One wrong hole breeds another, and another...

2326 Views 10 Replies 7 Participants Last post by ZTT42, Oct 16, 2010

ZTT42

Discussion Starter · Sep 30, 2010

I scored a screamin' deal on a Craftsman sleeve hitch kit that I am adapting to my old AC710 ($140, marked down to $34.95 - the salesman got an e-mail telling him to "move 'em out" while I was there; new price $5.97!!)

The pin-holes on the new hitch are 5/8", while the simplicity hitch has 7/16". I had the hitch apart for resto, and thought, why not drill it out to match?

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive tire Tire

I drilled out an end of one of the two bars - oops, wrong end :crybaby:
I drilled out the two holes in the hitch assembly - oops, wrong end :crybaby:
Now 4 more holes were needed. I drilled them and quit for the night. Should have quit before I started!
I looked all over for bushings to fill in the spaces - no such thing as a 5/8 to 7/16 bushing, except for $2.99 + $16.00 shipping! The pieces are now at the shop getting filled and re-drilled.

Never trust yourself with a brand new drill bit!

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DJ in WV

· #2 · Sep 30, 2010

Wow, that's a rough one. We've all had days like that though. Don't feel bad, it was nothing that can't be fixed.

BTW, what is the model number of that sleeve hitch that is marked down?

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ZTT42

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 30, 2010

It is craftsman model 486.24536. The sears site says it fits "Craftsman, Craftsman Professional garden tractors only" they have 23-inch rear tires or larger. these were in-store boxed items - the website still shows $139.98. good luck!

http://http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07124586000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

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Tractor-Holic

· #4 · Sep 30, 2010

You could have welded in 7/16" nuts and drilled out the threads..presto,instant 7/16" to 5/8" bushings!...

..done that a few times myself to correct some "engineering defects" I did during some of my many "repairs"...

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curt4774

· #5 · Sep 30, 2010

Hi to all. It pays to live in Montana.... I read these posts and decided WTHeck, I'll give it a try. My local Sears doesn't have any, doesn't stock any, and the price he shows is 139.99. He said he doesn't know about/hasn't seen any info about, markdowns on items like this. You were in the right place at the right time, to be sure!! Congrats and enjoy when it's done!

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ZTT42

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 1, 2010

Ya - for sure. Mostly Montana is a desert when it comes to good deals on tractor parts, so it was definitely a case of being in the RPRT. I'm not sure why they had them on the floor - they don't stock any implements like plows there. Anyway, after seeing a thread about a winch-driven hitch in the homeade section, I may use the extra parts to build a lift kit for my sears "Johnny bucket" that i bought at the same sears store last year for $100 off the regular price. I hope they don't go out of business and keep giving me these deals!

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LLigetfa

· #7 · Oct 1, 2010

ZTT42 said:
I looked all over for bushings to fill in the spaces - no such thing as a 5/8 to 7/16 bushing, except for $2.99 + $16.00 shipping! The pieces are now at the shop getting filled and re-drilled.

So why didn't you just buy another hitch at $5.97?

You can make a larger bushing fit by cutting a slot out of it to reduce the circumference.

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ZTT42

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 1, 2010

So why didn't you just buy another hitch at $5.97?

Because the parts I messed up are part of the AC tractor hitch, not the one I got from Sears. I haven't even begun to mess that up, yet!

You can make a larger bushing fit by cutting a slot out of it to reduce the circumference.

I thought about doing that, but the bushings I found would still be the wrong inside diameter and loose. I opted to "do it right" by welding the holes shut and redrilling them. Machine shop work don't come cheap these days, ouch.

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engine2quarters

· #9 · Oct 3, 2010

How about using a 'shouldered' bolt?

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Newsman

· #10 · Oct 15, 2010

Just turn both parts around and put wrong end to wrong end. :biglaugh::biglaugh:

Oops! Forgot, two wrongs don't make a right.:banghead3
MikeC

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ZTT42

Discussion Starter · #11 · Oct 16, 2010

Hey, lots of good ideas out there! It's all better now and partly put back together. I'm waiting on parts, so thought I would do something different for a while. It's getting cold, so I decided to drain the travel trailer so it wouldn't freeze. I began to unscrew the corrosion plug to drain the water heater, and, you guessed it - i forgot to bleed off the pressure so I got a surprise 5-gallon bath.:fing20:

Oh well, I'm hoping this trend doesn't continue!

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