Jd 4600 tie rod ends, has anyone ever rebuilt tie rod ends

[hunter townsen]

Hi guys and gals.

IM curious has anyone ever tried rebuilding tie rod ends? I have a plan, mine are on the inner side(they are straight, rather than 90 degree, im not sure if they have a specific name, john deere calls them steering assemblies), they have been sloppy since about 100 hrs , now they are at about 1400 hours. Im aware that I need to do them properly for safety. I am thinking of machining them off about a1/4 in and welding them to tighten them up, the boots are removable. My hunting partner is a certified welder, he is going to give me his opinion also. Or does anyone have a source for them other than jd, I hate paying 135.00 bucks each for $ 25 part if it was on a chevy. Plus my sterring knuckles are leaking like a sieve so im going to be dumping a bunch of money into that. (4 wd)

Thanks in advance
Rob

 

[pmsmechanic]

Before I'd spend the time and money doing something like that to save money I would Google the part numbers and see what you come up with. LVA10727 is one and is available for $65. the other part number is LVA14960 and the price is ridiculous like $170 - $230. (you might want to double check and make sure I have the right part numbers) 302 Found

Here is another idea and I have done this. I had a 955 that the steering cylinder tie rod end went out on. I went to NAPA and bought a visually matching tie rod end. I didn't even take the cylinder all the way off I just ran the cylinder rod all the way out and cut the old end off and welded the new one on. Some paint and I was good to go. That saved me about $350 if I remember correctly.

 

[hunter townsen]

Thanks for your response, im still researching . I have found them considerably cheaper than when I posted this originally. there are a couple of off brands that are cheaper about 68 bucks, trying to decide right now if Im going to run as is and buy new (I just spent a ton of money on my truck) or attempt repair. I have thought about the same process as you , so I am also researching that angle. I do get really tired of paying jk 2 or 3 times what a part should cost, i.e. front end bearing and seals , after research I found the parts for a 1/4 the cost .
thanks again
rob

 

[pmsmechanic]

What gets me is the difference in cost between the two parts. What makes one part cost $100+ more than the other? On the other hand you can't just throw out jd parts either. Sometimes they are the cheapest part. More expensive initially but last twice as long.

 

[hunter townsen]

best I can tell is there is a lh and rh, im researching tisco, I have found the parts cheaper than originally im not sure why the price difference. as far as jd goes I have done quite a bit of research, this is a common problem, I don't trust their part. they started failing way too soon, and im not the only one who has had this issue.
ty for your response
rob

 

[pmsmechanic]

So I went through the parts catalog again and found out why one joint cost more than the other. There is a new updated tie rod and the cheaper joints are for the old style tie rod. The two part numbers I mentioned above are both for the LH side. Right hand side numbers are LVA10728 and LVA14959. I didn't check prices. You might want to check your serial number against the parts book to make sure you are looking for the right ones. My link doesn't work but if you Google John Deere parts the site comes up.

I\m wondering if John Deere upgraded the part because of the problems you mentioned.

Your front end looks very similar to mine. Most don't realize that they are made by Spicer.

 

[dfkrug]

I bought an off-the-shelf Moog tierod end at an auto parts store. It was soft
cast steel and I drilled and tapped it for the cyl rod. This was for a 4300; the
4600 may be bigger.

 

[hunter townsen]

I bought an off-the-shelf Moog tierod end at an auto parts store. It was soft
cast steel and I drilled and tapped it for the cyl rod. This was for a 4300; the
4600 may be bigger.

AWESOME, I WAS ACTUALLY RESEARCHING THAT OPTION. sorry excited, after hours of research today, I found three suppliers of them, spicer, of course jd, land timco. the spicers were higher than deere, the timco about 10 bucks cheaper. Now please tell me you know the application, and also if you know the diameter of the drill and tap threads , I would greatly appreciate it and I would owe you one . I had abandoned the cutting and welding idea, in the morning I had planned on drilling out the inside of the steering rod end, and planned to make a brass bushing with a concave end to match the ball . I had planned to make a wax mold of the ball convex and fabricate a drill bit to match. I think your way is easier lol, thanks in advance for your info
rob
crud I just looked at the pics, I go too excited , as I see you did the outer, the problem I am having is with the inner (the straight one)
but either way, I wouldn't mind replacing the outers if they are reasonable , and ty again
Also how much movement do you have on your inners and how many hours
rob

 

[dfkrug]

crud I just looked at the pics, I go too excited , as I see you did the outer, the problem I am having is with
the inner (the straight one)

If you mean the ball-and-socket joint at the end of the cyl rod, that's a different ballgame. Mine were
OK, tho the outer balljoint I replaced was bad. After the fix, it was tight. I do not have a solution
for the inner joint. Let us know what you come up with.

I do not recall the MOOG part, but I believe it was from a big truck. I went to a NAPA that let me
look at the MOOG book and get the correct taper. Online would be better and cheaper if you can get
the size info.

This is from one of the 2 4300 rental tractor rebuilds I posted on TBN. Both over 2K hours.

 

[hunter townsen]

I need to get some brass stock for my test ,without cutting up one of my good punches lol. mine failed way too early for some reason, and why they don't have grease zerks is beyond me. You can almost read the part # in the pic, almost lol