On May 13, 2010, at 2:27 AM, David Bean wrote:
> I have never understood why filing crank cotters is so widely
> recommended.
> Two new crank cotters (of the same mfr and type, of course) must have
> the
> same bevel. Using a file on that bevel seems likely to render it less
> flat
> than it started out; therefore more likely to come loose in service.
> What
> am I missing here?
>
> David Bean
>
The cotters are never an exact match for the crank and axle, therefore they need to be filed to match. They're softer than the cranks and axles so it's not that hard. The hard part is holding the cotter in the vise, thus the Var Cotter Holder. Phil Brown Filed a bunch in Oakland, Calif.