Broken Wheel Bolt

[Dan Hunter]

Friday, I went out to the ranch and found the left front tire punctured/flat. While removing the wheel a bolt head snapped off. Early after delivery the wheel had come loose. It was going on the trailer to get the iMatch installed among other issues and I asked them to check the wheel. It appears they simply shot the bolts back in using an air tool rather than inspect it for damage. Turns out that one of the bolts had damaged threads that jammed up on the wheel thus invalidating the possibility of an easy out. I drilled out the core, used a steel capable skilsaw blade by hand and cut right up against the hub threads. Patience? It took all I had. Then, I used a very fine punch to work the edge by the cut and got the remaining part of the tube to roll into itself and clear the hub threads. The attached photo is missing parts of the "cylinder" but they came off under the punch. I ran a tap through all the holes and flushed them with Rem Oil then used a patch on a .308 bore scrubber to wipe the threads. With the wheel back on, all bolts took a 103 lb/ft torque.

I'm insanely happy.

 

[2458n]

Extra slice of pie for you. good job not rushed and it worked.

 

[powerscol]

I would sure raise a bit of heck with your JD dealer. Your time and effort should be worth something!!!!

 

[Dan Hunter]

Well, I did reward myself with a bottle of Johnny Black. I can't fathom what it would have cost if I compromised those threads and couldn't live with five of the six bolts.

 

[Baby Grand]

An air wrench can be a blessing or a curse, depending on who's hands it's in.
I applaud your patience, fixing that botched job with skill and knowledge.

 

[Mace Canute]

That's a very fine job of centering your drill.

 

[TIDE HSV]

I've got a similar problem, except I can't blame it on anybody but me. I have an old Ford 1100. I had the front tires replaced and the very last bolt, I twisted off, and, yes, I was being lazy and using an air impact wrench. The bolts are marked as hardened and I've had a devil of a time with those and an easy out before. Also, the threaded hole goes all the way through the hub, so my thoughts have turned in the direction of, if I can get a small enough bit, using a manual impact wrench to drive the broken off bolt on through the hole. OTOH, am I overthinking this? It's a six bolt hub and I have five left. Do I need to worry about that sixth bolt?

 

[jimmysisson]

2wd? Don't worry. 4wd? Don't worry. As long as the others are torqued properly you should be ok. A bit hard to believe they're hardened, though. Did you try a drill, carefully centered of course?
Jim

 

[TIDE HSV]

2wd? Don't worry. 4wd? Don't worry. As long as the others are torqued properly you should be ok. A bit hard to believe they're hardened, though. Did you try a drill, carefully centered of course?
Jim

Thanks for replying, Jim. I double-checked and they are indeed not hardened. I was misled by the color and didn't look for the hardened marks. It is a 2-wheel drive, so all those front wheels are doing is steering and supporting the front. Shipping weight on this tractor is only a little over 1100 lbs. It has a bumper plate on the front which someone mounted and I'd guess it weighs only about 100 lbs or so. So, IOW, not a really a heavy machine. The six bolts looked like overkill to me anyway. I'm inclined to let the drill/easy out routine ride over to fall...

 

[whis]

if you have a welder weld a washer to the stud then a nut to the washer and turn it out.