Gluing Final Drive Bolt

[kajun]

Gents:

Can one use JB Weld to glue the bolts that secure the drawbar bracket on a Loboy's final drive ? If not what glue do you recommend ?
Yes , I know about helicoils and keen-serts etc. No opportunity to do that now . Live in Louisiana rain district and there are only too-busy shops within 25 miles of here .Obliged for all thoughts .
Kajun

[Cecil]

I can think of no glue that would do the trick. There is a lot of pressure on those bolts when you are using the drawbar. There are many guys in your area on the board and perhaps one of them will have the helicoil kit for the drawbar.

[tmays]

Send a pm to Eric down in Raceland. He may be able to help you out. He may even have a final if you want to go that route. Or if you are up for it, I can send you my helicoil kit and you can ship it back to me when you're done

[Scrivet]

Are the threads stripped in the holes or are chunks of casting missing around the hole?

[kajun]

Guys:

I do appreciate the guidance . The threads are what I call "wallowed" meaning they are worn and will take only limited torque . No part of the casting is broken off or missing. I want to avoid new final drive if I can . A local shop tried heli-coiling a few years ago and did poor job. I left the tractor with another and more distant shop 14 months ago and asked that shop to keen-sert the hole in question . This was in connection with other and non-related work. That shop professed ignorance on keen-serting and glued the bolt . The thing has held for 14 months and I was hoping that someone here could tell me about gluing . That will get me by until I can do the work myself .

My memory is that the bolt actually goes into the housing pan . Therefore , I am concerned that remnants of the glue would enter the pan . I am also concerned that JB Weld will be so permanent that the bolt could not later be removed. Thoughts ?

tMays you are so kind to offer the heli-coil kit . That is extraordinary.

[Matt Kirsch]

14 months and still holding, or in need of a "reglue?"

Have you asked the shop that did it, what they used? It definitely wasn't JB weld.

JB weld would indeed glue the bolt in but it would not take being tugged on very much. Definitely a temporary repair, but you have very little to lose by trying it except about $7 and some time.

The holes should NOT enter the pan. If they do then someone overtorqued a too-long bolt and broke a chunk out inside the final.

[kajun]

Much obliged ,Matt.

Glue came loose last week -- tight until then.

Shop grew too fast --- they tend to remember nothing .

Do appreciate the guidance . Seven bucks , I have . Time is a different story . Do thank you.

[Bob McCarty]

JB Weld can be softened and removed with heat (torch). Instead of it, I think I'd try a 2 ton epoxy or something like that (assuming you don't want to remove the bolt soon or often. As an alternative to the Keen sert is the EZ Lok that also uses standard tap sizes and I think comes in both a thick and thin wall version depending on how enlarged the hole is. I've used the EZ Lok a lot and it is much simpler to place than a helicoil. Any chance you'd be at the Tug?

Bob

[Dale Finch]

I actually used a thread repair material for a VERY temporary repair of a final a while back. I got it from one of the Auto Parts stores (Auto Zone??). The process included coating the correct-sized bolt with a "non-stick" material (included), applying the putty-like goo into the cleaned out hole, then screwing in the bolt. You wait "x" amount of time for the material to set, then remove the bolt. It did work very well with a Woods 42 Mower installed, until I helicoiled it this past year.

This was a temporary repair, but seemed to do OK. Good luck!

[kajun]

Dale and Bob:

Thanks for the input. Not able to go to Tug . Started with cubs just as working tractors and sorry I haven't spent more time through the years with those who truly know and love these machines.

I have the EZ Lok stuff somewhere in my digital files and I'll re-look at it. Not sure why I settled on keen-sert but I'm for anything that is easy including glue. So, on short run I will try the "Autozone " method suggested by Dale.


Do appreciate the help.

[Urbish]

You could perhaps use a healthy coat of red LocTite on the bolt as well. Tighten it as far as you can without the thread jumping. Might work for a little while.

[kajun]

Thanks, skwimjim . I'm liking these answers better all the time.

[Dell]

Many years ago I forgot to go back and retighten the flywheel spline bolts after working on a John Deere A. The flywheel got loose on the splines and wore them down.
I put a generous amount of Loctite red bottle on the splines, tightened it down then let it set in the sun for 4 days.
That flywheel was still tight when I sold the tractor 5 years later.
I told the guy that bought and told him to let me know if it ever came loose.
Never did hear from him.