OZM29C Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 I took the Weasel into the local Anzac day parade last Thursday ably assisted by my wife and granddaughter who were the flag bearers. All went well however it was also a good opportunity to test the adjustments I had made previously to the passenger side bogey arm shims. I was hoping that this adjustments would help to correct the weasel drifting to the right and more importantly stop the metal shaving on the passenger side track. Unfortunately the problems were still evident during and after the parade. When I got home I set up a string line between the front idler wheel and rear drive wheel and low and behold, I found my problem. The front cross tube axle was bent. String lines don't lie. Its hard to see in the photo but the trailing edge of the front idler wheel is bent back by 19mm/3/4". I have no idea how and when the tube was bent but I suspect that it was early in the peace as this problem has been evident for a few years now. I do drive the weasel with respect to the suspension and I just wonder if the hot metal spraying process used on the shaft changed the structure of the metal?????? I do believe that it was a known problem for OEM front cross tube axles to bend. Now comes the big job of removing the front cross tube axle and replacing it with either a NOS replacement that I have in stock or better still a more robust heavy duty cross tube axle that I would have to machine. More weasel fun 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Browning Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Browning Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Browning Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Browning Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Browning Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Browning Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZM29C Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 @Jesse Browning Thanks Jesse 👍 Photos up front make it a lot easier for others to view. Cheers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 On 4/28/2024 at 7:35 PM, OZM29C said: Apologies for not posting photos but my I have used up my allotted space for attachments. John...sorry about this. I "fixed" this a while back - to unlimited? Can you try and log out of the size, clear your cache and log back in? If that doesn't work, I will ping the tech support guys. *****Updated***** I believe this should be resolved. Regards, Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 On 4/28/2024 at 7:35 PM, OZM29C said: The front cross tube axle was bent. String lines don't lie. Its hard to see in the photo but the trailing edge of the front idler wheel is bent back by 19mm/3/4". I have no idea how and when the tube was bent but I suspect that it was early in the peace as this problem has been evident for a few years now. Now comes the big job of removing the front cross tube axle and replacing it with either a NOS replacement that I have in stock or better still a more robust heavy duty cross tube axle that I would have to machine. More weasel fun 😂 "Buy a Weasel they said"..."it will be fun". 🤣 Looks great John. Sorry about the axle, but it does seem to be a weak link in these suspensions. Even without float tanks, they ride pretty hard on the front end. I have a couple of friends on this side who have "upgraded" their front axles. I don't know that they have been tested enough to really know if it makes a difference, but they run great. Given that you have such great fabrication and machining skill and you are running tanks....I vote (do I get a vote?🤣) for something OZM engineered..... Cheers and let me know what happens when you clear that cache. Patrick PS I took the liberty to fix those pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZM29C Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 @Patrick TiptonPatrick, my current line of thinking is to leave my NOS front cross tube axle in its cosmoline wrapping and in turn machine a more robust front cross tube axle. I created a drawing awhile back but I need to again check the 'as measured' dimensions. I have attached the drawing below for reference. I am leaning towards machining the new shaft out of Hollow Bar 4140 but it will depend on what material is available at the time. I don't want to fit a solid axle to save weight but having said that I do want a more robust hollow bar than OEM. Weasel Front Axle Sheet 3 .pdf Weasel Front Axle.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 1 hour ago, OZM29C said: I am leaning towards machining the new shaft out of Hollow Bar 4140 but it will depend on what material is available at the time. I don't want to fit a solid axle to save weight but having said that I do want a more robust hollow bar than OEM. I like it. I haven't done the calculations, but you can get carbon fiber thick wall tubes pretty cheap these days. Might be worth doing the calculations to see what you gain in strength if anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZM29C Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 @Patrick Tipton Patrick one thing for sure is that I am glad that I have an M29C. Years ago I had to remove what was left of a Front Axle cross shaft in a T24 and it certainly was a character building job in view that the shafts were originally welded in position. I will keep you posted on what the final choice of material will be for the cross shaft. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZM29C Posted May 16 Author Share Posted May 16 A small win last night. I decided to dig out my spare front axle cross tube and then after peeling back the preservative from the end of the cross tube, too my surprise, I found that my spare was indeed a heavy duty replacement. Look at the photo below and you will see a photo comparing an OEM cross tube on the left and my spare on the right. This cross tube came out of Antarctica so I am not sure of the origin of manufacture. It was either manufactured in Australia, USA or France. This repair has just got a bit easier all though the track removal and replacement will be gut busting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Browning Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 (edited) I put a 12’ pipe over the tubes on each side and pulled the tubes back straight. Never had a problem after that. With a driver/owner, we are careful and responsible not to hit anything that might bend the shafts. Who knows how many uncaring, reckless, kids drove these vehicles before we got them. Edited May 17 by Jesse Browning 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 @OZM29C That is stout! There is nothing about working on a Weasel that is easy! I always end up feeling like I went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson....no matter what... ' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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