The steering on my 15 year old lawnmower (Murray 10/30) jammed
yesterday. It was a bit awkward to dismantle but I got it apart
eventually after much cursing.

The rack and pinion are both warn but the basic problem is the plastic
bearing that locates the pinion with respect to the rack. A quick visit
to my local lawnmower emporium led to the information that the machine
is obsolete and parts are not available. After much heart searching I
weakened and bought a second hand replacement but it seems a shame to
throw away the defective mower when the defect is so small.

An Internet search after the event produced sellers in the USA asking $2
or thereabouts for the part in question and $50+ to ship to the UK. No
UK suppliers though.

The bearing is little more than a flanged bush and the approximate
dimensions a

Bearing width 5/16" of which 1/16" is the flange
Bore diameter 5/8"
O/D 3/4"
Flange O/D 1"

I have toyed with the idea of cutting off the flange and replacing the
rest with a 1/4" wide strip of copper cut from a 15mm pipe but this
seems a bit too much of a bodge even if the join in the strip is
diagonal and soldered. Apart from anything else I am not sure a solder
joint would hold and I am not convinced that copper/steel is a
reasonable unlubricated bearing surface.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make a replacement from
plastic and what sort of object to start from?

--
Roger Chapman

"Roger" wrote in message
k...
The steering on my 15 year old lawnmower (Murray 10/30) jammed
yesterday. It was a bit awkward to dismantle but I got it apart
eventually after much cursing.

The rack and pinion are both warn but the basic problem is the plastic
bearing that locates the pinion with respect to the rack. A quick visit
to my local lawnmower emporium led to the information that the machine
is obsolete and parts are not available. After much heart searching I
weakened and bought a second hand replacement but it seems a shame to
throw away the defective mower when the defect is so small.

An Internet search after the event produced sellers in the USA asking $2
or thereabouts for the part in question and $50+ to ship to the UK. No
UK suppliers though.

The bearing is little more than a flanged bush and the approximate
dimensions a

Bearing width 5/16" of which 1/16" is the flange
Bore diameter 5/8"
O/D 3/4"
Flange O/D 1"

I have toyed with the idea of cutting off the flange and replacing the
rest with a 1/4" wide strip of copper cut from a 15mm pipe but this
seems a bit too much of a bodge even if the join in the strip is
diagonal and soldered. Apart from anything else I am not sure a solder
joint would hold and I am not convinced that copper/steel is a
reasonable unlubricated bearing surface.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make a replacement from
plastic and what sort of object to start from?

You'd do better posting this to uk.rec.models.engineering. Anyway what you
need is a bronze bush or preferably Oilite which self lubricates from oil
retained in its pores. However it's not like this is a critical bit of high
tech machinery and as long as you gave it some grease or oil every now and
then you'd get away with a variety of materials.

Roger wrote:
The steering on my 15 year old lawnmower (Murray 10/30) jammed
yesterday. It was a bit awkward to dismantle but I got it apart
eventually after much cursing.

The rack and pinion are both warn but the basic problem is the plastic
bearing that locates the pinion with respect to the rack. A quick visit
to my local lawnmower emporium led to the information that the machine
is obsolete and parts are not available. After much heart searching I
weakened and bought a second hand replacement but it seems a shame to
throw away the defective mower when the defect is so small.

An Internet search after the event produced sellers in the USA asking $2
or thereabouts for the part in question and $50+ to ship to the UK. No
UK suppliers though.

The bearing is little more than a flanged bush and the approximate
dimensions a

Bearing width 5/16" of which 1/16" is the flange
Bore diameter 5/8"
O/D 3/4"
Flange O/D 1"

I have toyed with the idea of cutting off the flange and replacing the
rest with a 1/4" wide strip of copper cut from a 15mm pipe but this
seems a bit too much of a bodge even if the join in the strip is
diagonal and soldered. Apart from anything else I am not sure a solder
joint would hold and I am not convinced that copper/steel is a
reasonable unlubricated bearing surface.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make a replacement from
plastic and what sort of object to start from?


