Help I need a part for an old Benford 3000

[Mike K]

Hi all

I have the old Benford 3000 dumper ( 1986 ish). This week the forward prop shaft ( between gear box and front axle ) fell off at the gear box end . The nut that holds a splined female collar to the shaft coming out of the gear box , which the prop connects to by 4 bolts, had worked loose somehow. I undid the 4 nuts/bolts and reffited the collar and secured the nut and reconnected the prop shaft . It was ok for a couple of runs then did it again. I have now fitted a nyloc nut with Loctite nut sealer but after a couple of days it feels a little loose again.I noticed that due to the working loose some damage had occurred to the female collar splines so I am guessing it needs a fresh one . I have contacted a couple of dealers and they want £380 so I registered with one of those second hand sites but no joy. The dumper is only worth £1000 so can anybody point me in the right direction to get a second hand replacement please?

Thanks for any responses

Mike

[v8druid]

you'd probably find a complete s/h drop box for less than the new cost of the flange

With the splines damaged you've little chance of ever keeping it on with the degree of throw you're going to be getting at that point in the transmission chain.

[Mike K]

you'd probably find a complete s/h drop box for less than the new cost of the flange

With the splines damaged you've little chance of ever keeping it on with the degree of throw you're going to be getting at that point in the transmission chain.

thank you for your response . the splines on the shaft coming out of the box are fine its the female collar that receives the splines that are damaged. I am not sure I have explained this correctly because I don't know the name for female splines- does that make sense?

[diggerjones]

if its just not clamping up enough, you could cut the slot wider then it would squeeze up tieter. Or just weld it on. I've got one of these dumpers

[v8druid]

thank you for your response . the splines on the shaft coming out of the box are fine its the female collar that receives the splines that are damaged. I am not sure I have explained this correctly because I don't know the name for female splines- does that make sense?

Aye ..... I understand the issue ..... if the female splines are damaged/worn, it can 'flop about' on the male spline-ed output shaft .

the throw from the UJ, at an angle to the out-put shaft will be significant and needs perfect spline mate faces to not allow any movement.
no matter how tight you get that nut, retaining the output flange .... a few minutes of throw and it'll be loose again ... the splines must mate perfectly, so there is no play.

One 'last resort' you could try is Devcon or Belzona type plastic metal. It's available these days in smaller quantities than those guys supply ..... something like JB Weld or Araldite plastic metal ..... all bloody good

Clean the output shaft thoroughly and the flange's inner splines, especially ...... brake cleaner or carb cleaner as a final solvent after a good wash off for the flange especially.

lightly oil the output shaft

lightly lubricate the face of the flange that the nut and washer bear on with some vaseline.

mix up enough placcy metal to partially fill the splines in the flange .... make sure it's dry and clean in there ..... then slip it over the output shaft very carefully and allow the shaft to push out the excess from the splines ..... some will be retianed in postion to fill the void of the wear.

it's essential to keep any free-play/movement to an absolute minimum/zero.

clean out as much of the spare/excess from the end of the flange where the washer and nut go, with a scraper .... clean as you can and none on the threads. (some PTFE wrapped around them before starting can be agood idea too .... can unwrap it after cleaning up and all the/any compound will come with it .... won't stick to the PTFE)
plenty of vaseline on the threads, washer and nut and pinch it up enough to hold everything in place ...... leave it 24 hrs min. if it's warm .... 48 hrs+ if it's cold.

Dog it up and give it a go.
don't be tempted to take the flange back off for a shufty ..... you'll never get it to realign as you had it, taking up any wear.

You will be amazed how good the placcy metal stuff is ... it's machine-able when hard and I've done some pretty impossible shit with it over the years

You have now't to lose ..... just be ultra careful doing it ..... it needs as little movement as you can humanly manage to get a good result.

good luck

[AndrewMawson]

I was about to suggest the same repair then saw Druid got there first.

I swear by Devcon titanium filled putty. The dipper bush mounting hole on my JCB 803 wore oval as the previous owner didn't replace the bush when it was time, and I fitted a new (nylon) bush backed up with Devcon to remove the ovality.. That was well over a year ago and it's still going strong!

[Mike K]

Aye ..... I understand the issue ..... if the female splines are damaged/worn, it can 'flop about' on the male spline-ed output shaft .

the throw from the UJ, at an angle to the out-put shaft will be significant and needs perfect spline mate faces to not allow any movement.
no matter how tight you get that nut, retaining the output flange .... a few minutes of throw and it'll be loose again ... the splines must mate perfectly, so there is no play.

One 'last resort' you could try is Devcon or Belzona type plastic metal. It's available these days in smaller quantities than those guys supply ..... something like JB Weld or Araldite plastic metal ..... all bloody good

Clean the output shaft thoroughly and the flange's inner splines, especially ...... brake cleaner or carb cleaner as a final solvent after a good wash off for the flange especially.

lightly oil the output shaft

lightly lubricate the face of the flange that the nut and washer bear on with some vaseline.

mix up enough placcy metal to partially fill the splines in the flange .... make sure it's dry and clean in there ..... then slip it over the output shaft very carefully and allow the shaft to push out the excess from the splines ..... some will be retianed in postion to fill the void of the wear.

it's essential to keep any free-play/movement to an absolute minimum/zero.

clean out as much of the spare/excess from the end of the flange where the washer and nut go, with a scraper .... clean as you can and none on the threads. (some PTFE wrapped around them before starting can be agood idea too .... can unwrap it after cleaning up and all the/any compound will come with it .... won't stick to the PTFE)
plenty of vaseline on the threads, washer and nut and pinch it up enough to hold everything in place ...... leave it 24 hrs min. if it's warm .... 48 hrs+ if it's cold.

Dog it up and give it a go.
don't be tempted to take the flange back off for a shufty ..... you'll never get it to realign as you had it, taking up any wear.

You will be amazed how good the placcy metal stuff is ... it's machine-able when hard and I've done some pretty impossible shit with it over the years

You have now't to lose ..... just be ultra careful doing it ..... it needs as little movement as you can humanly manage to get a good result.

good luck

Brilliant ,just brilliant ! thanks for taking the time and sharing that knowledge. Much appreciated .Best wishes Mike

[Mike K]

I was about to suggest the same repair then saw Druid got there first.

I swear by Devcon titanium filled putty. The dipper bush mounting hole on my JCB 803 wore oval as the previous owner didn't replace the bush when it was time, and I fitted a new (nylon) bush backed up with Devcon to remove the ovality.. That was well over a year ago and it's still going strong!

thanks Andrew

[Mike K]

if its just not clamping up enough, you could cut the slot wider then it would squeeze up tieter. Or just weld it on. I've got one of these dumpers

thanks for the reply DJ, I am going to try the plastic metal route if I cant find a cheap S/H one

[v8druid]

Brilliant ,just brilliant ! thanks for taking the time and sharing that knowledge. Much appreciated .Best wishes Mike

Good luck, take your time doing it and remember ... "slowly, slowly, catchee monkey" .... patience is a virtue on a job like that