Reverse ball trip lever

[Shotgun]

I'm talking about the tiny barbell like contraption that stops the power feed in the up direction. I have no idea how it works, but I only have half of one.
I look for a replacement, and the going price seems to be $20 or $30. Except for this one seller on eBay that has three for $8.

3pcs Milling Machine B183 Reverse Trip Ball Lever For CNC Bridgeport Mill Tools | eBay

Suit for Milling Machine.

www.ebay.com

This may cost me eight bucks, but I'll bite.

The next question that comes to mind is that this part seems to be broken on everyone's machine. What breaks them? And, if they are an important part, why is everyone's broken? (maybe because a cheesy $3 part costs $30?)

 

[MyLilMule]

Mine wasn't broken, but I replaced it anyway. It looked like it had a little bend in it. The eBay item you linked is coming from China. You'll be waiting 3-4 weeks to get it. I'm fortunate to live 20 minutes from High Quality Tools - they make just about every single part for a Bridgeport. They are the ones that supply the majority of those parts to H&W and elsewhere. I'm not sure if they also outsource these to China, perhaps.

When the quill auto feed is engaged, I can imagine there can be quite a bit of force being placed on that little lever. Just like many small parts on a production machine, they are the weak link.