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Deck Arbor Nightmares . . . Help Requested


Allis_914_Owner

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I've been refurbishing my grandfather's 914 shuttle, and it's been great this season. However, the deck clearly had some bearing issues, and it hasn't been used for a while. In the meantime, I picked up a 917 Hydro with an identical 48" deck (well, it's the same model, but the deck is in rough shape). Problem #1: Drive Arbor issue. I removed all the arbor assemblies from the deck on the 914, and generally disaseembled everything from the hull and cleaned the underside down to metal, and painted with truck liner after treating with rust converter/sealer. The center drive arbor clearly needs new bearings, so I picked those up. The star washer on the bottom of the shaft was stuck on the drive arbor, and the star shaft was scored by the blade. I soaked with PB blaster last night and tonight, then used a bearing puller to pull off the washer. Bad idea. the star washer pulled in half (the top part is still nicely on the shaft. This is holding the tube assembly and everything else on the shaft. Any ideas as to what I can do now? All new assembly needed? Problem 2: Rusty replacement. I thought I was being clever in getting this 917 with a deck. Spare parts, right? I have tried to take off the blade cap bolts with a 5/8 socket and breaker bar, only to round off two of the three on the deck. I was tempted to come up with my own new vocabulary, and it was getting dark, so I decided not to go for the hat trick tonight. Any ideas on how to get these things off? I've been soaking these with PB blaster as well. I'm started to get disgusted here, and looking online indicates that I could quickly sink some real money into just replacing the one drive arbor and tube assembly.
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Hope you have 6 point sockets and not 12 point. 2 Cut the star washer off and get a new shaft. 3 sent the 48" to me and I will trade a 42"
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I always use a air compressor and impact wrench with a 6 point socket as Levi indicated. As to the "SPLINED" washer, I've never had one stick like you are having.
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I agree with 6 pt sockets. I use a breaker bar with a piece of wood in the deck housing to stop the blade from spinning. Never had a problem, but I also agree an impact gun would be best. As to the stuck splined washer, I've had trouble removing them when the old style flat blades (not gull wing) chewed up the spline area. My solution was to dremel/file the damaged spline area so the splined washer would come off with your fingers. The decks with the new style arbors and flat blades (such as mfg#1690272) call for a "self locking ring" that is installed over the arbor shaft and sits in a depressed area of the splines (splines ground away). I think this is an upgrade from the "older" new style arbor decks to prevent the blade from damaging the splines. However, in my experience, the hardest part of rebuilding a new style arbor assembly is removing the drive pulley from the splined arbor, especially the center arbor with double pulley and therefore more spline area contact. If the deck was ever left out in the weather, I guarantee water has gotten into the joint and plenty of rust has formed. After many hours of soaking with penetrants, pulling, beating, etc. I gave up and took one center arbor assembly to a machine shop where it was put in a huge press and with much heat added the drive pulley finally let loose from the arbor shaft. Hope you have better luck.
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Its been my experence my torch and a press is needed, and you still can distroy the pulley some times. good luck the 914 is made alot like the 310 and 410 deck spendles.
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I will try to take a picture tonight to show you what I am dealing with. I expected to have the difficulty that PhanDad was talking about with the double pulleys, but, amazingly, the double pulleys came off the center arbor just by pulling with my hand, and the 914 deck arbor was clean as a whistle under the pully. Unfortunately, the splines on the blade side of the arbor shaft are badly scored, and may be the reason why the splined arbor washer decided to separate into an upper half and lower half when pulled. I'm thinking that some work with a Dremel to cut the washer off in pieces might be the ticket, if it is possible, then some clean-up of the splines as noted. The arbor tubes are a rusty mess, both inside and out, and the bottom bearing in the center arbor has to be in horrible shape. I'm going to try to salvage the tube, prime and paint and I'll probably pack it with grease when I put in the new bearings just to discourage rust formation near the bearings. This is a much bigger job than I had anticipated. I noticed that I can get a new replacement arbor with new bearings already press fitted for $56 plus shipping. I may go that route on the drive arbor, since the bearings alone were $9 each, and I already need a new splined washer, and, in reality, a new arbor. I'll pick up a 6 point socket, as all mine are 12 points. I sure hope I can get these things off. Heaven only knows where that deck has been, and how long those cap screws have been on there.
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I have apparently been looking at the exploded diagram for a newer deck than what I have. I just got off the phone with my Simplicity dealer to order a new arbor, and he was surprised, as was I, that I have an older deck on the 914 (and on the 917). I guess what is stuck on the arbor shaft is not the "splined washer", but the "blade adaptor" (which is like a big splined washer). Well, I put down $49 for the arbor and a new blade adaptor. Hopefully, that will do the trick, and I'll get the other parts off the old arbor shaft without much ado.
quote:
Originally posted by SmilinSam
I always use a air compressor and impact wrench with a 6 point socket as Levi indicated. As to the "SPLINED" washer, I've never had one stick like you are having.
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Just an FYI, there is no guarantee that the deck you currently have is what was on it when it left the factory. Wouldn't be surprised at all to find out that it isn't. So the dealer shouldn't automatically go by the tractor's serial # to determine the parts for the deck. I say this because my deck isn't the one that came with the tractor from the factory. Good luck!
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I would generally agree, except that this 914 and deck were bought by my grandfather from the local Allis Chalmers dealer, and I know this is the deck that he bought with the tractor. I guess it is possible that the dealer cobbled together a new tractor and a new deck from a different tractor, but probably not. The dealer was operating under the assumption because I was operating under that assumption and giving him parts numbers from my manual rather than straight off my deck. Just from looking at manuals and parts pictures, it is clear to me that Simplicity often had manuals that were not updated when designs or models may have been swapped mid-production. Granted, this was likely one of the earlier 914's sold, as my father recalls this being bought in 1979 or 1980.
quote:
Originally posted by OrangeMetalGuy
Just an FYI, there is no guarantee that the deck you currently have is what was on it when it left the factory. Wouldn't be surprised at all to find out that it isn't. So the dealer shouldn't automatically go by the tractor's serial # to determine the parts for the deck. I say this because my deck isn't the one that came with the tractor from the factory. Good luck!
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I like using 3/4 drive, 6 point socket, on an 18" long breaker bar (sometimes used in conjunction with a cheater bar). Those big boys get'er done;)
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Wow, that's a real tractor size set at 3/4" drive. I have to admit, 1/2" is the largest drive size I have, but I do like using the 18" breaker bar. The 6 point sockets did the trick, at least for the center drive. Unfortunately, I was only able to get a 6 point set with a 3/8" drive, and my big breaker bar is 1/2", so I need to get an adapter to put the meat to the other two. Thanks, guys.
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If the bolt head is rounded off all the way weld a short 2" key stock across the top of the bolt then use a forked tool to spin it off. the heat from the weld will help loosen the bolt and the forked spanner will not slip when removing.
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