Wobbly LG treadle

[Frosty]

I've been working on my 50lb. Little Giant. The treadle is annoyingly worn if you step on the left side it goes sideways more than down so it's hard to get any work out of the hammer. Being TBI unstable makes it hard and tiring for me to work a couple inches off the floor so I take it an hour or two at a time.

Well, finally got the treadle off the hinge bolt and darned if the bolt isn't still tight in the hole. The holes in the treadle don't appear worn, certainly not egged. I had to pry darned thing off and it doesn't have enough free play to count.

The tread bolt, figure 2, page 16 in the "Little Giant Powerhammer book" is not the one with the centering cones, it's the straight pin with smaller threaded ends. It seems tight in the hole a pry bar won't move it laterally at all. A wood block and sledge hammer will nudge it in the hole.

So, I don't know why it's loose on the left side. Ideas?

Frosty The Lucky.

[Judson Yaggy]

Might be the yoke on the clutch, the y shaped end of the yoke on my old LG had worn pretty badly there.  Also if you haven't yet try replacing the old thin connecting rod between the treadle and clutch with something stiff, preferably with a turnbuckle or other tensioner in it.  

[lazyassforge]

Frosty, The hole that the pivot pin goes in the frame is cast in place so it is tapered and not round. The original pin is straight with the ends turned down and threaded. Over the years they get "growed" together with rust and dirt from the floor of the blacksmith shop! I have taken them out and cleaned the hole and then ran a bead around the pin near each end of the center part. then I would grind the weld down until it is a better fit in the hole. I also put a return spring on each side of the treadle to equalize the resistance to being pushed from one side or the other. A heavier rod from treadle to the clutch yoke helps also. There is a thread on Tool Talk forum on my rebuild of a 25 pound little giant which may help a little. It is in the blacksmith section on the seventh page. I understand I can't put a direct link to it but with a little searching you can find the place.

 

Hope this helps! Bill D.

[Frosty]

Thanks Bill that makes sense, I'll scope it out. There is a zerk and the tread bolt doesn't move freely. I'll pull it and check the casting and bolt. I take it that means the treadle turns the bolt and doesn't turn ON the bolt. 

I'm not too clear about what, "a bead near each end of the center part." Means. . . .?

Good, I have a clue to follow up. Thanks again.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

 

[lazyassforge]

Frosty, I just mean that I welded around the pivot pin near each end of the center part(behind the threaded part) to make it bigger then ground it back down a little to make each end fit the tapered hole in the casting. nothing precise, just less slop. then the pin would only fit in one way but it didn't slop around as much. I'm not sure about that explanation either! Its really simple but, I'm not too good at explaining things! I like for the pin to rotate in the casting, not the treadle rotating on the pin.

[Frosty]

Your explanation is plenty clear thanks.

I got it apart. Seems the guy I got it from or maybe the guy he got it from used a punch to either try to drive the tread pin out or tighten it up. One shoulder was  peined into a rivet. I heated the casting to smoking heat and was able to drive the pin out using a piece of 3/4" pipe as a punch. Of COURSE I drove the peined end all the way through, Mr. Murphy made me do it.

Once he got the tread pin seized up solid he just loosened the nuts so the treadle hinged on the threaded sections of the pin. <sigh>

I got the old corrosion and dried on crud wire brushed off and brush polished as well as reasonable. Then used a plumber's soldering brush on a hand drill and brake cleaner to clean the casting out. The tread pin has about 1/16" of lash but moves freely so I slathered it with antiseize, lithium grease and put it back together. 

Wow, what an improvement with the pin free and the treadle tight against the shoulders! There's only a couple inches of side movement in the treadle but it controls the clutch nicely all the way. 

Now to figure out why the keys keep slipping out of the dove tails. If it ain't one thing . . . 

Frosty The Lucky.