Mmm. I think we used to use something terribly similar in the bottom of
the front suspension of a Triumph spitfire.

Have a look at this Part no 140892 -

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/spitfire/images/92a.gif

Actual details are here..

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/cgi-bin/.../spitfire/susp

I am fairly sure this is within a gnat's cock of what you need..the bolt
that goes through the bush that goes through the tube is 7/16"..given
the wall thickness of that tube thats about 5/8" ID..OD?..well a bit of
car body filler or whatever might sort that out.

You may need to shorten it..



In any case its a very simple machining job. If all else fails find
someone with some nylon rod and a lathe..


Heres another place worth phoning

http://www.bearing-supplies.co.uk/

The trouble is these things are used EVERYWHERE - in gearboxes,
steering, suspension..you have to find one that fits tho!

In article ,
Roger wrote:

Bearing width 5/16" of which 1/16" is the flange
Bore diameter 5/8"
O/D 3/4"
Flange O/D 1"

An old 3/4" flanged tap connector is near that.
I have one here. Measurements are.

Bore = 17mm. (5/8" = 15.875mm)

O/D = 20mm. (3/4" = 19mm)

The flange (which I can't quite get at) looks to
be about 23mm OD, and there is plenty of length.

That 20mm OD is the bummer.

--
Tony Williams.

Tony Williams wrote:
In article ,
Roger wrote:

Bearing width 5/16" of which 1/16" is the flange
Bore diameter 5/8"
O/D 3/4"
Flange O/D 1"

An old 3/4" flanged tap connector is near that.
I have one here. Measurements are.

Bore = 17mm. (5/8" = 15.875mm)

O/D = 20mm. (3/4" = 19mm)

The flange (which I can't quite get at) looks to
be about 23mm OD, and there is plenty of length.

That 20mm OD is the bummer.

Nothing a smart tap with a big hammer wont fix.

I was wondering about tap connectors..

The message
from "Dave Baker" contains these words:

You'd do better posting this to uk.rec.models.engineering. Anyway what you
need is a bronze bush or preferably Oilite which self lubricates from oil
retained in its pores. However it's not like this is a critical bit of high
tech machinery and as long as you gave it some grease or oil every now and
then you'd get away with a variety of materials.

Thanks.

The problem with lubrication is getting to it. One of the reasons I
waited till it failed was because a previous attempt to dismantle it
took too long.

--
Roger Chapman

The message
from Tony Williams contains these words:

An old 3/4" flanged tap connector is near that.
I have one here. Measurements are.

Bore = 17mm. (5/8" = 15.875mm)

O/D = 20mm. (3/4" = 19mm)

The flange (which I can't quite get at) looks to
be about 23mm OD, and there is plenty of length.

That 20mm OD is the bummer.

Thanks but the bore is the bummer. I could modify the O/D if it didn't
force fit (it needs to be a tight fit anyway as the original has
locating lugs) but over 1 mm slack in the bearing is more than halfway
to where it is now. (Possibly I could shim that.)

Unfortunately I don't know exactly what you mean by a flanged tap connector.

--
Roger Chapman

In article ,
Roger wrote:
An Internet search after the event produced sellers in the USA asking $2
or thereabouts for the part in question and $50+ to ship to the UK. No
UK suppliers though.

This is common and only seems to have happened recently. Dunno why.
About a year ago I bought a car distributor from the US and the carriage
cost $30. Recently wanted a much smaller and lighter part from the same
supplier and the cost is now $60.

Can you get it delivered to a friend in the US and get them to post it to
you? If you look at the carriage costs within the US they are usually
'normal'.

--
*Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Tony Williams wrote:
An old 3/4" flanged tap connector is near that.
Bore = 17mm. (5/8" = 15.875mm)
O/D = 20mm. (3/4" = 19mm)
That 20mm OD is the bummer.

Nothing a smart tap with a big hammer wont fix.

Or a sawcut along it's length. That would allow
both the ID and OD to close up.

I was wondering about tap connectors..

A quick troll down the the plumbers merchants,
micrometer at the ready?

--
Tony Williams.

