The bushings in the loader arms for the lower loader link joints in my 580M appear to be completely gone (100696A1) so I think this needs to be addressed soon. This is a non-lubricated joint and, from the pictures on the CNHI website, the originals appear to be an oil-filled bronze. The aftermarket replacements I bought are steel lined with an aluminum alloy (I checked them with a material analyzer). I have all new bushings, bolts, etc. for the complete loader linkage assembly. Can bushing replacement be performed with bearing pullers, etc.? I’m trying to decide if this can be a rainy weekend job or if I need to wait for a bigger window of time.
If you have a c-clamp big enough to pinch the link against the loader arm it will save you a lot of time lining up the bushing and bolt on reassembly. Or hold the assembly up with an engine hoist if you have one. Those links can sometimes be a bugger to line up if you are working alone. The bushing should slide out without to much effort.
It appears the long bushings are a tight fit in the bars. My duckbill’s out on loan but I think it will separate them
Replacing these bushings made a huge difference. The originals were completely gone and the bores in the arms were worn slightly out of round. The new aftermarket bushings were steel backed and slightly over .020 oversized. I assume they were made this way in case someone wanted to counterbore worn-out loader arms. I miked the bores and ground the bushing ODs to match. It's a pretty sloppy joint to begin with so I'm sure it's fine. I supported the bucket on cribbing to get the inside bushings away from the grill so I had room to work. Only used the loader as a crane this weekend to move logs but it worked great until I got it stuck. I lifted the machine out of the holes and filled them with firewood; then used the backhoe to push it out. I breathed a sigh of relief and will wait for the ground to dry some more.
I thought I was the only one on here still fighting mud Has not rained over a week and water is still coming up out of the ground here. Glad to hear that the machine is back in operating order!