Update on why my tractor broke in half

[woodlandfarms]

So Happy Holidays everyone. Hope santa brought some good gear for the new year.

So my wonderful neighbor has bolted my tractor back together and has an different theory on why my tractor is splitting...

As we know, my machine had a tough life before me, and not an easy life with me. While well maintained, it has been pushed to its limits I am sure. 2 things have happened in the past few years that I have not really mentioned. First was that the left side steering cylinder ripped out one fine day. It was due to a bad tub weld and was put back together by my local machine shop.

The second is that in the past few years I have noticed the eye holes on the steering cylinders getting elongated. Last year I chose to weld on some hardened steel washers to tighten up the action.

So, why you ask this long winded story? Well, my neighbor things that these micro adjustments may have put may machine "out of ballance" and that when I turn a hard hard turn I am "over turning" and putting undo stress on the middle section as the pistons loosen and contract. My neighbor is suggesting using some rubber or some hydraulic cylinder stops to prevent this over tightening.

I will post pictures tomorrow but we have put in reinforcement. The tracto sits nice and level and I have a laundry list of things to get done with it.

Next time I call the factory I will quizz terry down about this theory. Maybe it is time tosend the machine back to tazwell for a good going over, or maybe he has a jig dimension and I can double check.

 

[SpringHollow]

I would suspect the stresses are greater when fully turned one way or the other. But I find it hard to believe that the tolerances are such that 1/4" makes a significant difference. But maybe. Remember, the main intent of these machines is mowing and most of us use them for significant load work which has to be a killer on that joint. I certainly cringe when I am carrying something heavy and the tractor is bouncing down the trail. However I think my mini hoe work is also pretty brutal on the machine since i am always busting through heavy layers of shale.

But I will do what I have to to protect my PT from the worst dangers.



Ken

 

[woodlandfarms]

HA. It ain't me, I promise. I am a good guy.. at least I think I am.

 

[MossRoad]

View attachment 533860

Ken

That's too funny! :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

You may have done this already, but it's worth discussing, I think.

I'd take the steeering rams off the machine, then put some wheel dolly's or a floor jack under the rear section and physically put the machine in a full lock turn to one side to get full articulation.

Then measure and record the center hole distances between the front and rear ram mounts on the left and right sides. Then put the machine into a full turn to the opposite side to get full articulation in the opposite direction, and measure and record again.

Then take your steering rams and fully retract them and measure the pin center distances.

Then fully extend them and measure again.

If the retracted and/or extended measurements are longer or shorter than your lock-to-lock turned measurements, then, yes, the cylinders are putting stress on the machine.

So that takes care of your articulation measurement. I wonder how the oscilation degree would change the lengths of you measurement? At full lock to, say, the right, and with one of the sections tipped the full oscillation angle, I think that would make the steering ram longer, not shorter, so it may be a non-issue to measure.