Has Anyone changed their drive feed bearing on the Lt-40's,(done with pics)

[drobertson]

I have an apparent bad drive bearing, seeing some slop along with a bad sound. Getting into it in the morning,
Just looking for some helpful hints if possible on the R&R of the bearing,  thanks,    david

[Chuck White]

I believe MagicMan did an R&R on the feed drive bearings last Summer or Fall.

Had a lot of pics posted, pretty-much step-by-step!

[MartyParsons]

OK

[Magicman]

Yup, I replaced most of the power feed in 2010, and had a bearing failure on the Goodwill Sawing Trip.  LINK
The power feed is simple to remove and service.

[Peter Drouin]

What do you have for hours on the mill?

[Magicman]

Be sure that it is the power feed and not a cam follower before you start disassembling.   ;D

[mmartone]

I did my cam followers a little while back, nothing to it.

[Magicman]

Correct, there is not much to replacing either the cam followers or the power feed bearings, but remove the drive chain and be sure that you have isolated the defective one before replacing parts.

Also, be sure that a cam follower is actually bad and not just a clump of Pine rosin making it bump.   ;D

[pineywoods]

Go ahead and replace the idler sprocket bearing while you are mucking around in there. Don't be surprised if the shaft is buggered up. I build the shaft up with a wire welder and then turn it down on my lathe.

[drobertson]

got it done, not bad, good help from all here, thanks a pile,  david

 
The first look at it this morning,


  

 
Measured the chain height and direction on idler and driver sprocket.


  

 
Disconnect the power to motor,(battery first) and from the belt guard.


 
take out the two bolts that hold the housing, finger off the chain, disconnect the lower flat bar bracket(not shown)


 
Bad bearing revealed,


 
bad bearing replaced, all three, two drive and one idler,


 
All installed, ready for remounting


 


 
All together, and the numbers are spot on, one more cabin to saw out, thanks to all who gave me input,
I will not forget your help,    david

[Peter Drouin]

Nice job, How many hrs on the mill?

[drobertson]

I believe the appropriate question should be how many bd/ft on the mill, ;D hours can be decieving ;D
I will say enough to know that I'm glad to have the last order out before finishing this pine, 
Bearings go  when they are done, electronics are a different game, need them both to get it done.

the seal on the drive was pealed back from debris allowing trash to enter in the race.  My bad I reckon,
Another notch for the books,              david

[kderby]

I was looking for the hours as well.  I had a similar issue and got the parts, then it "fixed" itself.  I have not had an issue since.  I still have the parts.

The hours question adds information about how worn out this part might have become over time.  Sure, some parts are doomed from the factory.  If you only get five months out of a five year battery, then either your conditions or the maker are creating a problem.  I would expect this bearing to last a long time.  On short hours I would wonder if I could learn from, prevent or avoid the problem.  Did it fail due to operating conditions, normal wear and tear, or the manufacturer?

Operating hours can also be a privacy issue.  Like asking a guys bank balance.  I have a mill nearby with one tenth the hours of my mill.  We respectively/respectfully consider ourselves to be "experienced" sawyers. ;D

kderby

   

[drobertson]

Kirby, the seal was torn by debris, allowing trash to enter the bearing race, it could happen in 5 min or 3000 hrs. either way damage is done, the best remedy is to ensure that debris is clear from the sprockets and bearings,
david

[Peter Drouin]

Kirby, the seal was torn by debris, allowing trash to enter the bearing race, it could happen in 5 min or 3000 hrs. either way damage is done, the best remedy is to ensure that debris is clear from the sprockets and bearings,
david
[/quote


Thanks for the info david, I'm going to look for a torn seal . I would not like to fix the thing on a job.

[Magicman]

If the chain is too tight it can bust a bearing.   

[Peter Drouin]

If the chain is too tight it can bust a bearing.   

You know I think about that when I have the mill tided to the 24' extension A lot of chain hanging there.

[tule peak timber]

A good pictorial, thank you . I just conquered a drive problem with cam followers replacement two days ago and was looking at the feed bearing next. Lots of wasted time !!!!!!

[Ga Mtn Man]

Thanks for taking the time to document the repair David.  Pics are worth a  ...

Did you have any difficulty removing the old bearing from the shaft?  What is the tool with the yoke on the end in the 8th pic?

[drobertson]

I had to torch the race off the shaft, and used the fork for knocking off the idler, all in all not a hard repair,