Based on some
ideas from Bill Mayo, I decided to see if I could improve upon the alignment method for the pork chop in the speed changer. It came from the factory with a roll pin and there was some play between the ears. The worm screw was
wearing the rack teeth on one side. I ran down to my local tractor supply and they didn't have any nylocks or
star washers in stock so I grabbed a few lock washers and standard #8 carriage bolt and nut. Here's what I did.
EDIT: Don't do what I did. The ears on this speed changer were bent and I just didn't know it wasn't supposed to be like that. The lock washer on the inside of one side of the bolt is a bad idea and throws the alignment off. The ears should be straightened and thin washers used.
The lock washer is pretty wide so I could only fit one in between the pork chop and the ears. In this photo it looks like the ears splay out. I don't know if that was from the factory or not.
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I know it looks horribly skewed but it actually centers the worm over the quadrant gear.
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I used a standard hex nut and used a method that SS used to employ to keep the
trunnion stud nut in place; a couple of indents with a center punch around the ID of the nut. I was careful not to tighten the nut too much to prevent squeezing the ears around the pork chop.
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After this rather ugly repair, I wash shocked at how smoothly the screw turned on the gear. Before, it was all I could do to back the worm screw off. Now, I can easily spin the shaft from the speedial side with no binding whatsoever. We'll see if this approach works once up and running! I am concerned that as the lock washer turns over time it will dig into the softer aluminum of the quadrant or ears. Also, I'm a bit concerned as to how this will line up with the control sheave but I believe there is enough play in the clip.
Incidentally, I don't think I would try this offset method with most speed controllers since they are probably better centered than this one was. My quadrant gear was very worn to one side. This is what I would envision with star washers, in most cases.
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