Pulling Wheels/Hubs off Number 7

[Russel]

Hi again

Does anyone have experience pulling the wheels/hubs off of a number 7 mower. Ive got the mower book but he doesnt mention anything about pulling the number 7s. Does the nut/bolt on the hub just get unscrewed then the whole thing pulled? Also which way must the nut/bolt be turned on each hub to remove it?

Thanks

[Jay]

Russel, Yes, take the bolt and cap off and you should be able to slide wheel off the axle. If it’s tight you may need to use a gear puller. There is a key-way also. Good luck. What are you hoping to accomplish by taking the wheel off? Jay

[Donn Hewes]

Good question Jay. Unless you are changing the wheel to a different wheel, you are better off not taking them off. If you need to work in the gear box, the axles will come apart there and slide out with the wheel attached. Same for working on wheel bareings. If you have a broken wheel you will need to get that off. Some number sevens have a bolt and cap in the end. But some have two bolts that clamp the wheel on. If you are looking for a replacement wheel these two types are not interchangeable.

[Russel]

Hi guys

Ive been reading lynn millers mower book and he suggests if there is movement (I think he refers to it as slop) or jiggling in the wheel then it should be pulled to try and determine the problem. Id appreciate any advice on whether or not I should proceed.

Thanks

[Donn Hewes]

One thing to watch out for is the book is more specifically written for a number nine mower. In many ways the two are similar, but the wheels are very different. With a number seven you should be able to tell if your wheel is wobbling on the shaft, or if the play is coming from the gear box. If the wheel is moving on the shaft it should come off easily, but I am not sure how you will tighten it up. Perhaps building the shaft up. If the shaft is moving in the machine and the wheel is tight to the shaft, you don’t necessarily need to take the wheel off. Pull the shafts out from the gear box. You probably will need Wheel bearings, and hopefully the shafts are not too worn. I would not try to fix that until I was sure about the quality / repair of the rest of the mower. Donn

[near horse]

It’s been awhile since I did mine but what about replacing the locking pawls/springs that allow you to back up w/o the gears engaging? Does that require removal of wheel or not? I did this on a #6 years ago w/ no trouble at all but don’t remember if I had to remove the wheel.

[Big Horses]

Donn’s right on the money there. One thing to keep in mind as well, and this comes from 30 years of working on old aircraft as well as all this old farm stuff…. if you do need to heat it up, use propane. The flame isn’t as hot as oxy/acet, so you’re not as apt to do damage by overheating and having an oxygen rich flame. Cast iron’s critical point is around 1400 degrees. That being said, a great mechanical engineer friend of mine showed me that the most “active” the metal is (this varies with all metals, but is a good rule of thumb) is in the first 200 degrees of tempurature rise. If you can get it heated quickly, the shaft (or whatever) it is “stuck” on will have less temp rise, so you’re providing a bigger clearance, and therefore better chances of getting it loose.
John

[Jay]

In relation to heating metal, particularly something round and heating it in the center, be VERY careful. In heating the center of a wheel, the center tries to expand, but the spokes and rim have no give and aren’t heated and therefore don’t expand and pretty quickly you may end up with a broken wheel and/or hub. I have sometimes used a little heat (propane as John said) and let it cool, heat again, just some, and let it cool and heat again, let it cool. just the slight changing in size that the heating/cooling causes will sometimes loosen up that tight one. Good luck. Jay

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