So the nifty little Yanmar has 50mm bucket pins and I'm looking at where to get those shims from besides Yanmar. Most pointers seem to point to the UK providers who offer some assortment packs and will combine shipping. it seems shimming would go a long way to keeping the dirt out.
Have no problem getting cheap excavator shimms in all sizes here . Not as hard as oem but still do a good job . In spite of this i often get a hole saw to a good quality plastic oil drum if the wearing faces are not to miserable ? Tight or what .
And I thought the Scots had the reputation for being tight with the money! But if it keeps some of the dang plastic crap out of the landfills I'm all for it!
All hail to Caterpillar's mighty parts system where you can get just about anything if you know where to look.
Can you make that same search for non-metallic shims? I find that the urethane ones perform just as well, and I can only find them in 80 & 90mm. Or, how do I do a similar search?
No, I'm afraid I can't. I saved these lists several years ago and I no longer have access to that particular feature. If anyone has access to "similar parts search" on their SIS homepage, they may be able to find something.
I like this idea, have a fair bit of polycarbonate sheet scrap, hole saw would work dandy.
Dont know much about plastic or what oil drums are made of but I started using them for light duty shimming only until I took 60mm pins main boom to carbody pins out of a 20 year old volvo loader and saw lovely plastic shims in very good condition and all the bore faces like new . It had never been ripped before at 18K hours . I expect the would also benefit by giving a minute cushioning effect to side thrust loads . I have since used them on loader and excavator quick hitch pins and they are hanging on in there in some pretty rattly bores doing some pretty hard work . I was also able to upgrade to craft beer for my dinner on the savings .
Start brewing your own then... lol
I haven't tried Lexan as a bearing but since it's mentioned, I will. UHMWPE is also fantastic stuff. One brand is called Delrin. You can buy sheets from various suppliers. I discovered it when rebuilding a boat and needed rudder bearings.
PEEK is another bearing material that I use at work. It is very durable and has low friction properties. I originally learned about its use in Dresser Rand compressors. They used PEEK in the valve plates. It would stand up to pieces of weld slag impacting it and the particles would embed into the valve plate, thereby protecting all the moving components downstream of the supply piping.
Home brewing is on my to do list for sure .
If you guys are looking for bucket pin shims that are sold in the usa and shipped from the usa check out https://bucket-teeth.biz/product-category/bucket-pin-shims/ they have a great assortment.
Thanks Pat, I'm not saying I'm cheap, but damn I'm cheap! was thinking of replacing all my rusty worn shims but I'd be up to 500 bucks or so. Nylon sheet has been working out well combined with a slug buster for the center bore. They seem to be $3 each coming from the UK once you factor in shipping and all.
I would think lexan could crack. It can crack while trying to cut it and also if in contact with the wrong type of solvent. Goggle lenses are made of lexan and if they get contact cleaner on them, they basically shatter but stay in one piece.
Lexan is fairly brittle when it comes to impacts same with peek, the big plastic drums are more than likely polyethylene.
Has anyone used schedule 80 black pipe to take up larger 1/4”-1/2” spacing? Or weld spacers like this on either side of a bucket to take up extra spacing?
Bucket Supply in Hillside ,NJ has them .Phone is 908-355-3335.
You’ll pay more in shipping at that place than the shims are worth. McMaster-Carr is the best option for shims. But back to my question on filling a 1/4-1/2” gap. Stack shims or weld schedule-80 pipe cut to size to the inside of the ears?
Just put it there for you .Not that bad when they are in my back yard .You have to have someone up there .You can buy shims also from Deere dealer .Or make shims from plate steel if you are good with torch or plasma cutter .
50mm bucket shims available here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/234144888145?hash=item36841f7551:g:QNMAAOSwWT1hHE6n 30mm 35mm 40mm 45mm 50mm shims available. Sourced, machined, and shipped from the USA.
Anybody try any of these?
We’ve sold over 200 sets with nothing but positive feedback. We run these shims on a number of pieces of equipment for our grading company and have had excellent results. We run a grading company first, so these shims have had 100’s of hours of machine time with no failures. The hardness of these shims is truly impressive. Larger sizes up to 90mm in the works!!
Good to hear.