Need to clean the inside of the AATV...need help!

[arp35]

Hi Everyone,
I am in the process of restoring a Hustler 950. I uploaded about 50 pictures into the Hustler 6x6 gallery today. Anyway, I have it stripped down to just the bottom tub with the frame, chains, and the six axles. Four of the axles have wheels/tires on them. There is a lot of dirt, grease. oil, and some sand in the bottom and it needs a super cleaning job. My questions is: Can I roll it outside, tilt it on its side and pressure wash it? I would rather not have to remove the axles and frame down to the tub only to clean it. Can the two wheels on the axle support the frame while its on its side? I don't want to damage/bend anything. Once I get it cleaned, I can start more of the restoration process. Needless to say, I will have a million more questions. Thanks and let me know.
Al

[racerone3]

you will be fine to tip it on it's side, but i would recommend since you are this far that you strip it all the way down. I found a ton of broken welds and cracks in the frame of the Hustler i just rebuilt. it's only a few more hours work to have the frame sitting out on a pair of saw horses where you can really look it over. bearings can also feel pretty good when turning an axle, but feel pretty crunchy when you have them in your hand. just my 2 cents. good luck with the rebuild!

[arp35]

Thanks racerone3 for the reassurance. My plan is to pressure wash it real good while it is on its side and then carefully inspect the frame, etc. The main reason I don't want to strip it all the way down is I was told the axle bearings were all recently replaced so I fear screwing them up if they are ok. But once it is clean, I am going to put it up on milk crates and turn the wheels to make sure everything looks and sounds good. One thing I have noticed is that the front control sticks are very loose. Is that normal? Do I just need to tighten the main connecting rod at the base of the sticks?

[Mike]

I would have to echo what racerone3 said. I think if you don't tear it completely down you will regret it after it is back together for a while. By completely tearing it down you can also sand and paint the frame more easily to prevent future rust. If the bearings are new that means that the axles were recently out so it should be super easy to take everything back out since nothing should be rusted together. It should only take you a few hours to pull everything back out again. You won't mess up the bearings by doing so. In fact you can inspect them to make sure the previous owner installed them to where they get grease properly. It would definitely be worth it in the end.

If you decide not to tear everything out you can clean it with everything in there like you mentioned without damaging anything. Just be sure to support the ATV so that it isn't knocked over by the pressure washer.

[arp35]

I pressure washed the 950 today and it turned out really well. I found a few more nuts and bolts to add to my collection. The biggest surprise was a 6 mm Remington unfired cartridge jammed in between the frame and the sidewall. A coat hanger flipped it out I also scrubbed the rusty areas with a wire brush and then applied some de-rusting spray. I am going to re-apply some more rust remover then paint the metal. Now that it is clean, I agree with both of you and I am thinking about going ahead and removing the frame from the tub. I am going to put it up on milk crates so I can inspect the axles more closely before I make the decision. One thing I did notice is that on at least one of the axles there is a little bit of play. For example, when I turn a wheel it will turn about an inch before it contacts the axle. I noticed a few of the bolts that go through the axle joining the inner and outer rods are loose. Is this normal? Should they be tight? Thanks,
Al

[lewis]

Again, your this close rip it apart and check it out really well and repaint the frame. EastWood sales a great frame paint(Spray can) and it is not to expensive but tough as nails, used it on my 68 Merc. It would be a shame to do all that work and have to strip it back down again . That is a nice looking tub there.

Note: I found that baking soda will draw oil out of the plastic where it is stained. It will not get all of it but you will see the difference.

Again very nice machine and good luck with it.

[Mike]

Sounds like the bolts holding the sprocket tubes to the axles are loose allowing the axle to spin inside the sprocket tube just a little bit before it contacts the bolt which them moves the sprocket and chains? If that's the case then they do need to be tight. You will also need to make sure that the bolts are the correct size and that the nuts actually tighten up onto the sprocket tubes instead of on the bolt itself. If that happens it is usually because the threads of the bolts don't go far enough down into the sprocket tubes.

It does look 100 times better but I would definitely still take the frame out. Good luck with everything.

[racerone3]

your axle, or sprocket tube holes are probably worn to where they are slots instead of holes. some of mine had almost 1 inch slots in the sprocket tubes. another good reason to pull the axles... i weld thick spacers to the sprocket tubes to fix the slots, then run a longer bolt.

[wildtexasranger]

CASTROL SUPER CLEAN ( PURPLE BOTTLE ) at walmart in the automotive wax section ( $ 7.00 ) put in a spray bottle, spray everything down, let sit 5 min. wash off with a garden hose repeat if need be will do wonders on oil and grease and dirt and stains!!!!!!!!! USE IT ALL THE TIME ..

[arp35]

Yea I love the purple power too! Ok...what are the basic steps to remove the axles and pull the frame out? Is there a guide? Once I slide the axles out will all the sprockets and chains fall loose or will they be held in place by another rod? I am guessing that I will:
1. Remove the wheels.
2. Remove the 3 axle bolts and then the sprocket tube bolts, then slide the axles out.
3. Remove the middle cross bar and then the front upper side attachments.
4. Remove the rear 2 frame bolts.
5. Lift frame out of tub???
What am I missing and any tips to be successful Thanks,
Al

[Mike]

There is a guide to removing axles. It's on a max ii but the steps are basically the same: How to remove your Axles

You got most of the rest. If you miss anything you will know But really, it will be easy once you get started and you will see everything you need to remove.

[arp35]

I went ahead and removed the right rear axle. I looked at the Max II example but mine was much simpler, I hope I am not missing any parts I basically removed the sprocket bolt then removed the three bolts from the flange plate. I was then able to slide the axle out. I noticed the sprocket hole is slightly elongated (do you agree, see picture). Does the sprocket bolt look the right size? Also, the three bolts basically go through the frame (from the inside) through a rubber seal and plate that is pressed against the tub and then through the outer plate with the bearing sandwiched in the middle then some lock washers/bolts to secure it. Does that sound correct? Do I need to mark the sprockets so they go back on correctly or is it obvious once they are all removed? Sorry for all the questions but I want to get it right.
Al

[Mike]

It's fine to take it apart that way but when you put the axles back in you will probably want to remove the lock collar from the bearing and take the bearing loose from the axle so that everything lines up properly when going back together. Otherwise the weight of the axle can keep the flanges from tightening / sealing properly around the bearings if you don't. Just keep that in mind. Basically follow that guide when you go back together.

Your sprocket tube bolt hole does look a little elongated but not too bad. You may be fine depending on how the bolt fits in it. You just don't want any play. As for the bolt itself it's hard to tell if that is the right length from the picture. Put that bolt back through the sprocket tube without the nut and take a picture of the threads that are sticking out the other end. We would be able to tell if you did that. If you only have threads sticking out of the sprocket tube it is fine but if you have the shoulder of the bolt showing it probably needs more threads down into the sprocket tube so that the nut compresses against the sprocket tube and not the bolt itself.

[arp35]

So what your saying is to let the bearing slide loose on the axle when tightening the flange, then once the flange is secure/tight around the bearing, slide the collar back on and lock it down last? Is there a trick to removing the collar? I loosened the set screw but nothing more. Does it twist off?

[Mike]

Yeah but take the bearing all the way off the axle, install it, tighten the flange down and then slide the axles in. If you will look in that guide I linked to it shows you how to remove the collars.