max II axles

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

can a axle be bent back out with heat or should i just buy a new one before i put new bearings in it. the axle isnt super bent, but the tire wobbles maybe 1/2 an inch at the most you can tell it though when riding on pavement. any ideas

[wfo]

In the past, years ago i would use my shop press to straighten them out as
much as possable dont use heat, cold bend it....
remember metal has a memory

[racerone3]

you can straighten the axle without removing it from the machine. remove the tire from the bent axle. slide a beam (i use a pallet jack as a "beam") under the machine from one side to the other directly under the bent axle. jack and block the machine up so that all the tires are off the ground (put blocks on top of the beam for the end with the bent axle. run a chain around the bent axle as close to the bearing as possible and under the beam then bolt the chain back to it's self. then slide a floor jack under the wheel flange of the bent axle. get the jack up close to the flange and rotate the flange till it is at it's lowest point. jack up until you think the axle might be straight. let pressure off the jack and spin the axle again to check it. you can use the pad of the jack as a reference point to check for straightness. it usually takes me 3-4 tries to get one dialed in. you may not get them perfect, but sixteenth of an inch is hard to notice when riding.
you can also pull the axle and use a press to get them pretty close

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

ok thank you guys

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

i see what yall r saying about the press and the chain ideas but my axle is not bent between the hub and the bearing its like the hube is wabbling on the axle

[Mike]

Are you spinning it with the tire off? Is the axle still in the Max?

[LarryW]

I would make sure its the axle and not the hub itself or maybe even the rim.

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

yes i pulled the wheel off of the hub, and the 5 hole hub is wobbling. the only reason why i know its the hub that is bent is because the axle i took a tape measure to it and it measured the same from the ground every time i turned the axle over.

[Mike]

Where is the hub bent at? Is the whole thing crooked or just one side to where it could be beat out flat again? Did the weld holding the hub on break?

[JoeMeg]

Use a small square and see if the flange is at 90 deg angle all the way around.Not familiar w/construction of your particular axle but i have one from my hustler that the flange is welded on "way out of plumb". they have washers threaded down on three of the studs to "build up" the "low side". Joe.

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

its bent where the hub is welded to the axle and im not really sure i guess i might try to beat it out flat and no the weld holding the hub is just fine. i was thinking about putting it in the press verticle but then again i dont want to bend it even more

[Mike]

That sounds like it might have been welded on that way from the start then? Since it's only noticeable on pavement and it's less than 1/2" it probably wouldn't hurt to run it the way it is unless you do a lot of high speed driving or it just bothers you.

[liflod]

How long would you estimate a left rear bearing change on a MaxII, 23 HP Kohler? It looks like I have to pull the engine to get to it. I'm not really an idiot and I should not have to fight to get it apart. I need to price it accordingly. Thanks.

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

haha yeh its more bothersome than anything really i guess. i might take to the local machine shop and get them to fix it and or even get them to make me some solid axles for the whole thing. i know the guy and we talked about it before. he said it would cost about 150 dollars for all six so im thinking about doing it.