johara1
Platinum Member
turn the pin to fit the tube....Jim
Yeah. My guess is if you clean it up and make a tight fit to the rollover arms, and maybe not bevel the end of the tube too much, it’s not going to burn through and grab the pin. Of course, that depends on how thick the tube is, how big the hole in the rollover arms is, how much heat you weld with, etc. as you know.I have imagined that the fiddly bit to the repair is welding the outer tube so that the interior of the outer tube is smooth and allows the inner pin to move freely with no high spots. Monster drill?
All the best,
Peter
I was taught that the rule was "drill, bore, ream" in terms of dimensional accuracy. Reamers are so high precision, that I wouldn't want to chance one without drilling and boring it to size. Given the low precision of the bearing, I would stop after drilling.Yeah. My guess is if you clean it up and make a tight fit to the rollover arms, and maybe not bevel the end of the tube too much, it’s not going to burn through and grab the pin. Of course, that depends on how thick the tube is, how big the hole in the rollover arms is, how much heat you weld with, etc. as you know.
I have a reamer somewhere that fits the inside diameter of the caster wheel tubes. I think it’s 1” or slightly larger. They were throwing things out at my old employer and I acquired it many years ago. It’s about a foot long and would reach the center of that tube from either end.
From what I’ve been reading, one of the main problems with these simple bearings is that the wearable material is not replaceable like ball/needle bearings or bushings. And a welded in pin doesn’t help much either. I wonder if they pinned the pin instead of welding it would work? There’s not much rotational force on that pin. It’s just sitting there for the rollover arm tube to roll on. I wonder what the forces the tube puts on the pin are?
Anyhow, it’s a low speed movement. Even if there was a high spot in there pressing against the tube, it’s probably not going to gouge the pin to the point of breaking, and once a path is worn into it, it won’t get any deeper.
That’s my sloppy engineering opinion.
I’d like to hear others’ opinions on it.
Yes, I hadn’t thought about the fact that since the pin is welded on both ends it adds rigidity to the center of the FEL assembly. Pins would allow some slop. But a round bushing on the outside of the FEL arms drilled for a roll pin or bolt/nut pin would make it rigid. Or a ring and a taper lock on the rollover pin.…
So, to answer your question @MossRoad, I think that the PT solution gives you added strength and rigidity compared to pinning it. One could certainly add brackets on the other tubes to add back strength, but that would probably be at the cost of visibility.
The one thing that I do wish for is a gasket around the ends of pivot to retain the grease and recirculate it between the pin and the pivot. (No, I don't have any bright ideas on how to do that.)
All the best,
Peter
+1 on adding the zerk in the middle! I also agree that upgrading to thicker wall tubing or solid high strength rod ought to be considered.First off it is a stupid set up, the highest force is in the middle and it is supported on the outside edge. The pivot arm would need bored out and replace the other tube with a heaver walled one hand weld it on to the pivot arm turn a shaft to fit but first drill and tap for a zerk fitting in the middle. Now insert the shaft though till it is protruding from both outside edges of both arms. Now weld both sides.... Jim