450 single spline/DUAL spline axles?? ARE THERE 2 KINDS???

Hey,

I was reading on Red Power where a gentlemen had posted where his 450 Farmall had broken 2 different axles in the field in his lifetime.

One of the replies to this mentioned something to the effect: "I had a 58 450 that was LATE enough to have the "ONE spline" axles and it STILL broke"!!

My question here is did they make two kinds?? And are we talking about the "keyway grooves" cut into the axles that the wheel hub and the clamping collars "key" into????

I notice My Super M has 2 grooves in it's axles 180 degrees apart.

Just trying to learn some more info here.

My SM has two grooves, my 460 one. That didn't cause your axle to break. The other guy might have meant the clamp. Its hard to break an axle unless abused or unless there is a mounted cotton picker, etc.

My 53 super M has two grooves and my 58 450 has a single groove in the axle.

Later 450 tractors started showing up with one keyway axles. Wheels used on the tractors only used one keyway even if they came with a 2 keyway axle. SM type wheels and clamps needed a 2 keyway axle. Although some replacement wheels for M through early 400 used a one keyway wheel and 2 axle clamps per wheel with 7/8 inch diameter bolts like the 450 clamps.
Saw enough 450 tractors with a 2 keyway axle on one side and a one key on the other to think maybe some left the factory like that. Or else a lot broke the axles and were replaced.

Our SMTA broke 3 axles. One putting on anhydrous, the other two were both plowing if I remember right. We had a fasthitch ours so it they got the added stress of the weight of mounted plow and mounted field cultivator, plus we ran duals on it working ground in the spring. It was an attention getter when it happened.

Std length axle part number was 51572DC, this fit M/SM/SMTA/400/450/560. This was a single spline (keyway) replacement for double spline (keyway) axles. IH part system used clues in modification or improvement to the specification, first design would be called a 51572D, then DA,DB to now a DC.

From a materials perspective, a keyway/spline is a stress riser due to the sharp corners at the bottom of the "trench." An axle with one keyway is significantly stronger than one with two. Also, the single keyways would cause the key to shear rather than the axle to break.

As a kid I read an article in Farm Show magazine about quickly repairing the axle on a 400 or 450. IIRC, they dragged the tractor home on a log behind a pickup truck, cut a hole in the axle housing, dressed up the axle stubs with a grinder, shoved the axle back in and welded it up right inside the housing.

I think broken axles on the 400/450 tractors were a somewhat common thing. Not epidemic like the 560 bearing problems, but common enough that people had heard of it happening.

Huh???

I DO know the original,factory "Super" Ms axles are longer than the standard Ms.

So,was this replacement axle the LONGER version that would be used in the Ms to make them like the Super Ms/400s/450s????????

WTF?????????

They cut a hole in the axle housing and welded it back rather than buy a new axle?????

I guess this would be some kind of SERIOUSLY,cheap,quick,"farmer repair" procedure????

(You think they would have AT LEAST remove the innner "stub" from the Bull gear and axle housing and make some kind of jig to weld the two broken halves together EXTERNALLY on a bench????)

Replaced quite a few axles out in the plowed field on 400, 450's but I was lucky enough none that I remember had a mounted picker on them. Last tractor I saw with a broken axle happened to be Green, 4 whl drive but I was lucky on that one I didn't get assigned to work on it.

Pete did you ever notice some axles between the bearings? Always wondered why some have a turned down spot and some don't. Maybe different venders or to let the axle flex more on the turned down ones is a couple of things I guessed at. Never found out the real reason though.

Never noticed a different length standard axle in the tractors M to 560.

The parts catalog lists a longer axle but I never ran across a tractor that had them, this was in SW Iowa, lot of mounted pickers, rolling hills then really rolling nearer Council Bluffs. We would change out a lot of broken axles in the fall, not many housings. Quite a procedure on a snowy/ice crust field or ditch.

I know for a fact My Super M uses a longer axle than a standard M .I am looking at a manual right now.Super M wheel spacing will set wider than a Standard M.

