Wheel Alignment

Have any of you had wheel alignment issues ???

I'm wondering because I'm having a heck of a time getting the J5's wheels straight inside the track.Everyone tells me that "it worked for 50 years..." but I don't believe it worked well .

It appears that both J5s have a defect. The bore of the walking beam is drilled slightly off center on the left side of both machines !!!! This is blowing my mind If it was supposed to be this way, then the 2 center wheels were "suppossed" to be closer to the body than the end wheel and the sprocket. On the left side

Does anyone have any ideas ?

pixie said:

Does anyone have any ideas ?

Click to expand...

I've never seen a J5 other than in photos, but could you drill new holes? Might require cutting out a section and welding in a new section of the walking beam?

I can't imagine that the tracks could work properly if all the wheels are not in alignment. Were those two wheels wobbly or loose in some way?

They weren't wobbly . It had mixed air/solid wheels.

Here is a pic of the bore. You can see how the inner seat is thinner at the top and left and thicker at the bottom. The outside rim is different, also. The bearing cup fits fine ?
The one that I have reinstalled on the machine angles in at the front 3/4" which means that the rear wheel axle is 5/8 or so further out than the center wheel axle. So no matter how I shim the bearings in/out on the axle, the wheels will be a little kitty-cornor in the track.

Hi Pixie
The beam pic ,is the top of the beam towards the bottom of the picture ? You said the cups were tight in the beam,so is the offset hole actually worn caused by the inner and outer washers rubbing due to loose bearings over the years?
As for perfect alignment on these old machines with there thin hulls could be quite a job. Maybe a straight edge on the sprocket to get a measure on the wheels is the way to go as the old hull sides can get wavy along their length. I did have to cut one front axle ( first behind sprocket) to adjust it during my rebuild they were close in alignment but not perfect. When I bought my machine one track had thrown itself where it stood in a field ,as I said in a previous post I built a new hull as the old one was twisted, since then I have never had a track problem. They will shift and rub on the hull depending on the terrain with the single wheel style
Merry Christmas J5 Bombardier

Yes, J5, the top of the beam is at the lower left.

It is the inner bore where the bearing cup sits that is off center.

I have a third body (junker) that happened to have the left beam on it. That one is drilled straight. Guess I will just buy a used beam as the junker one is pretty beat. I'm just glad to know that not all of them were crooked

I've been using a six foot level to check for alignment because it's straight. This machine has had a 1/4" plate body welded onto the original body aft of the front bogey axle.

It's good to have to have a spare parts machine around,I guess you can have a machine shop bore them out and re sleeve them if you can't find another spare.
1/4 in plate on the sides, the previous owner wasn't fooling around !
J5 Bombardier

So ... do you think this was part of the problem ?

I pulled the axle on the side that seemed to stick out an extra inch and sure enough !!!!!
On the left is the one I pulled out and on the right is the extra one that came with the other machine.

Nice, maybe an axle out of a sw 64, found it's way into your J5. At least it can be cut at the hub and shortened . With a new snap ring groove cut it can be kept for a future spare.
What was the outcome on your walking beam problem?
J5 Bombardier

I'll look into having it shortened

I've ordered 2 used walking beams. They should be here in a week or so.

Guess I will pull the axle on the other side, also, as the bearings were shot.

J5, the sleeve that is in there.... is it supposed to have a deeper section around the snap-ring ? How deep ? Did you have any problem finding the seals ? Thanks

Hi Pixie
Yes , when you get that second axle out do a little comparing on lengths, it seems to be a fuzzy subject with little info available in the parts books. The axle sleeve is opened up on one end deep enough to slide over the round snap ring to keep it in the groove,with the spring pushing on the sleeve, when all together you can grab the sprocket and pull it out some against the spring tension.I had no luck on crossing the seals , bombardier design and stocked by them, if you have 2 seals out of the 4 that are serviceable put them on the outside might get away with buying 2 only. Make sure the axles have no burrs on them and grease them when sliding down the seals, they rip easy I learned the hard way .
I backed my J5 out into our into our 1 in of snow today, with mid week temps projected to near 40 F, I guess I don't need to rush the oil change and grease job. HAPPY NEW YEAR !


J5 Bombardier

J5, I guess the previous person took your advice...there are only two seals in there !!! Quarter inch thick seals seem to be hard to find.

Thanks for the pointer about smoothing the axle. I sanded it a little today and almost have the weld holding the sprocket keeper plate grinded off ......

Happy New Year to you !!!

And for the Mickey Mouse " mechanic" that put this together