Had a very scary moment this morning. We have a 40/60 Model Z Oil Pull and we keep it in the Midwest Old Threshers Musem . It has some major leaks and a valve is leaking so it was time to take it home and work on it. It ran fine all through the show but when we went to drive it out of the museum my son was driving and when he turned out of the building it stopped going. He said it felt like the tractor dropped 3 inches. He first thought he just dropped off the cement but it would not go. We shut it off and started to look it over. All of a sudden my son said GET AWAY FROM THE WHEEL. There is a nut on the end of the axel and it is covered by a big cap. The axel is 3 or 4" in diameter with a threaded stud about 1 1/2 diameter 2 " long. The wheel slid off the axel and was sitting on the threaded shaft and just barley on it. We were an inch from a disaster. First my son could have been thrown form the tractor and hurt also the wheel would have fallen down tearing up the fender cab and clutch all un replaceable items. We got a fork lift and lifted the back up and using a big bar and a lot of man power we got the wheel back on. Put the nut back on and stood there and talked about how lucky we were. I thought how would they have done this back in the day if that happened out in a field. My son was going to drive the tractor on the trailer but decided we should take the cover off the other side to check it before we did. It was fine so he drove it on the trailer and it is now back home. The first thing we will do to it if fix the whhel nut. Not sure who was saying a prayer for me this morning but I am glad they did. Now I bet all you Oil Pull owners will go out and check your whhel nuts.

You all had a very close call and lucky escape there Dan, just shows how we all need to keep a close eye on all our equipment when we walk around.

It could of been far worse if something had happened amongst the crowd at the Show.

Looking at the photo's it made me think about the M-H tapered half shafts on the "U" frame tractors, those wheels get fast and tight and NEVER come off easy.

I remember a story from my dad, one summer in the early 1940's they needed to remove a rear wheel from a 12-20 to replace the oil seal, with their puller they could not get the wheel to move, so the decision was made to put that tractor on the binder, they backed the nut off and locked it with another nut to hold it in place. They cut all the grain on 500 acres and the wheel never gave way and came lose, in the winter it had to have the blacksmith's torch on the hub to get it to move with the puller.

Good luck with your Rumely refurbishment, it will make a change from "the Challenger in buckets" . Hope you do not lose your M-H interest.

Malcolm.

Phew! that was a near 'do', Dan, We had just the opposite problem with our M-H 25/40,  A bit like Malcolm's father my father took all the spuds off the rear wheels when he retired the tractor and was intending to make a road roller of it by filling the rear wheels with concrete to roll our farm drive but couldn't get the wheels off the taper,even wih heat, so abandoned the idea and put the old girl out to grass. several years later I decided to restore it and even with two or three acres of ploughing with the nut backed off it still hadn't budged so  I decided it wasn't meant to be and left it.... just hope we don't have to renew the axle seals!!
                                                      Jack

Jack,

I had a similar case with a very good 55 that I bought over from Canada.  It came over on wide rims which had been welded to cut down rear steel wheels.  The chap who sold it me supplied it with a pair of correct rims so I set about getting these on.

First gentle persuasion all to no avail.

Next big hammer round the back - no movement

Next a LOT of heat and a puller - nothing.

Next a 40 ton puller borrowed from a nearby heavy truck repair specialist.  Nothing - they were astonished.

Finally a large disc cutter to slit the hubs between the spokes.  The circular disc cutter was just big enough to reach right through and split the hub. Then we hammered a thin chisle in the slit just to open it a little.

Finall a gentle pull and off it came. 

Repeat on the other side - lesson learnt

Finally re-fit the repacement wheels with a good smear of grease on the axle!

If I have told this story before on this site them please forgive me!

John
Next a gentle tap

Here is a photo I took of your offending hubs on one of my visits John, you got the better of them in the end after a lot of frustration.

Malcolm.