These are not "specialty" axles either.(NOT corn picker extensions,ect)

Just in case I missed something installing axles from one model to another, a check of operators manuals I have shows the same wheel spacing measurements for both a SM and a M.
Looks like later M and SM both used the standard axle # 51572DB when new. Pretty sure the 51572DC was a 2 keyway axle also.

(quoted from post at 15:25:14 10/02/12) WTF?????????

They cut a hole in the axle housing and welded it back rather than buy a new axle?????

I guess this would be some kind of SERIOUSLY,cheap,quick,"farmer repair" procedure????

(You think they would have AT LEAST remove the innner "stub" from the Bull gear and axle housing and make some kind of jig to weld the two broken halves together EXTERNALLY on a bench????)

Click to expand...

I found the article!

Farm Show has ALL their articles archived online and searchable. It's an article from 1984 - Volume #8, Issue #1, Page #6.

The tractor was a 350, but you get the idea. Unfortunately it's $4 to download the article and I'm cheap. You can get all 35 years for $40 on a DVD.

Just like the good old days at the parts counter, everybody was a expert without any parts books & price was way to high, compared to who elses price. I did this for 47 years, started at 7 am so on a rainy day the BTOs could tell me how hard they had been working.

RPM1941 I respect the job you did and all the information you know. But I have to question axle 51572DC being one keyway. It couldn't be a replacement for M through 560 with one keyway unless the cast wheels were also changed on part of those tractors. When IH started using the one key axle on F 450 tractors in september of 1957 it was then factory installed only. Replacement axles stayed 2 key. Maybe they changed something later and I don't know about it and I could be wrong. Don't care whos right or wrong, just after facts so correct me if I made a mistake.

I dont think the wheel centers or clamps had but 1 key to drive, dont remember for sure but no tractor I recall had 2 key drive 180 from each other. Obviously single keyway would be stronger on a 2.75" axle that was already overstressed. That axle part number is what IH shows yet on M/450/560. I used to set these up new, when they came off truck the wheels were shipped reversed to keep it narrow as possible. We stocked axle 51572 & R & L housings to fit M/450/560, all same parts. 656/666/686 had single keyway axle.

RPM1941, little slow in responding but here goes. Last production wheel made for M up to and into early Farmall 400 was 6325DF. Wheel used a cast in key and the one piece clamp 6326DC used a cast in key also. Wheel and clamps fit a 2 keyway axle. Wheels for 400 tractors after serial 5180 and 450 ETC. used a wheel with a key slot for a steel key. 2 clamps 355440R2 without keys were used for those wheels. Later IH did make a replacement wheel 365345R1 for M to 400 serial 5180 that used the above key and clamps and the same rim as a M to 400 5180. 400 to 450 parts book lists axle 51572DC for both tractors with no note that early 400 wheels won't work with the axle. Finally if you look in attachments parts book section for a farmall 450 under the special axle extentions. Note says when this attachment is used on tractors with one keyway axle 51572DC with 2 keyways must be installed.
Axle 51572DC = two keyways.
Also you mentioned rear axle housings and I also in another post. I agree the 560 axle housing was used as a replacement for previous tractors. Only thing I pointed out is if someone decided to get a left side M housing at a salvage yard to put on a 560 that just a little work may be needed (grinding) to bolt the 560 T/A lever bracket on the best. When bigger diameter brake covers were used on a 560 the bracket was moved from the side of the transmission housing like a 450 was. On a 560 2 bolts that also mount the axle housing were used to mount the bracket. Two machined flats were added to the 560 housing at the outside of bolt holes area that previous housings don't have.

I wont argue that maybe these were 2 key axles, I just dont remember that detail exactly, the tractors with standard row crop use in the midwest only had 1 key per wheel, I know about the extensions but never seen these in use anywhere. The axle housing difference was as you stated with 2 or 3 machined spot face for the right hand side that replaced 6735D-? on TA tractors. I do know you could swap axle bearings around.