Try here
Howard Brothers
9 Tweedale Street
Rochdale
Lancs
OL11 1HH
Tel: 01706 644419
Fax: 01706 861349

They are a hardware shop on the ground floor and a garden tractor shop 1st
floor, they had no probs getting me parts for my 1980 MTD rideon mower.

Pete

The message
from The Natural Philosopher contains these words:

Mmm. I think we used to use something terribly similar in the bottom of
the front suspension of a Triumph spitfire.

Have a look at this Part no 140892 -

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/spitfire/images/92a.gif

Actual details are here..

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/cgi-bin/.../spitfire/susp

Thanks.

Now why didn't I think of that? The part is similar (probably exactly
the same) as that used on the Herald suspension that was also used on
the Elan. Some 30 years ago I kept a pair just in case they came in
useful and what surprised even a champion hoarder like myself it took me
less than 5 minutes to find them.

I am fairly sure this is within a gnat's cock of what you need..the bolt
that goes through the bush that goes through the tube is 7/16"..given
the wall thickness of that tube thats about 5/8" ID..OD?..well a bit of
car body filler or whatever might sort that out.

The O/D is a hammer fit but the bore is a whisker too small at present.
The steel bush from the Elan mikes up at 0.564" while the pinion bearing
is 0.624". It doesn't appear to be hardened so I think I might file the
steel down rather than mess with the nylon.

You may need to shorten it..

All I need for that is Dribbles favourite tool. :-)

The flange is thicker as well but that doesn't appear to be a constraint.

My thanks also to anyone else who has responded since I last logged on.
I think we have a solution with the Triumph bush.

--
Roger Chapman

Roger wrote:
The message
from The Natural Philosopher contains these words:

Mmm. I think we used to use something terribly similar in the bottom of
the front suspension of a Triumph spitfire.

Have a look at this Part no 140892 -

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/spitfire/images/92a.gif

Actual details are here..

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/cgi-bin/.../spitfire/susp

Thanks.

Now why didn't I think of that? The part is similar (probably exactly
the same) as that used on the Herald suspension that was also used on
the Elan.

It is exactly the same. But sputfire parts are more common than herald
parts.

Some 30 years ago I kept a pair just in case they came in
useful and what surprised even a champion hoarder like myself it took me
less than 5 minutes to find them.

I am fairly sure this is within a gnat's cock of what you need..the bolt
that goes through the bush that goes through the tube is 7/16"..given
the wall thickness of that tube thats about 5/8" ID..OD?..well a bit of
car body filler or whatever might sort that out.

The O/D is a hammer fit but the bore is a whisker too small at present.
The steel bush from the Elan mikes up at 0.564" while the pinion bearing
is 0.624". It doesn't appear to be hardened so I think I might file the
steel down rather than mess with the nylon.

You may need to shorten it..

All I need for that is Dribbles favourite tool. :-)

The flange is thicker as well but that doesn't appear to be a constraint.

My thanks also to anyone else who has responded since I last logged on.
I think we have a solution with the Triumph bush.


Friggin ace mate.

However I would grab a reamer or use a dremel and drum sander to open up
the inside

Or even sandpaper wrapped around a rod.

A very tight fit won't take long to wear to an exact fit, if my
experience of Triumph suspension is anything to go by ;-)

"Roger" wrote in message
k...
The steering on my 15 year old lawnmower (Murray 10/30) jammed
yesterday. It was a bit awkward to dismantle but I got it apart
eventually after much cursing.

The rack and pinion are both warn but the basic problem is the plastic
bearing that locates the pinion with respect to the rack. A quick visit
to my local lawnmower emporium led to the information that the machine
is obsolete and parts are not available. After much heart searching I
weakened and bought a second hand replacement but it seems a shame to
throw away the defective mower when the defect is so small.

An Internet search after the event produced sellers in the USA asking $2
or thereabouts for the part in question and $50+ to ship to the UK. No
UK suppliers though.

