft mild steel.

I have to assume that since the splines are stripped on both the transmission input shaft and the spline boss there is some play between them both even with a pin installed in the clip hole, I have yet to see the problem area so I'm going by assumptions for the moment.

The shaft don't require any forward or back movement, it just needs to transport torque from the engine to the transmission, depending on the size of that spring clip hole the pin idea will most likely never work if it is tiny.

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

Thanks for all the good answers, honestly I was grasping at straws hoping for an easy fix, I ruled out welding as I would have to grind off the part of the shaft that was welded to break the tractor apart (well maybe), if welding worked at all as I'm not the best at welding.

Thinking about this some more, since the splines are probably ruined at this point, welding it really doesn't make the connection any worse, and it may actually last quite a while. I'm not certain you would need to cut the shaft in the future to get it apart, but even if you did a 4" grinder with a metal cut-off wheel should make quick work of that assuming it can reach through the entire shaft diameter with the wheel. If not a cutting torch should do the job also.

I'm thinking you would need to do this weld overhead. I wouldn't be able to do a good weld on this either, but I'm sure there are plenty of welders out there who could.

I'd probably still opt for a temporary pin for now and then make plans for a replacement long-term.

 

[D4mm1t]

I'm 100% sure the splines are toast, I took a look under the tractor and doubt I could get a 4" grinder in the area to ready the surfaces to be welded, I would have to use a dremmel or try my best to weld on rusted metal.

My main concern about welding so close to the transmission is ruining the seal, the gear oil would help keep the shaft cool but not sure if it would be enough.

I could hang the tractor upside down in my garage and get better angles for welding but would need to drain every fluid, may be able to get away with just hanging it from the nose but I would still like to get at the area with a grinder.

If weather permits I will remove the front drive shaft tomorrow to get a better idea of what type of room I actually have to work with in there.

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

Good luck - keep us posted on your progress.

 

[NHmitch]

Hi,

Sorry, I have not been on the forum for a few days (very busy at work, and the farm.) I have seen some complete transmissions and rear ends for sale, and I will see if I can find one, or the part that you need. I can find the parts break down, and we can look for the part by the part number if you can identify it from the diagram. We should be able to help locate the parts, and I have the full service manual that I can post for you. The G174 is a great tractor, and it should be fixable. I also have some good contacts for parts. As soon as I get a few minutes, I can upload the diagrams, and the manual for you. I found this rear end on eBay, but it is for a hydro tractor, the hydro version of the G154: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bolens-Isek...914?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35bdbd0c1a

There is a company in Europe that supplies most parts, however they are kind of a last resort because the shipping is very high, and you have to pay European Tax (VAT). They are : Yenibiz en Mod Manuals, parts, spare parts for tractors Bolens/Iseki-0

I would also try Sam from Sams Bolens: Sam's Bolens

I should be able to post the exploded diagrams for you tomorrow, with the parts list. I am sure that we can get it fixed for you!