toe-end 861D adjustment

[MitchellB]

Ever since I had this 861D tractor it has steered hard and was difficult to handle on rough ground; sometimes whipping the steering wheel right out of my hand if my grip was not good. Definitely armstrong manual steering, but I could not understand how it could be so much more difficult than my old 8N was. Wider tires and heavier yes, but it just did not seem to justify the degree of strength needed compared to what I was used to. I got the idea to check the toe-end and looked up how to set it. It did not have the chisel marks anywhere that I could find, that I read were supposed to be on there from the factory. So I just set my steering wheel and gear arms at what seemed correct and even. Looking at the left wheel, it just looked like it was turned out left and the right wheel look kinda straight. After some measurements and shortening both drag links (the left one severely), I ended up with what I hope proves to be greatly improve steering now with a 1/4" toe-end. As it was, both wheels were turned out in front like a disc hiller. I guess you'd call it toe-out instead of toe-in. No wonder it was hard to handle.

 

[Soundguy]

check thrust bearings and gearbox lube too!

 

[MitchellB]

I haven't had a chance to test it out until today, but wow. It still ain't power steering, but that toe-end adjustment made a big difference in making this 861D much easier to steer than it was before. I was using both arms to make a turn on grass before and now I can do a one handed turn with my brodie knob.

 

[Soundguy]

have you lubed the box?

does the steering wheel rise and fall when turned lock to lock with the front end jacked up?

 

[MitchellB]

have you lubed the box?

does the steering wheel rise and fall when turned lock to lock with the front end jacked up?

I added grease to the zerk on the front of the steering box when I first got the tractor. I haven't had both front wheels off the ground at once, but I've never noticed the steering wheel rising or falling under normal use. Compared to what I had, since I've adjusted the toe-in, I can't really complain about the steering anymore. Almost as easy as my 8N now.

 

[Soundguy]

axle grease is not correct. should really be a NLGI # 0 or 00 grease. #2 will just cavitate and leave the bearings dry..

 

[MitchellB]

axle grease is not correct. should really be a NLGI # 0 or 00 grease. #2 will just cavitate and leave the bearings dry..

Thanks. I been calling around and on the internet trying to find 0 or 00 grease. That stuff is rare around here. I finally found a lawn mower repair shop just out of town that has one tube of 00 grease left in stock used for Snapper lawn mowers ($7.29 + tax) and I'm on the way to buy it from them in a few minutes.

 

[MitchellB]

Well, it took the entire tube of 00 grease. I spilled an oz or so trying to squeeze it in the little hole where the zerk came out with the pointy plastic nipple on the grease tube, but most of the 9 oz tube went in there, so it must have been pretty dry. I looked in my book and it says it takes 90w gear oil in the steering box in the summer, and 80w in winter. That's thinner than this 00 grease is. So is the 00 grease a Ford recommended update/upgrade of some kind?

 

[Jim L]

Mitchell, I would squeeze some 90w in there too to make sure the bushings on the two side shafts were oiled just for piece of mind. Just my 2 cents.

 

[MitchellB]

Mitchell, I would squeeze some 90w in there too to make sure the bushings on the two side shafts were oiled just for piece of mind. Just my 2 cents.

Actually, when I ran the tube almost ran dry of that 00 grease, the box had still not topped off, so I mixed some 15/40wt motor oil I had in the squeeze tube and shook it up with the remaining 00 grease and began squirting that in there until it overflowed. I may have got an oz of that oil mix added before the box topped and overflowed. Before I began adding anything, I jabbed a wire down in the hole in the box after I removed the zerk and it came back up with some grease on it, so I wasn't plumb dry before I added all this new grease to it. I think it will be OK, and at least better than it was.