daugen
Epic Contributor
it's been almost eight years since I repainted my Gravely and it has worked very, very hard in those eight years.
After a local tire store really brutalized the rims putting on new Firestone tri-ribs in the front, I knew it was time to make them
look nice again.
Not a very interesting post but we get so few in this area, well....
First off came the wheels and the new bearings that were just put on. We found when the wheels came off to replace the tires, there was water and rust in the bearings.
That all went in the can and new bearings put in with new grease. So while I worry about getting the bearings in somehow backwards, everything came out
fine and it was time to prep.
First the blue taping all the way around, then newspaper covering the tire, then a washdown with degreaser. When that thoroughly dried I started sanding and
then sanded some more. Then cleaned that off and washed down with denatured alcohol. And at this point the Rustoleum RustFix primer has dried over night and today
hopefully I will get a coat or two of gloss white on. Then a final coat of clear.
The front end of this little tractor is pretty durable. The pieces are all still original after 30 years and 980 hours. I lube it regularly and put some Kroil in various areas to keep
things slip sliding properly. With the wheels off and up on stands, the steering wheel just spins back and forth, easily after I've lubed everything thoroughly. I'm working on a brand new implement shed concrete floor and for the first time I can use my little rolling seat and creeper easily. Getting off a dirt floor to work on has been super.
Will post the final pic when done. I have a new tub of grease to pack the bearings. In the old days we would pack the cap full, I assume so the grease in the cap could fall back into the bearing. Right now the caps are empty so the dealer didn't think they needed to be full. Thoughts?
After a local tire store really brutalized the rims putting on new Firestone tri-ribs in the front, I knew it was time to make them
look nice again.
Not a very interesting post but we get so few in this area, well....
First off came the wheels and the new bearings that were just put on. We found when the wheels came off to replace the tires, there was water and rust in the bearings.
That all went in the can and new bearings put in with new grease. So while I worry about getting the bearings in somehow backwards, everything came out
fine and it was time to prep.
First the blue taping all the way around, then newspaper covering the tire, then a washdown with degreaser. When that thoroughly dried I started sanding and
then sanded some more. Then cleaned that off and washed down with denatured alcohol. And at this point the Rustoleum RustFix primer has dried over night and today
hopefully I will get a coat or two of gloss white on. Then a final coat of clear.
The front end of this little tractor is pretty durable. The pieces are all still original after 30 years and 980 hours. I lube it regularly and put some Kroil in various areas to keep
things slip sliding properly. With the wheels off and up on stands, the steering wheel just spins back and forth, easily after I've lubed everything thoroughly. I'm working on a brand new implement shed concrete floor and for the first time I can use my little rolling seat and creeper easily. Getting off a dirt floor to work on has been super.
Will post the final pic when done. I have a new tub of grease to pack the bearings. In the old days we would pack the cap full, I assume so the grease in the cap could fall back into the bearing. Right now the caps are empty so the dealer didn't think they needed to be full. Thoughts?