I am replacing the steering clutch discs and release bearings on a D2 5J. Should the release bearings (Part # 2B9338 ) be packed in grease before installing them in the release bearing cages? I know these bearings are normally lubricated by oil cups located just in front of the seat when the tractor is in service. I am concerned about the grease "channeling" and preventing the oil from the oil cups from doing its job. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Dogger

I packed mine with synthetic grease and forget the oil.

I have seen some posts where people change to a grease fitting on these .I don't think the grease will get into the bearing and on mine I left it the way it was designed to be.I don't think it will hurt anything to grease it when you first install it though and oil it after that.It should be oiled every day you use it .I am no expert and I would like to see what others say about it. The Farmer

My 5U D2 has the oiler cups for the release bearings, when I replaced the bearings I looked into converting them to the greasable style and found the greasable setup uses different bearing housings than the oil ones do. The greasable housings are more enclosed so the grease gets to and stays in the bearings better. I decided to stick with the oil setup but packed the new bearings with grease anyway. I figured if packable wheel bearings in automotive applications run as long as they do between servicings it may last a long time in my D2. Besides I can still put oil to them if I have any doubts, as the grease falls away the oil will take its place.

On every one that I have been into I have changed over to the grease type. I think the changover is shown in the D2 parts book. The last one was some time ago and I ordered the parts from Cat and it was reasonable at the time. I don't recall that the cages were changed. It may have been a different bearing and hoses with a banjo fitting on one end to replace the oil funnel. The trouble with the oil type is that debris can get into the funnel and plug it and the bearing doesn't get oil and there is no way to know or get in there to clear it.

Tom

8C 361, thanks for the clarification.

When I mentioned the difference in the bearing housings I was referring to the two styles as illustrated in my parts book (not a current one, an older reproduction). The oil and grease applications listed the same 2B9338 bearing for each, but the housings differ somewhat. The oil type housing was a 4B3540 which has only an oil slinger and snap ring retainer around the bearing. The grease type housing was a 1H8950 that is sealed with two plugs at the rear and has a provision for a 1H8128 seal at the front. I know that modifications to existing parts like adding plugs where they previously weren't used changes the part number, but there was also what looks like a machined grease channel around the bearing bore. Going by those observations they looked like different setups to me. The oil cups and grease hoses appear to attach similarly.

I never contacted Cat to see if there were revised parts that substituted these, thus throwing all these numbers out the window. If there is a new bearing that simplifies the changeover it would be worth checking into.

Being that I was using the old oil setup, I got the insides of the steering clutch housings as clean as I could to try to avoid the debris problem. The trouble was when I finished there was so much bare metal showing, and the primer and paint was right over there, and......well, you know what happened next.

With all the coatings available in the auto industry these days,like thermal barriers and friction reducers, etc, I wonder if the parts that have to stay unpainted could be impregnated with one of them to prevent rusting from happening again.
I might have to check into that some day, I am going to have to go through this myself eventually.
Parts look good, Toby! if nothing else, painting them will make the gook sloough off much easier.Save the next guy who rebuilds it (in 2076) a lot of trouble!
alan627b

Toby,

A question for you, how did you press on the inner and outer drums? Did you have a track press or did you just torque the bolts down?

Kevin

The proper way to assemble these components is by pressing them to spec. then installing the bolts and locks. That is by far the best method of assembly.

Now, with that being said, I don't have any pressing tools, and I can't justify the cost for the extremely limited use they would get. Old Cats are a hobby for me, and sometimes I make due with what I have to keep things from becoming cost prohibitive. I'll probably catch some flak for this, but here goes. My book specifies pressing the drums and clutches to 15 tons pressure, although I've heard from other sources even down to 10 tons is adequate. Well, I have an old machinists manual with different torque charts that give approximate clamp load values for given sizes and grades of bolts, at incremental torque readings. If I remember correctly (which is hit or miss on a good day) the bolts in question were 3/4 x 16 threadpitch:confused: and assuming they were grade 8, around 260ft.lb. would apply in the ballpark of 19,000 pounds of pressure to the immediate area. If the bolt didn't line up with the lock after torqing I would advance it just enough to bend the lock squarely on one of the flat sides.

I can't say how accurate the chart is or even how close this would get to the press method, but that's what I've done on all my D2's I've had apart. I first tried this on my 5J about five years ago and nothing's loosened up yet. It definitely helps if all your threads and splines are absolutely clean and in excellent condition. Worn components will loosen up a lot easier than good ones.

If I were to do this job for somebody else I would have them pressed together but it doesn't bother me to work around that on my own stuff, I just keep in mind if problems arise I only have myself to blame.

Another way to press those tapered splined parts is to keep the shaft cold and heat the hub 'til it's too hot to keep a hand on or spit boils, then press the CLEAN parts together, then torque the bolts up. I don't have my Machinery's Handbook handy. .it gives the formula for temp vs expansion of various materials. This method has worked for me for with no failures or subsequent loosening. Just remember, the larger the diameter of the hub the more it expands. .