The bearing is little more than a flanged bush and the approximate
dimensions a

Bearing width 5/16" of which 1/16" is the flange
Bore diameter 5/8"
O/D 3/4"
Flange O/D 1"

I have toyed with the idea of cutting off the flange and replacing the
rest with a 1/4" wide strip of copper cut from a 15mm pipe but this
seems a bit too much of a bodge even if the join in the strip is
diagonal and soldered. Apart from anything else I am not sure a solder
joint would hold and I am not convinced that copper/steel is a
reasonable unlubricated bearing surface.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make a replacement from
plastic and what sort of object to start from?

--
Roger Chapman


Buy a bit of oilon, nylon or acetyl rod from these people
http://www.directplasticsonline.co.uk/home.php?cat=692

and either turn it yourself or get a local engineering company to do it for
you

Tony

"TMC" wrote in message
...

"Roger" wrote in message
k...
The steering on my 15 year old lawnmower (Murray 10/30) jammed
yesterday. It was a bit awkward to dismantle but I got it apart
eventually after much cursing.

The rack and pinion are both warn but the basic problem is the plastic
bearing that locates the pinion with respect to the rack. A quick visit
to my local lawnmower emporium led to the information that the machine
is obsolete and parts are not available. After much heart searching I
weakened and bought a second hand replacement but it seems a shame to
throw away the defective mower when the defect is so small.

An Internet search after the event produced sellers in the USA asking $2
or thereabouts for the part in question and $50+ to ship to the UK. No
UK suppliers though.

The bearing is little more than a flanged bush and the approximate
dimensions a

Bearing width 5/16" of which 1/16" is the flange
Bore diameter 5/8"
O/D 3/4"
Flange O/D 1"

I have toyed with the idea of cutting off the flange and replacing the
rest with a 1/4" wide strip of copper cut from a 15mm pipe but this
seems a bit too much of a bodge even if the join in the strip is
diagonal and soldered. Apart from anything else I am not sure a solder
joint would hold and I am not convinced that copper/steel is a
reasonable unlubricated bearing surface.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make a replacement from
plastic and what sort of object to start from?

--
Roger Chapman


Buy a bit of oilon, nylon or acetyl rod from these people
http://www.directplasticsonline.co.uk/home.php?cat=692

and either turn it yourself or get a local engineering company to do it
for you

Tony
Have just looked at their shipping costs so would not buy from them for
that reason only

Depending on where you are you may find a local supplier or a cheaper
shipping cost

Tony

Roger wrote:
Now why didn't I think of that? The part is similar (probably exactly
the same) as that used on the Herald suspension that was also used on
the Elan. Some 30 years ago I kept a pair just in case they came in
useful and what surprised even a champion hoarder like myself it took
me less than 5 minutes to find them.

Now that's what I call a DIYer! It'll come in handy one day - and it did!


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Roger
saying something like:

An Internet search after the event produced sellers in the USA asking $2
or thereabouts for the part in question and $50+ to ship to the UK. No
UK suppliers though.

Simple. Ask around, and somebody will have a relly or friend in the US
who's address you can get the item shipped to for onward shipping. It's
small, so cost should be too.
--

Dave

The message
from The Natural Philosopher contains these words:

My thanks also to anyone else who has responded since I last logged on.
I think we have a solution with the Triumph bush.


Friggin ace mate.

However I would grab a reamer or use a dremel and drum sander to open up
the inside

Don't have any of those or easy access to same.

Or even sandpaper wrapped around a rod.

I do have several round files but I am much more confident of my ability
to file a round steel shaft a fraction smaller than I am of making a
decent job of filing a hole in a nylon bush larger. Still took longer
than I expected though. Think I need some new files that are less than
40 years old. :-)

A very tight fit won't take long to wear to an exact fit, if my
experience of Triumph suspension is anything to go by ;-)

I hope the repair will last the remaining life of the mower. The
steering certainly now reminds me more of the machine when it was new
unlike just previously which was at least as bad as the steering on my
very first car - 4 1/2" inches of play at the rim.

However I am not sure how long the mower will last as in the course of
this repair I discovered that the top of the cutter housing had rusted
through in several places. It still cuts though so I am not sure whether
I had the will to clean the housing off and pop rivet a few tin can
patches on before I put it up for sale.

