TB145 Pivot Pins

Has anyone had to replace the pivot pins or bushings on their TB145? The two main pins that attach the hoe assembly to the turn-table. If so, how many hours were on the machine? Did you have to replace the pins with the bushings? I was hoping that the bushings/pins could be replace one at a time so the boom assembly did not have to be completely removed from the turn-table.

I bought my machine new. I am the only person that operates it. I grease it everytime I fuel it and after I wash it, making sure any water is out of the joints. I use a high quality Chevron grease designed for heavy equipment. I have 800 hours on mine and I noticed some play in both the upper and lower pins yeaterday. There is enough play that it needs attention asap. I seems to be pushing grease out of that area a lot faster than normal as of this last job.

I noticed it while I was excavating over the side of a bank. Most of the work I do is shallow or at gound level. I do some clearing and don't use a breaker or any other attachments other than buckets and a beam. I use a 24" bucket most of the time, but also have 18" and 36" digging and a 42" clean out.

The parts manual does list bushings for both pins, and one washer which is for the top of the upper pin. I wanted to get some information form someone that has replaced them before I decide if I am going to do them myself. Any comments or your experience would be helpful.

Any special tools required to remove the bushings?

Where is the best place to order factory parts from?

Thanks for your help!

Jeff

Any ides from anyone?

Still no one out there with any advice for me? Other than to take it to the shop ha ha.

I'll keep trying. I am trying to figure out how I am going to take the boom of if needed without another machine here.

Hi Jeff, im working on getting you some bushes, im waiting on some one to come back to me with some sizes! but the easter holidays here are holding things up!

Aiden

I was a little hesitant to reply because the one I have done was on a TBO 25, 2 sizes smaller. It was not to bad to do. I would do pins and bushings at the same time, I know its hard to say, but how much movement do you have? 800 hrs is not much. The way I did mine was to fab up a quick suport for the boom, weld it to the boom, pull, mark hoses, remove pins, cap hoses with steel caps or plugs, then drive machine away from suported boom. The hardest part was getting the bushings out of cast iron piece. I used a torch to cut a notch the length of the bushing, then they went out easy. Get your parts from the dealer, mine were not to bad. I think the whole job was 6 hrs, nothing really to hard about it, everything is wide open. Good luck

I did not notice the play until I was fully extended over a bank. It moves back and forth about 2mm I would say. If you put the bucket on the ground and push then pick it up. I am sure the wear is from pulling stumps. I tend to clear and log a bit. That is why I am building a ripper witha splitter on it. Hopefully it will be a little easier on the machine. The United Rentals store I bought it from told me that they surplus the machines before they need to replace them.



Thanks for replying. I was afraid that the boom would have to come off. It sounds like the right way to do it. Where did you support the boom at? I'd hate to have it fall over. I guess if I put my 42" clean out on it to stabilize that end. I have some 'H-Beam' that is about 100 pounds a foot. Maybe grab a 10 foot chunk of that and weld the bucket to it so it would not tip over side ways them build a fixture for the boom. Did you pull the boom off the pivot piece first? Or leave the pivot on the boom?


I found one set of bushings and one set of pins. They are the only ones Takeuchi has in the States per the computher. Bushings are $102 each and pins are $170 each. The 5mm washer that goes in there is on back order to Japan. They want $110 for it when they can get it. I am sure it will be awhile before Japan sends us anything. I am hoping I can have one made once I pull it out and see what they are making it out of.

I was also thinking about supporting the boom like I stated above, pulling the pins and using the pivot cylinder to move the fixture out of the way to access the bushings. I haven't looked to see if there is enough clearence to do it that way.


