I remember rps sat use to sell the brass nuts, I bought mine from a few years ago, don't have that Von weise anymore.
Von Weise Actuator Nut Repair?
- Thread starter Lone Gunman
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WRONG NUT! :rant: WHAT THEY SHOW IN THE PICTURE IS NOT WHAT YOU GET!It's a half inch short and has the wrong mounting point. This one they sent is a yoke type mount that uses 7/16" round pins instead of the bend down 3/8" wide flat tabs.
Requested the piece in the picture or an RMA for a refund. If they can't get the correct piece then I'm just going to bite the bullet and buy an Acme tap to make some out of brass. The plastic ones lasted about 15 years so a brass one will out live me.
The nut on the top is for a 24" actuator, the one on the bottom is for an 18" they both are totally different as you can tell by their locking system. The 24" actually uses the shaft, while the bottom uses a locking collar with two little ears that fit into those holes.:up
UPDATE:
Unfortunately our buddy at Alan Signer @ Von Weise still hadn't contacted me to date concerning the repair parts for our actuators so I sent him an Email about an hour ago and got a reply just now. He says that although he doesn't have control over the website stuff, he is still pushing the "powers that be" to get the website update done to offer repair parts for these actuators.
That being said, I told him that since I have a new post in the ground, Cband ribbon cable coming tomorrow and another dish that will be mounted this weekend, if the parts weren't available by weeks end that I was going to buy bronze nuts and fix my actuators FOREVER!
So, If the nuts I need aren't available Friday evening, I'll be ordering BRONZE ones that I'll never have to replace!
To be continued!
Unfortunately our buddy at Alan Signer @ Von Weise still hadn't contacted me to date concerning the repair parts for our actuators so I sent him an Email about an hour ago and got a reply just now. He says that although he doesn't have control over the website stuff, he is still pushing the "powers that be" to get the website update done to offer repair parts for these actuators.
That being said, I told him that since I have a new post in the ground, Cband ribbon cable coming tomorrow and another dish that will be mounted this weekend, if the parts weren't available by weeks end that I was going to buy bronze nuts and fix my actuators FOREVER!
So, If the nuts I need aren't available Friday evening, I'll be ordering BRONZE ones that I'll never have to replace!
To be continued!
UPDATE:
Received a message from Von Weise Thursday evening stating that those replacement nuts, item #V76-202 were available for $18.95 each plus approximately $20 shipping and handling. If you would like to purchase one, then contact Alan Signer at Von Weise from their website contact list.
FYI, I'll try to post pictures of the welding process that I use to reassemble mine once I get new nuts.
Received a message from Von Weise Thursday evening stating that those replacement nuts, item #V76-202 were available for $18.95 each plus approximately $20 shipping and handling. If you would like to purchase one, then contact Alan Signer at Von Weise from their website contact list.
FYI, I'll try to post pictures of the welding process that I use to reassemble mine once I get new nuts.
Couldn't get pictures to open here now for some reason so I completely redid this article in a single post on a drag racing site. Here is a link to it there.
Motorsports Village • View topic - Von Weise Acme Nut Repair
Motorsports Village • View topic - Von Weise Acme Nut Repair
Went to the VonWeise website yesterday and found they have the component page added there. I found a V76-301 reed switch that I needed so I did the order deal to find out what shipping would be. Turns out that the $20 shipping and handling that I was quoted on the nut was only $8.99 for the switch so I'm going to "assume" that the nuts won't cost $20 to ship either. Payment goes through Paypal but you don't have to have an account to pay by credit card.
Got one extra bronze nut shown in the machining operation picture that is for sale for $30 plus USPS shipping, which is probably around $5. If anyone wants it then send me a pm.
FINAL UPDATE
Installed this "rebuilt" VonWeise actuator today on my 10ft Winegard dish. Ran it from 139W to 30 counts past 40W about a half dozen times and it looks like using the bronze nut to replaced the plastic one was a success.
