[Robin Craig]

Well, it is winter again, things have slowed down on the farm and it is a minus 20 degree C day here so I have taken an inside day.

Why an inside day you say? Well, I have been really pushing forward on the garage project. I have humped away solo and gotten all the 14 ft 9in roof steel sheets up and screwed down and part of the vented ridge is on. I am going back out this weekend to finish the ridge. I have a plan and then I will be off the roof.

Last night I hooked up with my best mate Gerry Foster (he of the Duggan Lynx fame) and we tackled one of the wheels for the undercarriage of the rear car. My aim this winter is, to have the rear car finished, which I think is achievable. I am doing garage work when the weather is willing and indoor CL70 work when not. There might be some Skandic riding time in their on snow days also.

I had tried to take a part one of the wheels but couldn't get a socket in at it. Gerry decided a 1/4" drive deep socket was the best option and even then he would have to spin it up and turn it down in his lathe. We turned down two sockets as I am likely to break one at some point as I have been described as a ham fisted galoot by some. While we are on that subject who started the legend that I don't smile? Utterly untrue.

Anyway we have talked a lot about how these wheels are set up but what we found didn't match expectations. The wheel halves were understandable and the valve stem is what we thought it was, no surprises there.

However, how the wheel mounts is all a big reveal to us, without the music. The wheel is bolted to a two piece aluminum hub that has what appears to be one bearing "C" inside and the bearing is pressed onto the sleeve "A". The cross hole "C" held a fastener that locates the sleeve "A".

The hub has a grease fitting in it but we are considering replacing it with a sealed bearing as access is difficult and considering how little use it will get in my lifetime we feel comfortable with that concept.

We tried to press the bearing in the hub sideways off the sleeve but it didn't budge. We are trying to decide what to do, maybe make up a puller to encourage the bearing and hub half off the sleeve or to clean the axle shaft and polish it and get the sleeve to slide off the axle with the bearing still on. Decisions, decisions.

I guess we will have to replace all the bearings as the two on this axle are both a bit crunchy.

Anyway, I am back at it, slowly but surely.