Crankshaft bearing support kit.

[petefrom bearswamp]

Just went over the old thread from 2014 and the kit was then 350 bucks, it is now 450 bucks.
About an increase of 25 percent in 2 years.
Pretty exorbitant IMO.
I was going to order one but am now having second thoughts.
Im thinking that I'll just check that bearing seal every morning.
Anyone out there had this crankshaft failure?
I dont remember seeing any threads regarding this.
Pretty poor adaptation of this engine and maybe why they went to another diesel.
seems like you dont hear of this problem with any of the gas engines.

[Dave Shepard]

I'd like to think that that support is doing something, but the length of the support bolts is not really strong enough to resist even the slight amount of deflection that it is supposed to be preventing. This support must deflect before it can develop any strength. The only real way to support the short shaft is a cast iron bell housing with a bearing in it. These are very common on things like being driven combines from the '60's etc.

[barbender]

Pete, I think the reason the gas engines don't have the problem is that they are not making the same amount of horsepower, and torque. With my 40 hp Lombardinin diesel, the recommended tension seems to me just barely enough to keep from slipping the belt, and in wide cuts I think it does slip. 

[ShowMeSawyer]

Well worth the money knowing that the 51hp Cat engine has had problems with the crank breaking due to the drive belt being over tensioned. I have one installed on my Wood-Mizer and before it was put on I had run my tension per factory specs and still ended up burning up a drive belt...my fault, not the mill.

Wood-Mizer did an excellent job on the retrofit. It would take a tremendous amount of torque to tweak the bearing support kit out of place. The only minor thing is when replacing the drive belt the bearing kit would have to be partially taken apart to get the drive belt installed over the end of the crank.

$450 is a small price to pay knowing that it could cost over 6 grand to replace the engine. At least Wood-Mizer was decent enough to offer a fix to a problem after they quit using the 51hp Cat engine. Glad the new diesel mills are equipped with the crank bearing support.

SMS

[Kbeitz]

The heavy pull on the end of the shaft might only bend it a few thousands of an inch
but this happens with every turn of the engine. After a while it will snap off...



 

[ladylake]

 Really bad cheap engineering on Cats part to make a industrial engine that should handle a heavy side load but doesn't, save a few bucks making them and it cost thousands to fix them.  I'd put that crank support in if I had that Cat engine.  Steve

[petefrom bearswamp]

Replacement engine listed at $8,400 for the perkapillar 51