Problem fixed. After about an hour of searching through drawer upon drawer at the best hardware in town, I found the only nut that would fit the shaft. The problem was the nut was way too tall.
I heated the nut to red hot, and buried it in sand to remove the hardness.
I carefully cut it in half using a sawzall. I then used the sawzall and a round file and made a castle nut out of it.
I drilled a hole in the shaft, put on the nut, dropped a cotter pin in, and I doubt I'll ever have THIS problem ever again.
I heated the nut to red hot, and buried it in sand to remove the hardness.
I carefully cut it in half using a sawzall. I then used the sawzall and a round file and made a castle nut out of it.
I drilled a hole in the shaft, put on the nut, dropped a cotter pin in, and I doubt I'll ever have THIS problem ever again.