50-AW PULLEY/GEAR REDUCER SEAL

[conservationman]

I need to replace the seal #69239D but can't find a source or cross number. Can anyone help?
Also

Are there any adjustments I should check now that it's apart?
And
What is this for?

Thanks
Wally

[Eugene]

What to heck is a 50-AW pulley/gear reducer and what is it used on/for?

On the seal. Measure the shaft diameter at the seal lip location and the seal's outside diameter/location diameter. Take the seal to an auto parts store or tractor dealership. With your measurements and measurements taken by the retailer, they should be able to match up the seal.

[conservationman]

Sorry
The 50-AW is a baler powered by a c-60 (CUB) engine. It has a Pulley/gear reducer at a gight angle off of the back

[Bob McCarty]

If you google that #, there is one on eBay that says it's for a Continental engine, but the pulley/reducer may have been the same for both. That plug may be a level plug/drain plug for the oil level (?).

[Eugene]

That's a Bates part number. Local auto parts store should be able to have the part shipped in and there the next day.

Or cross reference the number, and still have the part on hand the next day. Plus no postage and handling charge.

[Jim Becker]

It appears that seal was unique to the balers, may be hard to find or cross reference. Roy's Red Iron lists one. But you probably will have to call him to see.
https://www.roysrediron.com/current-inventory.html

There are 3 or 4 reasons for a pipe plug in virtually any housing that holds oil. Sometimes one plug will serve two of those purposes. Sometimes a need is handled by another method. Look at where they are in the housing to know the purpose. The big three:
1. Drain plug. It is at the bottom of the reservoir. Sometimes there is no drain plug if it can be drained by removing another part (like the Cub final drive pan).
2. Filler plug. It is usually the highest plug on the reservoir. It is usually big enough to make filling fairly easy. These may be drilled to provide venting.
3. Level plug. This is often a small diameter plug. Oil is normally added to the height of this plug. You add oil through the filler until it starts to run out the level plug. "Full" may also be listed as something like "within 1/2 inch" or a similar instruction. Read the manual. Filler and level is often combined as a single filler/level plug (like the Cub Touch-Control). There are some applications where a level measurement tool is incorporated with the filler, as a dipstick built into the filler plug or a separate part that works as a dipstick and is accessed after the filler plug is removed.

And there is one more reason to have a plug:
4. A plug that is there for repair purposes, to access some part or to provide a way to observe or effect an adjustment. These can usually be identified by an odd location that doesn't seem to fit the other purposes, an exceptionally large size, or the fact that the other three purposes have already been accounted for with other plugs.

So back to your original question. The small plug you are pointing at appears to be above the other plug, although your picture is at an angle that makes it hard to tell. My guess is it is a filler/vent plug. (The flat at 5 o'clock looks a little oilier than the surrounding area and is probably a vent.) The other plug may be the level plug. However, given the size and location, I suspect it is an access plug so you can see (and thus adjust) the mesh of the bevel gears.

[Eugene]

It appears that seal was unique to the balers, may be hard to find or cross reference. Roy's Red Iron lists one. But you probably will have to call him to see.
https://www.roysrediron.com/current-inventory.html.

Measure the shaft diameter at the seal lip location and the seal's outside diameter/location diameter. Take the seal to an auto parts store or tractor dealership. With your measurements and measurements taken by the retailer, they should be able to match up the seal.

[conservationman]

It seams that no-one makes seals of this size anymore. I finally got one from Roy's Red Iron. It took awhile as Roy hasn't been feeling well.

It is a leather seal and has been in the original package for who knows how long. It feesl quite hard.
What do I need to know about leather seals and do I need to soften it somehow?

thansk again
Wally

[Rick Spivey]

I'm old enough to remember leather seals, but not an expert on them. There may have been a specific dressing for them, perhaps someone else will chime in. But otherwise, I would probably soak it in oil or oil-based grease for a day or two before installing. Otherwise you may damage it at startup.

[Gary Dotson]

I have not installed a leather seal in many years, but if I were to, I'd soak it in motor oil, as Rick suggested, before installing.

[Jim Becker]

Agree with both of the above. Back when they were common, we gave them a good coating of oil. We made sure there was a liberal amount on the rough (inner) side of the leather. If you think the leather has dried, I would probably turn it face down and fill the inner side of the leather to let it soak or let it soak in a small container of oil for a day or two.

[conservationman]

It is soaking away!!