After jacking the Sportsman using a recently purchased old Porche aluminum scissors jack, Stratford removed each wheel so it could drill holes through the hollow axle for the cotter to lock the large castle nut holding the wheel bearings and wheel in place. He taped the axle nut which has a "bow" welded on it for gear fairing support, so it would not turn while he was drilling. Using new cobalt 1/8" drill bits, he drilled downward for the top of the axle, and upward for the bottom. This was NOT easy. One of the drills pretty much died, but the second has some life left after drilling four holes.

Stratford deserves special credit for finding and modifying the Porche aluminum scissors jack. it was covered with grease and grime. So he soaked in solvent, cleaned it thoroughly, sprayed the whole jack with CorrosionX, and finally lubed the pivot points and screw threads. He drilled a hole in the center of the jack locator and inserted a bolt extending vertically so it would fit into the jack tab we had installed next to each brake assembly. That bolt fits into a hole in the jack tab to make a secure attachment during jacking.