--
Roger Chapman

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
In article ,
Roger wrote:
An Internet search after the event produced sellers in the USA asking $2
or thereabouts for the part in question and $50+ to ship to the UK. No
UK suppliers though.

This is common and only seems to have happened recently. Dunno why.

The problem is invariably that US sellers automatically think courier,
and a courier has a minimum charge, which is OK for large, heavy, bulky
or expensive items, but a bummer for smaller, lighter items. I insist
that European and US sellers use their local Royal Mail equivalent, or
my business goes elsewhere. Hundreds of parcels, and no losses.
--
Graeme

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...


It is exactly the same. But sputfire parts are more common than herald
parts.

Well that brings back memories. I remember replacing those bushes after my
Spitfire failed it's MOT!

Martin

In article ,
Graeme wrote:
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
In article ,
Roger wrote:
An Internet search after the event produced sellers in the USA asking $2
or thereabouts for the part in question and $50+ to ship to the UK. No
UK suppliers though.

This is common and only seems to have happened recently. Dunno why.

The problem is invariably that US sellers automatically think courier,
and a courier has a minimum charge, which is OK for large, heavy, bulky
or expensive items, but a bummer for smaller, lighter items. I insist
that European and US sellers use their local Royal Mail equivalent, or
my business goes elsewhere. Hundreds of parcels, and no losses.

Yes - I noticed they used a courier. I wanted a replacement element for my
Pace soldering iron when the usual UK sources were out of stock and both
the US companies I contacted were happy to supply but would only use a
courier - which meant the carriage cost more than the part.
Perhaps there's something badly wrong with the US postal service. At least
the good 'ol PO in the UK works well for me.

--
*The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Schrodinger's cat wrote:
It is exactly the same. But sputfire parts are more common than herald
parts.

Well that brings back memories. I remember replacing those bushes after
my Spitfire failed it's MOT!

IIRC, Triumph supplied a kit. Good idea to buy one for the gearchange at
the same time.

--
*Cleaned by Stevie Wonder, checked by David Blunkett*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes

At least
the good 'ol PO in the UK works well for me.

May I print and frame those words?

:-)
--
Graeme

Roger wrote:
The message
from The Natural Philosopher contains these words:

My thanks also to anyone else who has responded since I last logged on.
I think we have a solution with the Triumph bush.


Friggin ace mate.

However I would grab a reamer or use a dremel and drum sander to open up
the inside

Don't have any of those or easy access to same.

Or even sandpaper wrapped around a rod.

I do have several round files but I am much more confident of my ability
to file a round steel shaft a fraction smaller than I am of making a
decent job of filing a hole in a nylon bush larger. Still took longer
than I expected though. Think I need some new files that are less than
40 years old. :-)

A very tight fit won't take long to wear to an exact fit, if my
experience of Triumph suspension is anything to go by ;-)

I hope the repair will last the remaining life of the mower. The
steering certainly now reminds me more of the machine when it was new
unlike just previously which was at least as bad as the steering on my
very first car - 4 1/2" inches of play at the rim.

However I am not sure how long the mower will last as in the course of
this repair I discovered that the top of the cutter housing had rusted
through in several places. It still cuts though so I am not sure whether
I had the will to clean the housing off and pop rivet a few tin can
patches on before I put it up for sale.


I took my relatively bnew deck up to the agricultural engineers, and
they welded a bit back on that I had smashed off..

Schrodinger's cat wrote:

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...


It is exactly the same. But sputfire parts are more common than herald
parts.

Well that brings back memories. I remember replacing those bushes after
my Spitfire failed it's MOT!

Martin
I remember replacing em every 30k miles...

In article ,
Graeme wrote:
At least
the good 'ol PO in the UK works well for me.

May I print and frame those words?

:-)

Yes: I've had no personal experience of them screwing up. Letter and
package service. Unlike Parcel Force, CityLink and UPS.

I've had others - conveniently - claim not to have received letters I've
sent. In most cases government organisations or similar.

--
*What happens if you get scared half to death twice? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.