Index 845 overhaul / broken tilt gear

I got the idea to reclock from Keith's video. I think the reason he didn't go 180' was to be able to get the most amount of teeth on each side so the head would have 45' of good teeth to tilt. I will look at it again on mine to see where it needs to be. The worm gear sits at about 4 o clock and those are the 4 or 5 teeth on the head gear that got trashed on mine.

Pontiac428 I like your idea. That is along what I was thinking. This is not something that is going to get used much if at all. I wish my welding was that good but I have a guy down the block that did aerospace stuff so I figure he's my guy.

I figured I would give Wells a shot and ask $, haven't heard back from them. If the small worm gear and shaft were under $100 I may go for it, but I am not holding my breath.

My 3 phase motor is not playing well with my VFD so I am going to modify the old motor plate and use a 56 frame 2 HP. I did ask Wells about a price on a motor. They quoted me a 3 HP Baldor for about $1200 (yikes). I only plan on going with a 2HP. I can get a Baldor 2 HP for about $500 or an import for around $300.

Trying to take photo's of all as I go for assembly and if anyone has any questions.



“I think your idea to clock and re-drill the driven gear is brilliant.”

Aren’t the two holes 180 degrees from each other? I would think you would just reinstall it with the damaged teeth on top.
 
Here's the link for the vid that Rootpass mentioned:

Whether the assembly is one or three pieces may depend on the year of manufacture. The two manuals I have both show a 3-part for both the front/back and side/side units.

WellsIndexassy.jpg


As you can see they both call for Boston worm gear L-1056 which can even be found on amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Boston-Gear-L1056-Degree-Pressure/dp/B004N6352W

FWIW

-Ron
 
Is that out of the 847 manual? I pulled it up. looks like a better drawing then the 845. I'm beginning to think the 845's were not as popular as some other models. I agree they most likely changed depending on the year. Still waiting to here back from Wells on a price but if the gear can be had for $30 you would think the shaft from Wells wouldn't be too bad but will see (no pun intended). My gear is in good shape, it's just the square end someone tried to twist off. As this is not a piece that has a lot of use or wear I wouldn't have an issue welding a new square or hex piece on. Not my first choice but I am just trying to get the mill cleaned up and functional.



Here's the link for the vid that Rootpass mentioned:

Whether the assembly is one or three pieces may depend on the year of manufacture. The two manuals I have both show a 3-part for both the front/back and side/side units.

WellsIndexassy.jpg


As you can see they both call for Boston worm gear L-1056 which can even be found on amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Boston-Gear-L1056-Degree-Pressure/dp/B004N6352W

FWIW

-Ron
 
Yes, it is for the 847. The manual covers the models 747 - 747Vs - 847 - 860.

-Ron
 
How have you been making out with the repair?
I’m moving my 747 into the basement and took the head off today. The shaft in mine is two pieces (shaft and gear)
 
Got the gear repaired last week. I probably could have done it but my neighbor did a much cleaner job. He is a retired aerospace welder. Traded the welding for some plasma table cutting.

Was setting up the engine hoist to move the head around and discovered it is a little to short as they don't allow the boom past the front wheels. Cutting a new boom arm to make things easier. Head shouldn't weigh enough to cause issues being slightly past the wheels. I used my scissor lift with a chain when my buddy was here to take it apart but its to touchy to use alone. Back on it today but we've had some cold mornings here in AZ lately so some garage heat may be on the agenda.

I did hear back from Wells Index after my guy had welded the part up already. They had never seen a one piece gear like that and had no idea where it came from. They quoted me $290 for the head gear, $155 for the worm gear and $55 for the shaft. Marty even recommended clocking the head gear versus the $290. Saved a few bucks doing the repair.
 

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Nice. Feels good to have it whipped.
 
The parts prices seem reasonable. While not “cheap” they don’t seem to be unrealistic.
 
I got lucky on the shaft and gear. Hope it keeps going that way but I know better. So after about 2 weeks of soaking in the kerosene I pulled the head out today. Looks like the bearings on the drive gears are shot so I will probably be pulling the gear sets.

If anyone has info./tricks/tips on how to pull the gear sets or anything else in the head please chime in.

Progress will be slow until I get some heat in the shop very soon.
 

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