How thick were the bushings? Between the outside of the pin and the pivot fixture? I am hoping I caught it soon enough so I am not worn past the bushings. I'm kind of puzzled because I grease it every tank of fuel and after I wash it. Oh well, what is a thousand bucks among friends right?? Ha ha

I left pivot on machine, then backed away. I do not want to be working around a boom that is temped as far as a support. I really doubt you went into the parent metal of pivot at 2 mm play, which is between 1/8" and a 1/16". My bushings were about 3/16th wall thickness, if memory serves. The lines to boom are under no pressure at "rest", I did not go the steel plug rout, used plastic, but felt compelled to tell you the "right way". I use an old piece of multistrand phone line to mark hoses, cut 6" of each color, then wrap around flares on hoses. They do not come off. I suported the boom with 2 pieces of angle welded to boom, at an angle, with a piece welded at the botom to form the base of the triangle. The welds were not much more than glorified tack welds, and I simply broke them off when done. You have more weight however. A quick grind, with touch up paint and you cant tell. The 5 mm washer if I remember was steel, not brass, could be easily made. Be safe, be clean, good luck

Thanks for the info. I have the bushings on the way.

Hey 74inshovel, what were the bushings you put in made out of? One guy I talked to the other day told me they might be nylon as they were used by Takeuchi in some spots. Thanks for the info

If youre tired of pivot wear, you could try an Expander Pivot Pin System. Line Boring is no longer needed. If youre interested in learning more, you can go to www.expanderamericas.com. Hope that helps.

Nope, they were steel. Had to torch them out.

Cool and thanks. Picked mine up yesterday. Now I just need time to put them in!

Well I'm late responding to this one. I have the tb 135 Not 145. bought it at auction.
Got it super cheap I thought.. But the guys obviously didn't know what/or how to use a grease gun.
Forget the exact hour meter #'s 800-900 hrs. And mine was bad sloppy when I got it, don't use it much, But I keep the grease to it.

Wow, I'm mostly shocked at the low hours. I'm a grease-a-holic. I have almost 3000 hours on my TB145 and it isn't showing any slop that I can detect and they have never been changed. I would strongly think that you had a zerk plugged or I wouldn't use that grease; one of the two! I always use Lucas EP with moly and I've yet to have a single pin fail anywhere on the machine other than the 'quick change' part on the bucket where it can't be greased.

Good luck. When I've had to change pins on much larger machines, we put the new pins in dry ice over night and they just slipped in place by hand (well, using gloves) and they tightened up within a few minutes.

Thanks for the info Allgood.

I was thinking the same thing about the grease or zerk. I am also a greaze a holic. The first thing I ever had to do when I leased a machine wash pump about two tubes in it!

I grease mine every tank or more depending on what I am doing. I spoke with a few rental places that have several machines and a rep. They told me that some machines never have them replaced, others are lower than mine. They said that it depends on maintenance and how it is used. Since my maintenance is above average (I cut all of my fluid and filter cycles in half hours wise), it is because of the way I use it.

They figured since I pull a lot of stumps, clear property, work in hard ground, and run large buckets that it is because I work the machine near the max most of the time. The rental guys told me that they have had a few machines that just had the bushings go with low hours. The next set lasted until the machine went to auction. Not sure if some of the bushings that were installed at the factory were not heat treated right, had soft metal, or something else. He had a TB145 with 3000 hours on it that had less slop then mine. Most of the hours were mowing and digging with hardly and stumping/clearing.

Time to start adding a few more dollars to the hourly rate when I am clearing.

I tend to think you just got a bad batch of pins from the factory. It happens. I doubt it will happen again. I run the heck out of my machines, but I don't abuse them. They hydraulic pressures are all set at the factory maximum recommended ratings and I work the machines! I've literally cleared hundreds of stumps and consider a big ole cypress stump a good challange. I just came in from fueling and greasing (along with my general overall machine check) getting ready to do a bunch of dirt work today. I need to drop my 24" bucket off and run a few more S-11018 stringers across the underside of the lip so it hooks up tighter to the machine, but it's not too bad. I've used my plasma cutter and added precision cut pieces to take out all the slop, but the steel I used was just mild steel and didn't last. Last time I bought me 5 pounds of S-11018 rods a year or so ago and just welded stringers in place and hit 'em a bit with a grinder to make them flat. Those stringers have lasted over a year. Good enough for me. It doesn't look like it would be too hard to change those pins after looking at mine. I'd bet new ones will last you quite a while.

Well, I've stalled long enough. Time to get back out and start digging.

I hope you are right. Now I just need to get a free weekend to slam them in. Have fun.