LA150 - Spring and Nuts found in Hub!

[piratesignal]

A couple weeks ago I removed my front wheels to clean and re-pack the hubs with grease, and I found a spring and three nuts, and a bunch of sheared metal on the left front wheel (wheels have never been off before).

The axle is pretty badly deformed (almost 1/4 of it missing on one side), and there was a ton of metal inside the hub cavity.

My hands were full of grease and metal so I couldn't take a pic and I needed to get the job done. Yesterday I found the spring that was in there.

How on earth did a spring and nuts get in there? Boogie man at the factory?

 

[jinman]

If I found all that stuff inside my wheel hub, I'd be having a conversation with my dealer. I wouldn't think there would be room for anything like that with the axle shaft and bushings, but if you say it's so, then I certainly can understand your concern. What other stuff did the boogie man leave you? You just don't know. . . .

 

[piratesignal]

Yes, had I not been in a hurry to get the tractor back into service for a small project I was doing, I would have taken the time to show the dealer; photograph at least.

Yes, the hub area has a significant caviety that holds grease... and other things!

I will bring the axle in to show them and see if they will do anything. No worries.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Just some of that famous JD quality contol I guess. When I worked fora Chevy dealer years ago (when I first came home from the Army) my first job was setting up new cars for delivery, undercoating, etc. It was amazing what came through from the factory. I found complete 4 speed shift linkage handle, and knob on an engine, screws for trim installed right through wiring for the tail lights, GMC tailgates, and grills on Chevy trucks, and all kinds of other stuff that I have long since forgotten. I guess that kind of thing happens on any assembly line, but you really have to wonder sometimes why more of it isn't caught at the faxtory.

These days, using "lean manufacturing techniques" there tends to be less inspection, and not more. Companies are trying to build quality into the process, and it can be done, but you still need some way of assuring these things don't happen.