Need New Edson Sheave Pins

[Boulter]

Hi:

The incumbents are down about 1/4 the diameter in places and seem to be made of bronze as do the sheaves. I asked Edson what bronze I ought to purchase to make new pins as I didn't see any pins for sale on their web site. They said use stainless steel and by the way well sell same at $22 each! By the time I get 4 of these into Canada from Edson it will soar to a $150 job.

So I can find some 3/8" bronze stock and make my own with great ease because bronze is soft. Any idea as to a recommended material specification?

Or I can buy some stainless and curse while drilling the 8 holes, and maybe cutting to length too.

I wonder with all the oil that Edson says should be slopped on the steering bits on a what, weekly basis, if plain cold rolled steel would not outlive me. This would be a very cost effective as I am pretty sure I have 3/8 CRS in stock.

What I know for sure is it shouldn't cost $150 for 4 sloppy filling pins that in the aggregate weigh less than 1/4 pound and have in the aggregate 8 cotter pin holes of no great precision.

Boulter

[ShipShape]

SS clevis pins would be my choice, I just had my Edson gear apart to clean and inspect and the sheave pins looked like big bronze clevis pins, 30 years old and no wear though - why are yours so worn??? If clevis pins don't come long enough in your diameter some other ideas: shoulder bolts, sex bolts, a machine screw or threaded rod through a spacer/standoff, which come threaded or unthreaded inside. If you want to machine some bronze rod, alloys 544 and 954 are both bearing grade.

[Boulter]

Originally Posted by ShipShape

SS clevis pins would be my choice, I just had my Edson gear apart to clean and inspect and the sheave pins looked like big bronze clevis pins, 30 years old and no wear though - why are yours so worn??? If clevis pins don't come long enough in your diameter some other ideas: shoulder bolts, sex bolts, a machine screw or threaded rod through a spacer/standoff, which come threaded or unthreaded inside. If you want to machine some bronze rod, alloys 544 and 954 are both bearing grade.

Hi

Thank you for the suggestions Shipshape! I have not taken the dial indicators to them yet, but I am pretty sure they are 0.375 diameter x 1.75 long. Sure sounds like a clevis pin I should be able to find.

The worry I have is if I go SS pins, are the sheaves then going to be the wear point instead of the pins? I suppose drill out and a bushing will fix that.

As to why mine are so worn, I suspect the PO did not fair the cables well so they rocked back and forth with each direction change of the wheel. They really are in sad shape. They wore at the SS mounting bracket points. A few of them lost 1/3 of the diameter. Should have been changed decades ago, literally.



Boulter

[ShipShape]

Originally Posted by Boulter

As to why mine are so worn, I suspect the PO did not fair the cables well so they rocked back and forth with each direction change of the wheel. They really are in sad shape. They wore at the SS mounting bracket points. A few of them lost 1/3 of the diameter.

The bracket to which my sheaves are mounted is not adjustable and the angle to the quadrant is fair, as is the angle up the pedestal tube. Since I haven't had problems with my steering gear I am unaware of the available options ... if yours is adjustable then you'll be able to get the angle fair on your own, if not then might as well get the bracket re-welded at the correct angle now while things are apart. It is also possible that your steering system is fine and the PO may have had the cables much too tight and/or didn't keep up on the grease causing the pins to wear.

Either way, if I had (another ) $150 annoyance like that I would do a temporary fix until I could get or make the correct parts at a reasonable price. Of course you can't do that if you are taking the boat offshore, but it should be ok for putzing around near home - check that your emergency tiller works first . If you can find the correct outside diameter, something really soft like copper or brass tube, or even a hard plastic, would be ideal, just run a bolt through it to hold it in place, and that way you can quickly see where and how much it is wearing. If it wears evenly then probably everything is fair and the PO just had the cables too tight.

And it is also possible that the pins wore out because they weren't bearing grade material.

[Boulter]

Originally Posted by ShipShape

The bracket to which my sheaves are mounted is not adjustable and the angle to the quadrant is fair, as is the angle up the pedestal tube.

Yes, my brackets can rotate and the mounting bolts travel in an arced groove so that the cable can be set to run fair. Before I disassembled it all, I did not think it was adjusted as well as it could have been. Or I just might have been observing the considerable play on account of the severe wear.

I am in no hurry for a solution, the boat is completely in pieces except for the engine and water system. I had to take apart the steering because I need to recore the cockpit floor. Finding the steering pooched was a happy accident. Oh, I likely would have found it eventually

I am currently stuck on the shift cable. I can't get the tuning fork shaped fitting off the cable. Been at it two weeks now with PB blaster and a torch. I think what we have here is aluminum over SS having sat for 37 years. I am soon at the point where a destructive solution will have to be implemented. I am hoping to not have another $150 problem, that is the cable, as the cable moves fine yet. So I'll take the die grinder carbide saw to the fitting and hopefully avoid fouling the threads on the cable. Then hopefully the tuning fork shaped fitting is something that is a standard part.

Cheers,

Boulter

[Blue Stocking]

Boulter, I rebuilt the 1965 steering on Bluestocking. drilled out the sheaves to new size, and obtained OILITE bronze bushing from alternator/starter shop. Wide range of sizes on those 2 items.

[Cheechako]

Just use stainless. You can buy SS pins readily. Bronze and SS work well together. You need to determine if the sheaves have worn alot also though. Or you could order bronze rod from a place like Alaskan Coper and Brass and make your own.. how to assure yourself that the bronze pin will not be harder than the existing sheave anyway is a little tough though...

[Boulter]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Just use stainless.

Yes, SS clevis pin it is, 0.375 inch diameter by 1.5 inch between head and hole. About $5 each.

Boulter