Any experience of Sturdi Shaft repair sleeves?

I tripped over the above and wondered if anyone has any experience?

The context is that my Chipmaster has a known issue of leaking oil from the clutch shaft. About 5 years ago I replaced the oil seals, but it never really fixed the issue. The leak has been getting progressively worse. I did notice at the time that the shaft one of the seals was fitted on had considerable wear. I couldn't do anything about it at the time and was just hoping that a new seal would improve the situation. The Sturdi product looks like an ideal solution to finally fix the issue at a sensible cost?

They do work, I have used from memory "Speedysleve" ? for ground keeping machinery repairs but not in recent years.

Sturdi sleeves and similar devices do work well when properly installed. Worn area needs to be sufficiently small that proper support is given to the thin sleeve. Oil can wick underneath if the shaft is well worn.

You may also need to think about provision for assembly issues such as bearing installation.

All common sense really.

Clive

They are a very good option. The exact size to make your shaft should be included with the sleeve. It could be made a sliding fit and be sealed with Loctite, or if you go for a press fit, then an assembly tool will have to be made, as the sleeves are fragile.

Edited By old mart on 06/10/2020 13:57:06

One trick is don't knock the new seal all the way home, that way it gets fresh shaft to play with

Does the oil bath have a breather that may be blocked?

Edited By Dave Halford on 06/10/2020 13:56:41

Thanks all, great feedback

The standard advice, when fitting a new lipseal, is not to locate on the same place as the original, but a short distance away, where it will run on a virgin shaft and bed to it.

If this is impossible, then a Speedysleeve makes a good recovery option.

For those unfamiliar, it is a very thin stainless steel sleeve that is punched over the shaft with a dolly, before breaking off the "driving" portion, to leave a new area on which the new lipseal can run.

This is a technique used in industry, so not in the "nasty bodge" category

When installing the new seal, any splines, keyways, or steps should be covered with something like masking tape, to prevent damage to the lip of the seal during installation. If it needs saying, don't touch the lip, either!

Howard.

Edited By Howard Lewis on 06/10/2020 15:00:36