Tire Rod on Sabre tractor came off

[RunslikeaDeere]

I was cutting some lawn today and the tie rod on my Sabre tractor came off. Suddenly as I was turning the front wheels were going in opposite directions. The tie rod itself has notches to go in the tie rod ends which are attached to the frame of the tractor.

What do I need to do to put the tire rod back on so it will stay on?

 

[JRobyn]

That would be "tie rods". Are the "notches" maybe the threads on the rod that thread into the tie rod ends? You may be able to just thread the end back on. A picture or two of exactly what's broken would help.

 

[RunslikeaDeere]

These are the pictures of the tie rod. The ends are on the tractor by the wheels.

 

[RunslikeaDeere]

You are right. It is a tie rod.

 

[RandyT]

You have one option, and that is to replace the tie rod. the new rod will come with the ball ends already installed into the rod. the ball ends came out of the rod because they are worn

 

[zzvyb6]

Or you could just drill it out an put a bolt in it. The swivel rod end is way too flimsy for steering, especially if your tire pressures are low.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

This is maybe good for one time, have cleaned the ball, put a little grease on ball, put ball into socket, mount in vice and peened all the way around the ridge until snug but moveable. May not last along time but it gets you going.

Sooner or later it will either need to be replaced, or ends machined down and threaded so replaceable joints can be used.

David

 

[PILOON]

Fact is those are a very cheep excuse for a rod end.

An upgrade would be proper bearing type 'Hiem' ends and a bit of DIY engineering.
In fact probably not any more expensive (EBay rod ends) and a bit of labor vs OEM assembly at retail price.

8mm ends probably would do the trick and (with careful measurements) weld the ends to the rod.

Otherwise drill out the rod and use a bolt.
If your ends were that worn out the tractor is already nearing its life anyway so a bit more slop won't matter.

 

[s219]

Fact is those are a very cheep excuse for a rod end.

Keep in mind Sabre was Deere's cheapo box store tractor in the 2001 timeframe, so 15 years isn't bad -- I think the OP is lucky it's still running well enough to wear out parts!

 

[JRobyn]

These - Amazon.com: Rotary # 13451 Tie Rod End For Grasshopper # 265616: Automotive

are what I am used to seeing on lawn tractors. Sorry that I assumed that was what you had. As others have noted, maybe you could retro-fit some like these, or some "regular" heim joints - Rod End Bearings, or just some plain bolts.