[AT] Supposedly why our old tractors are not metric and a fairly simple tutorial

Mike M meulenms at gmx.com
Tue Feb 25 12:40:32 PST 2020


Happy Birthday Steve, we share birthdays, except I am turning 53. What
does frustrate me is when manufacturers us a combination of SAE and
metric, what's the point and why do engineers do this? I'd be interested
in your opinion on this.

Mike M


On 2/25/2020 1:47 PM, Stephen Offiler wrote:
> As a matter of fact I turn 58 today, and I maintain my physical
> fitness to the best of my ability, so you're probably right in that
> regard.  But sorry, I reject the notion that bringing the wrong wrench
> is a blood-pressure-raising event, and I stand fast by my comment. 
> This simply isn't an argument against the metric system.  Seriously,
> just bring several wrenches...
>
> SO
>
> On Tue, Feb 25, 2020 at 1:28 PM <deanvp at att.net
> <mailto:deanvp at att.net>> wrote:
>
>     Steve,
>
>     You may not have reached the age where getting down and under a
>     vehicle and then getting back up is a major effort.  Having the
>     wrong wrench when I get under there is not a happy event.  Should
>     I give up DIY wrenching?  Not a chance as long as my body is still
>     warm.  If I didn’t keep trying to do this stuff I would have been
>     6’ under a long time ago,
>
>     Dean VP
>
>     Apache Junction, AZ
>
>     *From:* AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
>     <mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com>> *On Behalf Of
>     *Stephen Offiler
>     *Sent:* Tuesday, February 25, 2020 8:18 AM
>     *To:* Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group
>     <at at lists.antique-tractor.com <mailto:at at lists.antique-tractor.com>>
>     *Subject:* Re: [AT] Supposedly why our old tractors are not metric
>     and a fairly simple tutorial
>
>     You might want to re-think the whole DIY wrenching thing if that's
>     all it takes to get your blood pressure up.
>
>     SO
>
>     On Tue, Feb 25, 2020 at 10:13 AM ustonThomas Mehrkam
>     <tmehrkam at sbcglobal.net <mailto:tmehrkam at sbcglobal.net>> wrote:
>
>         It was a evil plot to sell us another set of tools. The proof
>         is I still need two sets to service my modern pickup.
>
>         It sells a lot of blood pressure meds. Especially when I crawl
>         under the darn thing only to find that one d at m bolt is metric
>         causing a cussing wrench throwing fit as I crawl back out to
>         get that evil metric wrench.
>
>         Sent from AT&T Yahoo Mail on Android
>         <https://go.onelink.me/107872968?pid=InProduct&c=Global_Internal_YGrowth_AndroidEmailSig__AndroidUsers&af_wl=ym&af_sub1=Internal&af_sub2=Global_YGrowth&af_sub3=EmailSignature>
>
>             On Tue, Feb 25, 2020 at 3:40 AM, Thomas Martin
>
>             <tmartin at xtra.co.nz <mailto:tmartin at xtra.co.nz>> wrote:
>
>
>             > On 25 February 2020 at 17:12 John Hall
>             <jtchall at nc.rr.com <mailto:jtchall at nc.rr.com>> wrote:
>             >
>             >
>             > Don't know why they couldn't change pipe threads, after
>             all the rest of
>             > the planet uses 60 deg, not 55 for the British threads.
>             Can't really see
>             > how it is simpler than what we use. I mean how exactly
>             do the Japanese
>             > explain such? Never seen a German print in inches either
>             for that
>             > matter. If metric is so much better, then go all in I say.
>
>             Well the rest of the world for a long time was British or
>             used British technology
>             before Sellars came along with his 60º thread form in the
>             US. The US wasn't a great exporter
>             at the time, focusing more on internal expansion &
>             self-sufficiency
>             >
>             > You missed the part about leaving out the bastard pipe
>             threads, didn't
>             > you? We did so much hydraulic work at one point that all
>             I stocked was
>             > NPTF, it works for NPT.  As you know, NPT covers the
>             vast majority,
>             > while NPTF will cover the majority of whats left. The
>             scraps can be left
>             > to those who specialize in oddities.
>             >
>             > Never needed an IH bearing that I couldn't source from
>             wherever. The
>             > only roller bearing I ever needed that was manufacture
>             specific was the
>             > plunger bearing on a New Holland baler. Motion
>             industries finally was
>             > able to cross it, but I couldn't find it any where else,
>             not even
>             > aftermarket ag parts. And the bearing housing had to
>             come from New
>             > Holland, nothing even close. That set up cost me close
>             to $300
>             >
>             I think there is a slight time frame difference in our
>             work experience,
>             My experience with Cat, IH, & AC was in the 60s & 70 and
>             included
>             machinery built in the 50s. Cat & IH did insist on
>             bearings that were
>             only Cat & IH inclusive, whereas AC crawlers that used
>             more Timken style
>             bearings, could be sourced from any bearing supply co.
>             Five times cheaper
>             than Cat Or IH equivalents.
>             An interesting aside was that, rarely was there a need for
>             machining with
>             AC, Cat or, IH as regards remedial repair of parts. Good
>             designs leave little
