SuperA front axle disassembly

To all the experts,

As you can see in my pic, the drop leg broke off the tube. I,m having a hard time getting the tube out of the axle.

1)Is it just a slide fit and rusty, once the pin is removed, (which I have out), or is something else holding it in there?

2)If it is slide in, can I heat the axle tube with a torch or will it weaken it?

3)Can it be welded back together, or won,t that be strong enough and need to be replaced?

Thanks for any help.

Adrian

You and pretty much everyone else... Those things are usually stuck in there pretty tight and it's often a struggle to get them out.

Heating is okay but you need a LOT of heat. Big tanks and a rosebud torch. Lots of BTUs to get the entire axle tube warm.

A way to forcibly jack the tube out, such as a portapower, will be necessary.

My thoughts are that the tube is simply rusted/corroded in place. While heating the tube up probably won't hurt it (I'd be amazed if it were anything other than mild steel) you'd need a lot of heat to get that circumference to the point where the tube could be easily removed.

Instead I'd do this...soak with PB Blaster (or the like) and build up two tools, 1) a solid shaft you can insert thru what's left of the vertical spindle housing to apply torque and 2) a slide-hammer setup to apply axial pull to the stub-inner-tube. I think the slide hammer could involve a "Y" shaped chain attached to an existing slide hammer...or also something like restraining the axle to something solid and then pulling axially with a come along to something else solid. Be very careful applying any external forces as a single jack stand is not margin of backup.

As with any rusted or corroded problem, cyclic motion is usually what takes its toll. In other words if you can get the two parts to move relative to each other just a fraction of an inch you have got it...just keep working the parts back and forth until they finally come apart (this takes persistance and usually an exercise of most of your most chilling vocabulary). Think of it as rust is the lowest-grade fastener any engineer could specify...and your job is to make it fail

Thanks for the responses, that is what I thought, just wanted to make sure before I broke something bigger.

Thank you,

Adrian

Adrain: First remove the axle from the tractor. Then try and remove the other telescoping end. If you can find someone with a forge, it will make the job easier. Forge will be far more efficient.

I have seen these center tubes crimson from heat before it let go. If you try applying that kind of heat with axle on the tractor, you will very likely burn the tractor. I've had several of these tubes that hot, all are still going and my first attempt has 25 years on it now with center mount cultivators in summer and front snow blade in winter.

I would try transmission fluid or some penetrating oil and see if you can put a large bar where the axle stem goes or a large pipe wrench and cheater bar and see if you can start some type of movement. Thats how I had to free mine a few years back. J Ashcraft

Never did get my Cub axle to break loose, even when heated red hot. Finally had to split it on the back side with a thin grinder wheel and spread it a little. Welded back and ground smooth. Can't notice at all unless you know it's there and look really close.