My friend and neighbor asked me to help him replace two rims on a 1930 model year tractor he is rebuilding. The existing rims were rusted through almost 360 degrees at the edge of each rim and replacement was the only option. He found a suitable set of rims from an old cart that were the proper rim size but the hubs would not fit so we decided to remove the old hub and spokes and weld them into the new rims.
Wheel Repair 1a.jpg This is the old hub and spokes we removed by plasma cutting the old rim around the spokes.
Wheel Repair 1b.jpg This is the replacement rim after we plasma cut the spokes removing them and the hub.
Wheel Repair 1c.jpg This is my neighbor grinding the old spokes on a jig we made to adjust the fit of the spokes to the new rim.
Wheel Repair 1d.jpg This is the wheel assembly ready to weld the spokes to the rim.
Wheel Repair 1g.jpg This is the finished project with the new tires installed and ready to mount.
Wheel Repair 1h.jpg Now his tractor is completed, the next phase he will be rebuilding the sulky and the attachment bar where all of the implements mount.
Believe it or not it took us two days to rebuild these two wheel assemblies in my shop. I had originally thought we could get them done in a day but the job of keeping the wheels in alignment turned out to be a much bigger task than I had anticipated. Even so it was an enjoyable project and I can't wait to see this machine back in service after so many years of sitting in the woods rusting.
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