Building Up a Shaft Question

I have a dilemma with one of my 60A All-Crops. The auger that runs along the bottom of the bin has a pulley on the front end that always turns on the shaft when the PTO is running. When you engage a clutch, the pulley and shaft turn in unison to unload the bin. 

I'll have to see if I can find a good shop nearby. We used to have one that was alright, but it's closed up. 

TMiller/NC wrote: Creston, first let me say I know nothing about an All Crop, but I have repaired several shaft ends on screw conveyors in the wood working industry.  Most flighting was welded to a tube with the shaft being welded in each end.  It  was a matter of either grinding or cutting the weld loose and and removing and replacing the shaft ends.  Sometimes would weld a shaft to the end with a sliding weight and a stop on the end to use as a slide hammer to pull the shaft.

I would build it up and turn it down in a lathe unless it would be easier to just make a new shaft.   Pane old cold rolled shafting isn't all that expensive.    Why don't you contact your friend Gary Agrimson as he will know exactly what you are talking about and he is an expert machinest and has built parts for lots of this old orange stuff. He probably could UPS one to you or you could send yours to him for fixing.

Atleast around here their is enough of them all crops in fence rows I’m sure you could find a better one off a organ donor machine.

Ya might look at building a complete new assembly,, get a new shaft, some new flighting, and just copy the old one...

After fighting is welded on shaft, shaft will need straightened from weld pulling shaft.       MACK

You can weld it up with your mig welder and grind it down with your 4" angle grinder while your turning the shaft. I've done it on a pto shaft just let the tractor idle and the shaft spinning slowly with and ankle grinder it turned out round. It's been twenty years and it's still working. It dosent turn fast enough for a small imperfection to be noticeable.

well....we've caught another CHEAP person on here! that make....shucks I lost count! and even tho I too are cheap, you have a long row to hoe before you can become as easy as I am! I agree with Victory, find a donor machine! you ever git the truck done yet? i'm thunking you have to many projects open and none closed yet! oh....and tell us all what happened at the motel at Hutch!

Creston, what I would do is grab the welder and weld from inner side to outside on one side of shaft, then roll it 180 degrees quick and weld again opposite of first weld... go back and whack the sl*g off and weld again turnining the shaft each time you weld till you finally weld against your first weld. Never go around and around... or at least not for me or I will have a shaft that may have a problem.
 Next set up an angle iron so it is parallel to shaft and check for diameter and see where low spots are and reweld as necessary until your oversize.
 Now you have a handle attach hole on your grinder, fab up another piece of angle iron to grinder to ride on the first angle iron with grinder disk verticle to shaft, so you cut with outter edge, and adjust it to grind your shaft sliding grinder along cutting the weld down while somebody is turning the shaft/auger.  If you have a little air powered belt sander, they work great too for finishing up the shaft... You will be close enough.
 
 I have welded up the roller shafts in the big round balers basically the same way, except I have to roll the shaft on some bearings to support the roll because i am welding the area where the bearings seat when in the baler... and I use 7014 rod to build up with. Someday I hope to use a wire feed welder instead so I don't need to remove sl*g.

Something else I've thought of is pulling the shaft, taking it to a machinist, having the worn area of the shaft milled down, then a bushing pressed over the shaft. Then if the shaft gets worn again, just remove the bushing and press on a new one.

That was my first thought, turning it down and using a bushing in both pieces.  Also, I'd do as Mark said and give Gary Agrimson a call.  Can't hurt to pick his brain and could get you a ballpark figure for the cost.

Maybe even do it so as to put a bearing in it?

Since it free-wheels so much, put a needle bearing in there instead of a solid bushing, would ride smoother and quieter and probably last longer. Just have end machined down like you would for a bushing, slip the bearing on then the pulley over that, then weld a washer to the end of the shaft just larger than the pulley bore to hold it on. Put a grease zerk in the pulley hub and grease it good.

That is a really good idea. Thanks guys!