Repairing a Grooved Axle

Do you have a grooved axle and a shallow wallet? Well, here's the ticket for solving the problem without burning up the Visa card.

Repairing a grooved axle on the cheap:

1. Remove the axle.

2. Clamp it firmly in a smooth-jawed vice, with the groove about 6" from the jaws of the vice.

3. Using a wire brush in a 4" grinder, clean all the area in and around the groove, making it free of rust and gunk. Use a flat file gently on any high spots.

4. Use paper towels and wipe down the axle with solvent (I like Toluene), changing towels as they become dirty. Repeat until you have a 100% clean towel.

5. Mix up the normal 50/50 batch of J-B Weld

6. Using a 4" squeegee, fill the grooved area with J-B weld, making sure to keep the squeegee parallel to the axle. Use a light pressure. Don't use anything but a rubber squeegee. You'll be tempted, but DON'T use anything else! Been there...done that.

7. Wait 24 hours.

8. Go over the repaired area with 180 grit emery cloth at least 4" wide, wrapping it around the axle and pulling the ends gently. Stop precisely when the repair is flush with the axle. If you were good with the squeegee, this step shouldn't take much time.

9. Install the axle with a new seal and grease.

10. Go fill up your tank and take a long ride with the money you saved!

I hope this helps someone out. I have repaired two axles using this method, and having inspected them after two years of steady use, they both look like the day I did the repair. The repairs are still flat and true.

Sure, you could weld a repair, but then you're looking at having to chock the axle in a metal lathe and turning it down. Most of us don't have a lathe that large laying around, and the local machinist probably doesn't owe us any favors.

Planter Bob