8N Steering

[tderrick]

Well... It never fails.You talk something up, it will break!!

The steering went out on my 8N this morning while I was hogging.

The steering wheel
is screwing right out of the tube that goes down to the main assembly.

It's bringing out another tube and spring assembly with it. (tube within a tube)

When I turn it left it comes out, when I turn right and screw it back in,
stops and I will have right steering. Turn left it screws out. No steering.

Will I need to pull the whole assembly?

I may be firing up that Red Tiger faster than I had wanted!

 

[Soundguy]

Sounds like the top thrust bearing in the steering box went, at a minimum. Also sounds like the top race has pushed out and the top steering tube has come loose from the cast box top.

The steeirng tube can usually be reseated, and a new race and top bearing will set you back about 20$

You will need to fish all the old rollers out of the box if the bearing did let go.

There are slightly different R&R procedures if this is the old style stering with round side covers, vs the newer oval covers with adjuster studs in them.

Your I&T FO-4 manual covers step by step instructions to re-time the steering sector gears with the recirculating ball nut and worm gear... DO NOT disassemble the ballnut unless you know 100% what you are doing...

It's good practice to go ahead and replace the lower thrust bearing if you have the wormshaft out.. and feel around in there and if the lower race is bad, it can be removed by knocking out a welch plug on the bottom of the box.. etc

If you have all the parts and tools.. this is only a hour or so to actually R&R the box.. however add another 4 hours to R&R the hood, doglegs and grill, gas tank, steering wheel, battery, disconnect all gauges and lines from the dash.. pull dash, and then battery box... etc. IE.. a full morning or afternoon of work.

soundguy

 

[tderrick]

geese, soundguy...

Maybe a day for you. Sounds like a week for me.

I'm sure I'll just pull the whole assembly and take it to the shop. Anything
I need to be aware of just pulling it out??

thanks...

 

[Soundguy]

Getting the box ready to 'pull out' is 90% of the work going in.

If you are not going to do the rebuild yourself, let the mechanic struggle with seperating the steeirng arms fromthe sector gears, and just use a pickle fork to pop the draglink ends out of the sockets on the steering arm... he will then use a 3-jaw puller to remove the arms.. ( unless you want to.. )

Be aware that you can buy new re-pop old style boxes, and can usually buy rebuilt new style boxes.. so call your tractor mechanic and get a quote on the rebuild. If it is in the neighborhood of 300-400$.. get a new box.. etc.

soundguy

 

[Youare]

I had the same thing happen to a 1951 8N I had a few years back. I was able to steer the tractor a little bit by pushing on the arms that come out of each side of the steering box. I treid to change just the thrust bearing but the tube had some damage.

I was able to go to a tractor salvage yard and get a complete steering box out of a later model tractor that bolted right in. The steering tube was a wee bit longer on the newer one and there were a couple of ears that sheet metal bolted to that were not needed. The end result was a tractor I could steer again.

After that I made sure I was moving before trying to turn the wheels especially when there was a load in the FEL.

Randy

 

[tderrick]

Boy, if I had the time, I would do something like that. But I work so much
I just don't have the time. I need to get back to hogging quickly, so I'm
just having a good local tractor guy come out and get it, fix it and bring it
back.

I want to spend all my spare time working on the 640 I picked up.
I'm much more familiar with the work that in-tales...

thanks for the post...

 

[tderrick]

I got the 8N back and the steering feels great...

I come back to the tractor after a morning of hogging and the dang thing
is leaking from the bottom of both of the side plates where the
adjusting screws are.

Not too happy.... The shop is coming out to take a look..

Man, I tell ya. If you want it done right....... you know...

 

[Soundguy]

I bet they didn't replace the orings on those covers...

soundguy

 

[tderrick]

I'll ask 'em...