# Grizzly replacement part works for Ridgid bandsaw (upper wheel shaft).



## DancingWood (Jan 16, 2011)

The upper wheel shaft hinge has broken twice on my Ridgid bandsaw. As you can see from the pic I think they make it out of sponge metal. Following this post I took a chance and ordered the Grizzly part (P0555035 - UPPER WHEEL SHAFT HINGE ASSY) for $12 and it fit perfectly. I did have to tear the old piece apart in order to reuse the hinge pins. The old part was made in China and the new one in Taiwan. I've been using it for a few months now with no problems.


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## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

I believe there are a lot of parts that Grizzly sells, that will fit similar machines, that look like they may be the same under the paint. I priced a gear for a Jet planer at $14 and Grizzly had the same gear for $4.50.


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## blackcherry (Dec 7, 2007)

I believe they call that pot metal, very flimsy die casting…very glade thing work out for you coddles to Grizzly…Blkcherry


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

I know a lot of Grizzly parts fit other Asian 14" band saws… My HF band saw tension assembly came from them… The Taiwan stuff seems better made than China stuff.


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## Knotsobeardedww (Feb 27, 2011)

I actually broke mine into 3 pieces! whoops but like you said the casting was horrible porosity all through the casting how strong is that? To confirm what you said black cherry i am a metal worker by trade and yes it is pot metal and i have never met anyone who could weld it at all once it's broken it's trash. I'm going to the grizzly website now thank you for you insight dancing wood.


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## Knotsobeardedww (Feb 27, 2011)

Isn't it lovely !?


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## EdisonJim (Feb 4, 2012)

The same part is broken on my band saw. I just ordered it from Grizzly, but I have a question. How do you remove the wheel shaft from the hinge? I haven't taken mine apart yet but I thought I should find out before I receive my new part.


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## RibsBrisket4me (Jul 17, 2011)

That is a very helpful tip. Wonder if I should just buy one to have on hand?


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## DancingWood (Jan 16, 2011)

@EdisonJim - I cut right through the broken piece with a cutting wheel on a dremel and then pulled out the hinge pins so I could reuse them.


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## aldom (May 4, 2012)

i can have these hinge assemblys made, if you really need one $50.00. way better quality than the originals. just got one made and works perfectly.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

I'm just glad that the old Ridgid pipe wrenches aren't made with the same specs as the new Ridgid power tools.
That's another reason I will continue to buy from Grizz. Service and parts, and seemingly better mfg. specs.
Gotta remember that the Asian stuff is made to the specs that are defined. Ya want it to be +- .0000?
It can be built. .0+-, no prob. What's the price point?
Bill


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## AbranV (Aug 4, 2011)

I'm in the same boat. What all is included in the Grizzly P0555035 assembly? Does it include the housing that holds the hinge and the hinge itself?


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

looks like it was melted on a gas cooker and poured or thrown into the mould from across the room.I really think this is the worst casting I have ever seen made from old scrap metal garden railings ,by the looks of things sorry but for the money they should check their stuff and how it's made better than this shocking poor quality, ENOUGH SAID! Alistair


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## MikeVen (Jun 13, 2014)

"i can have these hinge assemblys made, if you really need one $50.00. way better quality than the originals. just got one made and works perfectly." 
- aldom

Aldom, can you still have these made?...I have an 18" Grizzly G1131 with a broken Wheel Shaft Hinge…ordered the Grizzly P0555035 part suggested on other posts; it hasn't arrived yet, and don't know yet if this part is going to fit my 18" saw…just wondering if you still have access to a better made [email protected]


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## zambonikane (Jul 22, 2014)

I just replaced mine. The sliding assembly on mine broke too. I ordered both from Grizzly. The sliding assembly is a little different but still fit with a little time with a Dremel. One of the holes that the pins goes through is over-sized but has a place for a set screw to lock it down. I had to cut off the part of the set screw path (I don't know what else to call it) because it interfered with the upper wheel cover. I had stainless threaded rod left over from a bathroom remodel that fit perfectly (I guess it pays to never throw anything away). Here are a couple of things that I wish I knew before going into this - it would have saved me a lot of swearing.

1. Do not put the upper wheel shaft in until after the the sliding assembly is in its home.

2. Both the hinge pins and the wheel shaft are friction fit very tightly Because the openings on the sliding assembly span a spline, hammering was not happening. I ended up putting a machine screw in each jaw of a pipe clamp (I have the ones from harbor freight - they already have holes which I assume are for attaching wooden pads). The screws jaws were sandwiched between two nuts and the heads of each screw were facing each other. The heads were making contact with the pins and that's it. I then tightened the clamp. Those suckers are a tight fit. I am a big guy and I had to use a cheater bar to turn the clamp enough to drive those pins home. I also used a torch to heat the shaft assembly hoping it would expand the opening thus making it easier to squeeze those pins home. I really hope this description makes sense.

3. Once the sliding assembly and the upper wheel shaft hinge assembly has been mated to the sliding assembly, it is time to put it in the saw. I had to loosen the upper wheel cover in order to get the clearance i need. Be careful, those screws are very short - I almost lost one on the floor. Once in, it is now time to install the upper wheel shaft. I had the shaft in the freezer over night and I used the torch on the wheel shaft hinge assembly to make the shaft smaller and the hinge assembly bigger. With the help of a large C-clamp, I was able to press the shaft home.

4. Metal that has been heated with the torch stays hot for a while - just ask my fingers.

Good luck to all who give this a shot!
Mike


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## ElChe (Sep 28, 2014)

Hopefully this thread although old is still of interest given more recent comments. This is exactly what happened to my Delta 14 bandsaw. The shaft hinge bent but didn't break. I ordered the improved hinge from Iturra Design. World of difference in terms of design and quality. It is also adjustable left to right with provided shim washer . My research on internet revealed this is a common problem with Deltas and clones. I agree with SCOTSMAN - this part was made by umpaloompas out of melted chocolate! Take a look at the Iturra part . It works. Tom


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

The Delta hinge is not the same as the Grizzly/Ridgid/Most other asian clone imports. The delta has a single hinge pin that also secures the upper wheel shaft, while the asians use two individual pins and the shaft is held in by a set screw. They are not interchangable AFAIK. Just something to be aware of.

Cheers,
Brad


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

I think that triangle piece(upper wheel shaft hinge) can easily be made at home in your shop if you can find a small piece of 1/2" mild steel,I made one to replace the pot metal part and it has been working in the bandsaw ever since.









There was another member who machined one out of aluminum but you would need a lathe and also need to know how to use a metal lathe but to build a crude piece like the picture above is not complicated and can be done with a hacksaw,a metal file ,and drill bits.
Here is a link to another discussion about this subject:
http://lumberjocks.com/topics/51978


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## mapdude (Mar 4, 2017)

Grizzly tools has one that will fit with minor modifications. Looked at a Porter Cable saw at Lowe's today. The part looks identical.


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## maxnix (Mar 13, 2017)

Very happy I found this and grateful to Steve for the part # and Mike for the details of the install! My shaft hinge arrived from grizzly yesterday and I had my saw back up and running in an hour at a cost of $15. The part from Grizzly was a perfect fit in my Rigid Saw. My replacement came with the shaft for the wheel pressed in already and it was fairly straight forward to take off the sheetmetal cover for the upper wheel which allowed me to install the sliding assembly with the shaft hinge and shaft as one assembly.


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