So YES, it can be done!
Installed this "rebuilt" VonWeise actuator today on my 10ft Winegard dish. Ran it from 139W to 30 counts past 40W about a half dozen times and it looks like using the bronze nut to replaced the plastic one was a success.
So YES, it can be done!
lube?
What did you do about lubrication? I think bronze will require more lube than plastic, as the plastic surface is sort of 'lubed' already. Thinking about it, I would move the dish all the way 'west', figure where the nut would be, and drill a hole directly in the path it would take upon being commanded 'east', directly above. Thus a few shots with a grease gun would splurt out onto the threads right above the nut threads.
If I were adventurous, I would drill a larger (1/2"?) hole, and be able to see the nut & threads and squirt grease using visual cues rather than blind.
Whatcha think?
tom
What did you do about lubrication? I think bronze will require more lube than plastic, as the plastic surface is sort of 'lubed' already. Thinking about it, I would move the dish all the way 'west', figure where the nut would be, and drill a hole directly in the path it would take upon being commanded 'east', directly above. Thus a few shots with a grease gun would splurt out onto the threads right above the nut threads.
If I were adventurous, I would drill a larger (1/2"?) hole, and be able to see the nut & threads and squirt grease using visual cues rather than blind.
Whatcha think?
tom
maybe something like lubriplate engine assembly lube (lithium based). I wouldnt want to use a thick grease that will just tun into crayons when it gets cold. I give the exterior of my actuator arm a shot of wd-40 every once in a while, hoping that it leaks in past the boot and lubes the nut a little. After disecting the arm that came off my dads dish last year, I fount the threaded shaft to be very rusty and quite abrasive. Im sure thats what took out the nut.
I used some grease that I had from a place I use to work. It's almost fluid and if you pump a glob of it in your hand and turn it up sideways it will slowly drop off. It's not heavy or thick like wheel bearing grease.
Got a couple of 3/16 holes in the inner tube in front of the nut and a 3/8 hole in the bottom of the housing which will be sealed up with a piece of flat rubber and a stainless steel hose clamp. I set one of the holes in the inner tube so it would pass over the larger hole in the outer tube (rotate the inner tube to find the hole in the inner tube before you tighten the locking nut on the heim joint in the end). Then took a rough measurement as to where stroke would be to be able to access that hole. It'll work!
The last couple of days I've been working on the VonWeise I replaced with the first one I rebuilt. This rebuild went much faster than the other as I already knew what had to be done. All is well now and that one is back together too. I didn't have weather seals for this one so I made a tube seal today out of a piece of 1 3/4 inch radiator hose about 2 1/2 inches long. I fastened it to the outer tube with a SS hose clamp and then used another hose clamp to squeeze the other end down to seal off on the inner tube. I'll be able to use that SS hose clamp to "adjust" the tension on that seal which I think is a good idea. As it wears off I'll be able to squeeze it in more so it will still seal up. Since I don't have the rubber seal for the motor/gearbox I'll just use RTV to seal it up. VonWeise is suppose to eventually have those factory seals available on their website but until then the RTV will have to do.
I've also made a modified magnet wheel for this one that uses 10 magnets instead of 8 that the stock on uses. That would give me 60 counts per inch if I can make it work. Right now I'm waiting on an analog receiver I bought off fleabay to be delivered so I can try to set the reed switch.
Oh, and that spare nut I have is not for sale. I decided to just keep it as I'm looking for another VonWeise for the 12 ft dish I plan to move here this winter. Like any hobby, I don't believe you can have too much stuff!
Got a couple of 3/16 holes in the inner tube in front of the nut and a 3/8 hole in the bottom of the housing which will be sealed up with a piece of flat rubber and a stainless steel hose clamp. I set one of the holes in the inner tube so it would pass over the larger hole in the outer tube (rotate the inner tube to find the hole in the inner tube before you tighten the locking nut on the heim joint in the end). Then took a rough measurement as to where stroke would be to be able to access that hole. It'll work!
