Deere Backhoe with swing motor removal taper pin removal.

[JasG]

I need to remove the swing motor from a hoe for rebuilt. On the back side of the swing motor, between the motor and the main frame of the hoe is a torque link. This is mounted with tapered pins that are threaded on both ends. Anyone know which way the pin is removed? Up or down? The pin on the top end has 2 flats which I'm inclined to believe would be to hold it with a wrench while either installing or removing.

Going by the Deere parts diagram I would think down through, but it might not be the case. Shop manual just states to remove the pins, but no instructions on how to do it.

If the link works it would be #4 that I need to remove.
John Deere - Parts Catalog

 

[JasG]

FWIW I never did get the pin out as much as I tried. The parts drawing would normally show it going up though, which would mean down to remove. The shop manual isn't clear, but is worded that it might be going down though so up would remove it. Neither worked.

I was able to swing the cylinder/motor out onto so cribbing and left the link connected. It made the job a little harder, but I was able to replace the seals I needed to. Just removed the top and shaft, left the bottom plate on. If I had to removed the bottom plate I would have had to hang the motor some how.

In the end though no leaks and works well.

 

[tlm720]

Glad it worked out. How expensive was the repair kit? I had a 93 backhoe with that setup. Seemed to work well. I always wondered why they went away from it and to the more conventional double cylinder. Had to be overall cost. I always figured the design came from the power steering of the late 2 cylinder tractors. It's built pretty similar.

 

[JasG]

I think the kit was about $180.00, I picked it up a few months ago. Your going to need 3/4" drive sockets and I used a highlift jack handle as a cheater bar over my slide handle drive. A huge impact wrench would be handy too. Some of the bolts are 12 point if you need to do the seals that I didn't do. Break as many of the top and bottom end bolts loose as possible before you loosen the cylinder. There are 2 bushings, one in each end collar to line the cylinder up correctly. To get the cylinder to break free I loosened up both the top collar and the bottom collar only about 1/8". Then put a bar between the cylinder and the swing frame, near the top. Freed the top, then moved the bar down to the bottom and did the same. I had the top fee 1st, but with the bolts completely removed I couldn't break the bottom loose, the cylinder kept tipping. I also had the hoe swung over the left (as viewed from the seat looking at the hoe) as far as I could and still get in there to work some what. This allowed me to get the cylinder out without removing the tapered pin and torque link. Then could slide it out onto a board held up with 2 cement blocks.

2 of the holes in the top and bottom plates are threaded for 7/8" bolts to push the plates off the cylinder body.

I did not do the seals that are on the main shaft that control the swing or the ones that divide the inside of the cylinder. I couldn't break them loose and they looked good still. Really I just needed the top and bottom O-rings and backer rings.

Deere and Massey were the only 2 machines I know of that had a swing motor like this, there many have been more. I believe the switched mainly because it doesn't have as much swing power as the rod type cylinders. I could be wrong on that though.

 

[Farmerford]

Jas G:

I have a leaking swing motor on a JD 455D crawler loader. Thanks for your explanation.

I replaced my tapered pins a couple of years ago, so maybe they will come out easily.

Could you clear up a couple of things, please?

If you could not get the splined shaft out of the bottom collar, how did you get the swing motor away from the frame to replace the seals?

Once you got the motor off the frame, did you remove the top and bottom covers at the same time? Or did you remove one cover, replace its O-rings and backer plate, and then replace that plate before removing to the other?

Thanks.

Chuck Ford

 

[JasG]

I was able to get the collars off the splined shaft very easy.

I had trouble breaking the lower collar loose from the swing frame. The whole cylinder kept tipping "back" in the lower collar with the bolts totally removed. So I put the bolts back in the top collar (the bolts that hold the collar to the swing frame) then with a bar broke the bottom loose. This limited the travel of the top and forced more power to the bottom collar. Once that was done I could swing the whole motor out onto blocking. I never had to remove the bottom cover, but I did have all of the bolts loose just in case I needed to.

The splined shaft picked right up out for me once the cover was removed. I replaced the lower seals from the top and then put the shaft back in.

Now if you can get your tapered pins out. Make yourself a removal hanger. Take a long 3/4" bolt about 6" long and weld a 18-24" piece of 1" rod to it. Bend the top 6" at a right angle. Then remove one of the top cover bolts and replace it with this rod with a bolt welded on and use it to pick the swing motor out once it is ready to remove. The bend should be over the motor/cylinder so it picks straight up. Might have to adjust your connection point on the bent part to find the balance point.

Hope this helps.

 

[Farmerford]

JasG:

That is just what I needed to know. Thanks.

Like you, I have the entire seal kit. Unless the vane seals are visibly worn (how I will know that I am not sure!) I will just replace the shaft seals.

 

[JasG]

Which way did your pins come out? Up or down?

On top mine have wrench flats like it's to holt it while tightening the bottom.