[whtbaron]

Well... so much for my problems being small. Broke a walker (2nd from the right) right in half in the middle last nite. I've found the access hole for psychotic midget claustrophobes on the side, and changing it seems fairly straight forward. What concerns me is that I don't see an apparent cause and everything was working good right up until it started banging like Linda Lovelace. Anything I should be looking for in there while I'm relaxing in the dust? Hope the salvage yard has some good ones.

 

[mnscott]

Does the machine have high hours? If so its probably just fatigue. If you plan on keeping the machine for some time consider replacing all the walkers with new ones.

 

[kendalwpg]

You can weld up walkers too....has to be done out of the combine but with a mig welder its not that hard....I did one last year.

 

[whtbaron]

Welding is probably not the best answer for this one... broke in the middle and banged up the ends pretty bad. If I have to go through the nasty job of changing it, I'm even thinking jobber (about $1300) over a used that might be fatiqued as well. Has about 3k hours on it. If I push straight up and down there's not much play in the back bushings (aluminum) but there is about a 1/4" rocking action if I tilt them. How much play is too much?

 

[tmk]

I would suspect metal fatigue . Toss them and go with new . Just my 2 bits .

 

[GoGetter]

I have a question, do you have the wood or metal walker bearings.

How many hours, just wondering, if you have changed either.

 

[whtbaron]

Metal, and they seem to be in good shape. JD tech looked at it today and thinks it was just a case of metal fatigue too. Found some bearings gone in the front augers though... maybe it's time to go through the old girl a little closer than usual.

 

[whtbaron]

Finished up the wheat with the 7721, got the bent driveshaft in the truck fixed yesterday (total trail of shrapnel behind me..) so I'm back to changing the straw walker. Gotta say those back panels are a much bigger pain to remove than I thought they would be. Anyone ever cut a new trap door out the top panel by the JD sign? Sure seems tempting so I'll never have to do this again. No way I can get in those side doors to do anything even at 170 lbs. I managed to unbolt the broken one by going in from the back, but I think I might have to remove that pan from below the walkers to get it back together. I bought a new walker from JD for $1800 ... jobber one was a week away. NOT a fun job.

 

[keldifornia]

You get the pleasure of lying on top of the Chaffer with not enough room to stratch your a.ss - only one way too do it- gotta crawl in the back - lay a piece of plywood, little more comfy
Good idea to pull all walker bearings on front cranks - clean out and repack , check seals and reuse , make sure there getting grease- sometimes they get caked up , get someone outside too hand you tools through Inspection doors

This is the absolute worst job - I'd rather change 5 beater curtains than do a straw walker ! Lol

 

[cptusa]

started banging like Linda Lovelace.
.

Never heard of Linda Lovelace before so I had to google her with the basic assumption of what I was going to find.

Wife walks out and doesn't really buy the story that I was researching what I had read on the combine forum.

Let's try Jenna Jameson next time that is a little more current.

P.S. try not to watch any of the correlating videos on your smart phone while changing the walkers as that could lead to a whole different set of issues.

Good luck. Been in the back of several of those putting out fires and there is no room to say the least!

 

[bent]

While you have the walker out you may want to consider replacing those horrible aluminum bearings with the original wood ones. They never need grease and won't break walkers.

With the Linda quip you are showing your age. I hadn't seen that name in decades.

 

[whtbaron]

LOL...no porn flics on my phone, it's not that smart. And after changing that walker I'm definitely feeling my age whether I show it or not. The walker bearings were all in good shape so they'll stay for now. Somebody else changed the pan auger wooden bearings for sealed bearings and that was a mistake. My plan was to change them all while I had the walker out but there is no way to work in there with sealed bearings. The wooden ones will be going back in there after I get the shafts rebuilt. Looks like my big wide Trellborg tire will have to come off to get the augers out the front. That will have to wait until after harvest. I managed to get the front walker bearing back in by stuffing a block of sterofoam above the carriage bolts to hold them down and tying the top half on with fishing line. After we got it resting on the crankshaft I cut the fishing line and pulled it out.
I still think if I ever break another walker, I'd make a new trap door out the back before I pulled apart that lower sheet metal again.

 

[meritmat]

hehe im still chuckling over the Linda reference