The last couple of days I've been working on the VonWeise I replaced with the first one I rebuilt. This rebuild went much faster than the other as I already knew what had to be done. All is well now and that one is back together too. I didn't have weather seals for this one so I made a tube seal today out of a piece of 1 3/4 inch radiator hose about 2 1/2 inches long. I fastened it to the outer tube with a SS hose clamp and then used another hose clamp to squeeze the other end down to seal off on the inner tube. I'll be able to use that SS hose clamp to "adjust" the tension on that seal which I think is a good idea. As it wears off I'll be able to squeeze it in more so it will still seal up. Since I don't have the rubber seal for the motor/gearbox I'll just use RTV to seal it up. VonWeise is suppose to eventually have those factory seals available on their website but until then the RTV will have to do.
I've also made a modified magnet wheel for this one that uses 10 magnets instead of 8 that the stock on uses. That would give me 60 counts per inch if I can make it work. Right now I'm waiting on an analog receiver I bought off fleabay to be delivered so I can try to set the reed switch.
Oh, and that spare nut I have is not for sale. I decided to just keep it as I'm looking for another VonWeise for the 12 ft dish I plan to move here this winter. Like any hobby, I don't believe you can have too much stuff!
UPDATE: Well, this actuator with the brass nut has been on that Winegard dish now for a while and it's still working fine.
I had made some magnet wheels up with 10 magnets on them so that the count was increased per degree. I put one of those on this actuator when I installed the Vbox X in that system a few months back and right now that actuator gives me 965 counts from 139W to 37.5W so on average that's 9.5 counts per degree end to end. My SAMI dish with the SuperJack mover gets 518 counts for the same travel which is an average of 5.1 counts per degree.
Do I see an advantage? Well, at this point not really? The SAMI will hit the mark as well as the VonWeise with either magnet wheel installed, which really surprised me.
It's been said, and I do agree in principle, that more counts = more accurate dish mover. It just hasn't shown me that it's better than it was with 8 magnets.
Here's a picture of that wheel I made up and installed.
I had made some magnet wheels up with 10 magnets on them so that the count was increased per degree. I put one of those on this actuator when I installed the Vbox X in that system a few months back and right now that actuator gives me 965 counts from 139W to 37.5W so on average that's 9.5 counts per degree end to end. My SAMI dish with the SuperJack mover gets 518 counts for the same travel which is an average of 5.1 counts per degree.
Do I see an advantage? Well, at this point not really? The SAMI will hit the mark as well as the VonWeise with either magnet wheel installed, which really surprised me.
It's been said, and I do agree in principle, that more counts = more accurate dish mover. It just hasn't shown me that it's better than it was with 8 magnets.
Here's a picture of that wheel I made up and installed.
If the fix does not do the job,I have a brand new Von Weise motor,7 1/2' Dish Package, that was bought in the early eighties and never put into service.
It was sold by Radio Shack.
Al
It was sold by Radio Shack.
Al
Reason I brought this old post back up is because another member PMed and asked me about the bronze nuts I used on my Von Weis movers. Man, it's been a long time since I did that nut replacement on that Von Weiss on my Winegard dish. That original one that I did back in 2010 is STILL running like a clock 5 years later and it does get used daily! The other two dishes haven't been up that long and both those also have bronze nuts in'em.
Ennywho, there's some very good info on the acme nut replacement I did in this thread and since it's been 5 years since I did it, it's probably a good idea to bring it back up to remind folks what can be done with them.
Ennywho, there's some very good info on the acme nut replacement I did in this thread and since it's been 5 years since I did it, it's probably a good idea to bring it back up to remind folks what can be done with them.
I was in contact with Von Wiess a while back about the nut, sort of lost contact after I sent my mailing info and my emails went unanswered. I see the nut and reed switch are advertised for sale on their website. I could still use one.
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