48 Backhoe Pin Material?

[texasranger556]

4400 tractor with 48 backhoe. The bucket pivot pin looks like it was never greased from the previous owner and is veeerrry tight so much that it squeaks loudly when the bucket is curled. I've tried heating what I can access on the outside of the dipper trying to get it to take grease, but I fear I'm going to have to cut the pin out of there eventually to change buckets. 8 lb sledge doesn't phase it. Deere wants $75 for a new pin, but to me it just looks like standard 1.25 bar with holes drilled for the pins. No grease passages or anything special.

So my question is what material are the pins made from? I could imagine it is something soft so that the pin wears rather than the bushings, but perhaps harder than regular 1018 cold roll so that it can last longer.

 

[TMGT]

Not sure on original material for it, but I've been using 1144 stressproof for pins with excellent results, 4150 is also a good option.

 

[LD1]

Most backhoes have something other than plain mild steel for pins/bushings. It is likely some kind of steel that is tougher and harder than 1018. Lots of good choices in material.

Hate to ask the obvious, but if it wont take grease, have you tried replacing the zerk? 9 times out of 10 when I have a fitting that wont take, its just a bad fitting and nothing more

 

[chriswheeler]

I used 4130 stress proof to make the pins. Heated to the parts weren't magnetic, and quenched in oil. Worked fine. Think you could get the same results out of 4140 as well.
Chris

 

[Mysfyt]

First choice 4140. Second choice 8620. Ideally case hardened to Rc 45-50.

$75 sounds reasonable for a pin if I'm picturing it right.

 

[texasranger556]

Thanks guys. Forgot to follow up. I ordered a piece of 1144 through Amazon for $23 delivered. Easy to drill and fit nicely. Not a lot of use this past year but will be getting a workout this summer!

 

[DanMc77]

Thanks so much TexasRanger for this info!! I have the 4600 tractor with model 48 backhoe, so I'll share some experience.

I bought the backhoe used. It is in excellent condition with very little use -- paint is still on most of the bucket, so all of the pins are very tight. However, it had sat outside for a while and the dipper pin had rusted tight in the boom and sheared off the bolts in the dipper. It was impossible to get any grease in there even after changing the zerk fitting. We did everything to get it out, including using a log splitter ram to attempt to push it out. Eventually I hired a welding expert with a thermal lance to blow a hole through the pin. This shrinks the pin so it can then be pushed out. Anyway, I was in a hurry to get it going, so I paid the ransom to JD and bought their pin. But before installing it, I put it in my lathe and drilled a grease hole to the center point, then drilled an intersecting hole through the center. In the milling machine, shallow grease channels were added so the grease can pass from the center and outward. Now the dipper pivot can be greased from the pin, as done commonly.

It remains a mystery to me why John Deere did not put zerks into the ends of the pins on the backhoe, but rather installed them all over the place in places that are very difficult to reach.

 

[texasranger556]

Mine wasn't quite that bad. I was able to weld a large nut to the end of the pin and thread a grade 8 bolt into it. Then I cut the plate off the end of the dipper where the grease fitting is so I could heat the outside of the pin bushing tube with a torch. Then proceeded to heat and beat one afternoon until it finally came out about 1/16" at a time.