The Better Freezer

[Colin King]

Taking advantage tonight's low of -24F to put the chill on the '50 8N flywheel. Gonna try to get that ringgear on in the morning.

Colin, MN

 

[TL (Va)]

I've seen -10 once and -5 a couple of times. Didn't really care for it. Nice to be able to put it to use though. What's the wind chill?

 

[arnold z]

-24 should do it. Don't stick your tongue on it. The year before I moved here I saw -30 something with -60 something windchill. I painted a hood and fenders last week down here. Don't think it got out of the 30s today.

 

[old]

I did a ring gear a couple years ago on a TO20 Ferguson. I put the flywheel in the freezer over night and the next morning set the new ring gear in the oven at 500 degrees. I then took the flywheels to the oven and dropped the ring gear on. If I had not had it on something flat and bigger the the ring gear it would have fell off the back side so be careful you may get one to hot or to cold and have the flywheel jumping threw hoops LOL

 

[Paul in MN]

The last ring gear I put on an 8N had to go over a step in the side of the flywheel and then set down into a groove. It required much more heat than the 500*F the FO4 suggests. I used a infrared thermometer, so I know I had the ring just a bit above 500, but no way would it fit over the step. If there was no step, then the 500*F might be a good figure. Maybe there were some changes in the flywheel. An earlier ring gear job had the same step and I ended up heating the ring gear too hot and lost its hardness. From my blacksmithing experience, I find that high carbon steel will lose its magnetic properties as you get it hot enough to anneal or soften the steel. The color of the metal is glowing darker red hot when this happens. On the installation that was successful, I did bring the ring gear up to a very low dull red (color just barely visible) with the use of a "big bertha" propane torch constantly moving around the ring. A small propane torch does not have a chance at providing enough heat, and neither does the common size oxy/acetylene torch. The ring gears currently being sold are seldom (maybe never!) really round. They are depending on the flywheel to give them a reasonably true circle.

I did try the BBQ trick and got nowhere, and that gets potentially hotter than MaMa's oven unless you lock it in the clean cycle, but then you can't get the ring out until it has cooled sufficiently. I made a temp oven out of firebrick just laid loose in a large enough square to set the ring into. Use the loose brick to make a floor, a single height (set on its side) brick for 2 sides and support the top brick with heavy steel angle iron spanning the 2 opposite sides for support to make a top with the brick. I had 2 other guys with me as witnesses and helpers for when the ring was ready to fit oner the edge of the flywheel. Even with all this prep, it was not an easy fit. One side would go down on the flywheel and the other side would slip back up. We ended up with 2 of us hitting the ring with large diam punches and 2 lb hammers simultaneously 180* apart. The hot metal does stretch if you can control it so it doesn't get away from the flywheel.

I know that others on this forum have nice easy stories of how easy it is to put on a ring gear. I am convinced that there must be a wide range of acceptable tolerance in their manufacture (probably in the land of "never right"). My flywheel was overnight at -10*F. It took multiple tries (separate events) to come up with the above described method. But it did work!

I hope your's goes as the FO4 describes.

Do not quench the hot ring with water or oil, you may develop brittle spots. I let mine cool slowly burried in wood ashes (flywheel with ring installed).

Be sure to get the slight taper of the teeth going in the correct direction, but for now I do not remember which direction (I think the taper needs to go towards the clutch side of the flywheel.. but check that out).

Good Luck, Dress warm, and have a very Merry Christmas!

Paul in MN

 

[Paul in MN]

At these subzero temps, I do not think we can get paint to pour out of the can. It is like a semi-solid.

I have painting projects that I'd like to be doing! But probably have to wait until April or May.

Paul in MN

 

[Colin King]

Currently -15 and the wind is still. At sunset, though, the temp was -9 with a windchill at -24.

The coldest I've ever personally experienced is an air temp of about -40 with wind chill in the -70s. That was the winter of '96-'97. I was 17 and we had a week of school cancelled! That winter saw our state record air temp set at -60F.

Colin

 

[Colin King]

Thanks for the tips, Paul! Always appreciated. You and I put that ring gear on using the big torch and your small smithing furnace as the insulating oven. I remember we struggled with it for quite a while.

I'll report back my results.

Stay warm tonight!

Colin

 

[Colin King]

Sounds like a circus act! I hope I don't have the same problem. I'll be sure to put something down to catch it if it's too loose.

Colin

 

[Colin King]

I too need to get machinery and buildings painted! The warm season is too short and too full to get everything done.

Colin

 

[Hobo,NC]

Take my word fer it,,, it want slip over the back side of the flywheel.. If it does its history even on a Fergie...

 

[Paul in MN]

That installation is the one that failed due to soft spots where the teeth wore out in about 1 year.

The next time I had Denny and Stan here to assist. And I was real glad for their help. So far that install has held together.

I have Mark's sister's 8N here for a ring gear job. It has been here way too long, and I'm choking at the thought of doing that one. Maybe when it warms up??

Thanks for your card, we appreciated it.

Paul

 

[Paul in MN]

Hobo,

On the 8N flywheels I have worked on, there is a shoulder or ridge towards the engine side of the flywheel. You need to set the ring gear tight to that shoulder with punch and hammer while the ring is hot.

But MAYBE??? These are 60 + YO machines and this is not their first rodeo. Maybe someone has changed the flywheels with a later model, or maybe some machinist has lathed off the shoulder to make an easier ring gear install. I know this topic has come up many times before, and judging by the differing responses some YT members have given, I do not think we are all dealing with the same flywheel design.

Have a Good Christmas!

Paul in MN

 

[old]

Ya it was the first one I did and found it to be so simple that I could not understand how many made it seem so hard to do

 

[Ultradog MN]

When you get the ring gear on turn the heat back on will ya?

 

[oldtanker]

Colin, no you turn the stat back up, find another way to do that ring gear! Was bumping -29F at 9:30 PM here last night. So turn the temps back up, or else I'll have to tell you what to do with that ring gear!

Merry Christmas.

Rick

 

[Paul in Edmonton]

(quoted from post at 01:33:38 12/24/13) I've seen -10 once and -5 a couple of times. Didn't really care for it. Nice to be able to put it to use though. What's the wind chill?

Just so everyone's clear: The wind chill will have absolutely no effect on how much the flywheel shrinks. (It might have a small effect on quickly it gets there, though, if it's exposed to the wind.)

-Paul

 

[36 Coupe]

Wind chill can affect water pipes with heat tapes on them.Never say never.A rat dug a hole from out side to a short water line.The oil furnace sucked cold air down the hole.Pipe froze.Once in 45 years.