>             room for improvement.
>
>             > We have an entire section of bastard taps at work, it
>             has just as many
>             > oddball metrics as it does english. It all depends on
>             the industries you
>             > support as to what is in your tool crib.
>             >
>             Around here, its fruit and meat processing.
>             At the local Heinz cannery, all the peach & pear lines
>             were American sourced,
>             and the makers delighted in shaft sizes like 1-7/16",
>             1-9/16" & 1-15/16"
>             with ODs to match. Only source was the manufacturer.
>             Another delight was the spaghetti extruder, it had a 50hp
>             motor driving
>             the extruder through reduction gears, every every shaft
>             was a nominal size +
>             a 1/16" Guess where the bearings had to come from. It had
>             one bad design
>             fault in that the heaviest reduction had no hunting teeth,
>             and it had some
>             very bad wear patterns revealed on dismantling, had a
>             blank forged in Australia,
>             it was about 600mm with a 152mm face. :-)
>             >
>             > I've found that engineers don't always make stuff weird
>             so you have to
>             > buy from them, its often so you don't make a
>             substitution that
>             > compromises the design. But there are some that need a
>             plate glass
>             > stomach.....
>             "Plate glass stomach"?
>             Don't know that saying, although I have modified modified
>             maker's efforts
>             for the better, when their designs were found wanting.
>             Flattering when they
>             come up with the same improvement...
>
>             Tom
>             >
>             > John
>             >
>             > On 2/24/2020 10:41 PM, Thomas Martin wrote:
>             > >> On 25 February 2020 at 15:17 John Hall
>             <jtchall at nc.rr.com <mailto:jtchall at nc.rr.com>> wrote:
>             > >>
>             > >>
>             > >> Fun fact. Did you know metric pipe threads are
>             actually in inches? They
>             > >> are actually 55 deg threadform (British Whitworth)
>             but the pitch is in
>             > >> metric. And the real fun part is that the rest of the
>             planet can't even
>             > >> decide how to spec them on drawing/print/blueprint.
>             Different countries
>             > >> have different designations for the same thing. Off
>             the top of my head,
>             > >> I think there are a combined 7 different ways of
>             designating metric pipe
>             > >> threads (taper and straight), as opposed to just 2.
>             Now we won't split
>             > >> hairs with short projection, dryseal or other
>             specialty threads--lets
>             > >> stick to 99.999% of pipe threads.
>             > >>
>             > >> FWIW, I have 30 years in a machine shop and have
>             continually used both
>             > >> english and metric without an issue. Its the rest of
>             the planet that
>             > >> makes a big ordeal out of it, we just grab a print
>             and go with it.
>             > >> English, German, Japanese--its all the same--until we
>             have to use
>             > >> Translate Google to figure out the notes.
>             > >>
>             > >> One more fun fact. Next time you need some roller
>             bearings for your old
>             > >> tractor and start measuring them only to find they
>             aren't exactly
>             > >> english, convert them to metric--you might ought to
>             sit down first.
>             > >>
>             > >> I won't even get into European conduit threads--I've
>             only had to do them
>             > >> twice.
>             > >>
>             > >> John Hall
>             > >>
>             > > Well, John
>             > > Europe did adopt BSP (British Standard Pipe) threads
>             > > back in the 19th century, difficult to change horses now.
>             > > Quite a simple setup compared to the American system!
>             > > Did you know that the US has 11 diffent derivatives of
>             > > National Pipe threads?
>             > > As for 11-1/2 tpi NPT, I bet many a lathe manufacturer
>             > > swore when Norton invented the quick change gearbox for
>             > > lathes and provision had to be made for that.
>             > > In fact would say I have cut more peculiar threads of US
>             > > origin that elsewhere.
>             > > That goes for bearings also. Both Caterpillar and IH
>             used to
>             > > get bearings, especially taper-roller, ground to  their
>             > > specific sizes, so that only they could supply, at a cost
>             > > 5 to 10 times the cost of a standard size! Extortionate!
>             > > Competition finally forced them into standardization
>             in the finish.
>             > > FMC was another who engaged in the practice in another
>             field.
>             > >
>             > > Tom
>             > > _______________________________________________
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>             > > AT at lists.antique-tractor.com
>             <mailto:AT at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>             > >
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>
>
>             >
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