repair inside threads

If they are snapped right at the surface, you can try the Nut Trick. Clamp a nut so it's centered over the lug bolt, hook the ground to the hub so power doesn't go through the axle, and puddle weld the nut to the bolt fragment.

Of course this begs the question, how did you let it get that bad? Three studs don't all snap unless the other three (or more) holding the wheel on have already backed out or were totally missing. Tractor drive wheels use pretty healthy bolts.

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Full load? Sounds like a BIG overload! Good thing you don't have hills there, you might still be chasing the wheel! There must be more to the story than you have written!!!!

If the tractor is less than 20 years old, the threads may be metric, I am sure you can determine that. Were the bolts original or the correct replacement? I have lost wheel bolts, but never broken any.

"Buggered" covers a lot of conditions! A tap will try to cut new threads rather than push them back into shape. That would be may last choice. Can you force the "buggers" back into alignment with a good bolt and lots of anti-seize? Perhaps grind a proper bolt so the starting threads are on a taper. You want to have enough threads so the proper torque can be applied to the new bolts.

Can you get to the back side of the axle flange? I am sure there is all kinds of stuff in the way. If so, vice grips would be able to work the bolts on through the axle flange.

Paul

I don't know what they call them but there are non cutting taps that are designed to try salvage the threads. I shouldn't say non cutting but instead, are not designed to cut.

The ones I have look like a bolt with some narrow slots cut in them for what ever bits of metal don't bend back.

Wes

PS

Glad you are still amongst us.

Sometimes a right hand drill will work just as well as a left hand drill. A right hand drill will work well where the broken bit can come out side away from the drill.

I have never tried it, but I would think that drilling a relatively small hole( maybe 3/8 ) thru the bolt first and then welding a nut on would really well. The hole would let the bolt expand toward the hole when heated and then shrink more when it cools.

Best of luck to you.

Dan

These are a bit worse than I thought. Not repairable. Has anyone seen a helicoil for 14mm x 1.5mm extra deep(2cm) bolts. I don't think its made, but it would be a life saver. I looked at the repair manual for drive axle replacement. Step1:remove cab,2:remove floor plates, 3:remove fuel tank, and so on.

I'll also look for 16mm wheel bolts. Fat chance here. I'm sure they are made but tractor parts aren't indexed by size.

Karl

Good luck with the fix, Karl.

I don't know how you do it in an apple orchard, but I snapped two of four clamp bolts on the wheel hub axle clamp on a Case 932 once. I was discing a cut-over rice field that had been cut wet and was now bone dry. I was bouncing along rattling out fillings in 2nd gear when I hit a couple of ruts where a JD 5010 had been stuck. The left rear hung in the first rut, and the entire tractor pivoted 90 deg. in about

1/2 sec. on that wheel. After that and plunking into the ruts, I had no choice but to follow them out. I made about another 1/2 round when I noticed the left rear wobbling.

That field also folded under the adjustable width front axles, stripped the splines on top a spindle, etc. It took a week to disc 26 acres with all the welding and repairs.

Pete Keillor

Check NAPA for spark plug repair kits . I know they make'em for 12X1.5 , pretty sure they make 'em for 14 mm too .

Looks like you can get 'em up to 4.2cm long:

Mcmaster carr saved my butt, again.

91732A303 18-8 SS Standard Helical Insert M14-1.5 Internal Thread, 21mm Length In stock at $7.57 per Pack This product is sold in Packs of 5

Karl

MSC on page 417 of my catalog has thread repair kits for 14 mm by 1.5 mm by 21 mm. But they are not cheap. I think they also have some keensert type thread repair inserts. Also not cheap.

I am frugal and would be looking at making my own thread inserts. MSC sells some that are 14 by 1.5 internal and 20 by 1.5 external. For $70 Harbor Freight has a metric tap and die set that includes both those sizes.

Dan

I haul too much weight and have some terrible side hills. At least I don't need a steering wheel, the front tires bounce off the ground all the time. This is the second time for this event. the first time I chalked it up to loose bolts coming off. since then, I impact wrench the bolts on often. they always draw up a bit more. I don't have 25 run hours since the last retighten. I can see the bolts were walking sideways back and forth making the bolt hole egg shaped. Looks like four bolts extruded right out on one side, allowing the wheel to pivot and pop the other four off. Two of them went right through the hub and left them on the axle. Some amazing forces involved here.

Karl

You gotta love farming. Things never seem to break in the off season. :)

But then there is the lack of attention to things in the off season: last fall my tractor engine was on it's last legs before a scheduled off season rebuild. Fired it up for the last 30 minutes before the snows came, tossed a rod on startup. My engine guy does snowmobiles, the rod added some complications, never got at it, had to shove in a smaller engine to make do this spring. STILL don't have the engine even STARTED on the rebuild. Need to get the crank off to the grind shop next week, get it back, then order the correct con rod. Sigh..........

Karl, If you don't fix these correctly, they will fail again and the next time you may get hurt. First you should be using heat treated studs of at least grade

8 quality. Second, consider using a larger diameter stud and opening up the holes in the wheel. Lastly, consider a bigger tractor. They are cheaper than your life. Steve

These are bolts that screw into the flange correct? Why not change them to lug studs and lug nuts like used on most other tractors? Stronger, less chance of failure and no inserts to weaken anything. You could move up a bit in size and that would allow you to use a countersink to repair the seats in the wheels as well.

I would also suggest NOT using a rattle gun to tighten them. They likely sheared off because of that. Namely you said that they tightened up a bit more every time, that sounds a LOT like the threads were stretching past the yield point.

My dad showed me many years ago how to straighten out and clean up threads by making a tool like that... out of a bolt.

Lunch break, spending my holiday on emergency repair.

I made a nice repair tap. Cut a slot on each side of a bolt, heat and dip in casenite, quench. I ran this in from the backside on each axle tapped hole. They look pretty good. The tap mostly moved the bunged material not cut it.

John Deere has parts on line. The new wheel hub is non stock :( So, I've welded each of the busted out holes solid and took my lunch break while it cools. This P.M. I'll mill everything flat and cut new bolt holes. Should be far stronger than original equipment.

Karl

The _wheel_ had holes pull out, too?!?

Wow.

So now instead of the wheel sacrificing itself for that super-expensive hard-to-replace axle, the axle will break or bend?

Now _that_'s good engineering!

I do so love working on a deadline. For me it's usually trade shows, but for an exhibitor they're no easier to move than the seasons.

BTW: Someone mentioned "good thing you don't have hills". Aren't you out of Hood River? Someone needs to point out on which mountain you're on the side of.

Yup, a good quality cap screw and a dremel tool with a cut off wheel would serve to make one.

Wes