Rolling bearings under NF spindle

[gloughery]

Bought a set from McMaster-Carr for my 70 and then realized it may cause the pin hole to not line up at the top. The bearing is .078 and the two washers are .031 each. Will 0.140" raise the spindle too high that the pin won't fit back in place?

 

[rrschmitt]

Yep!

 

[gloughery]

Thanks, I should have asked before I purchased. Well, anyone need a set for another project?

 

[dschwandt]

If you are determined to use those bearings, someone with a Bridgeport could mill whatever thickness you would need from the bottom of the axle housings.
It would require and off angle somewhat time consuming secure setup though in both the X and Y axis.
I was tempted to do the same thing on the front axle of my 149 FEL rig till I decided on the axle and PS from an 1864.

 

[IHinIN]

A friend of mine machined his front axle and added the thrust bearings. He said it made no noticeable difference. I believe most of the drag is between the axle bore and the vertical part of the spindle. On my 100, I heated and bent the spindles to about 3-4 degrees of positive camber and went with narrow 3 rib tires. It steers very easy now.

 

[rkuik]

The most noticable use for the thrust bearings is when you have a snowblower on the front. I worked for a Case IH dealer for 40+ years. We had the Case/Ingersoll GT line also. Back in the early 80's, the service rep showed me the trick. We put on a few that asked and most stated worked best for s/b use. With the Case/Ingersoll models, it was easy, they used a thick washer the we just removed. We have it on our 3016 and yes, you wont feel it w/the deck, but does w/the s/b. If any one has a Case or Ingersoll and wants the numbers, I can find them. PM me.

 

[gloughery]

Thanks everyone. I guess the spindle will have to stay as is on the 70. I have a WF axle with C-shaped spindles that tolerates PTFE washers on my 122. The super steer upgrade is my current project and these questions all stem from upgrading to an 1863 axle. I got all excited thinking all spindles could use these bearings. Thanks again for all the comments.