Soundguy
Old Timer
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2002
- Messages
- 52,238
- Location
- Central florida
- Tractor
- RK 55HC,ym1700, NH7610S, Ford 8N, 2N, NAA, 660, 850 x2, 541, 950, 941D, 951, 2000, 3000, 4000, 4600, 5000, 740, IH 'C' 'H', CUB, John Deere 'B', allis 'G', case VAC
I used to wonder how so many farmer-engineered parts came about.. ( Lack of time? lack of money? lack of correct parts? ) Well.. I got a lessen in it today.
I have been back to working 6 days a week, 3 of them doubles.. so farm time is extremely limited. meaning the wifey has really been getting on to me about getting things in the barn in order.. things like the tractors disassembled all over the place.
I got up expecting to have my 8n buttoned up in about 4 hours, as I had all my parts to complete my steering rebuild. Had the shaft back from the machinist, and new consumables, and a new (used)steering shaft tube, to replace mine that was bent, which in turn had stressed and broke my steering shaft.
I dinked with it for about 4 hours this am.. Ended up that the steering tube I had got must be for a different tractor.. or was machined wrong. There were clearance issues, and even after two trips to the machinist to turn it down, and cut and grind on it here and there.. he eventually declared it a lost cause, and sugested I try to repair my old one.
I left there feeling a bit defeated.. but decided I really needed that bay of the barn freed up this weekend.
I had the bent sheet metal tube out of the cast top piece of the steering box. It mic'd out to about 1.5" od. I searched around a couple hardware stores and fencing places, and finally found a guy selling those tarp covered canopies.. he had thick walled tubing that was 1.5" od... though a hair thicker than the original tube. i decided it was my best shot.
6 dollars and an hour later I was back in my shop getting into full swing 'farmerizing' my steering.
I measured the oem tube, and cut the required length from the canopy tube ( I have enough tube to make.. oh.. about 5 of these things! ) Mating the tube to the cast section was an interference fit deal, so to make it easier to press in, i turned about a 64th off the bottom 2". That gave a good stiff fit using a copper mallet and wood block to tap it in. Next concern was the ID at the mouth of the tube for the top bearing suporting the steering shaft near the steering wheel. That was about a 32nd too thick.. a bit too much for a brake hone.. so i chucked a cylindrical garnet hone into my drillpress and set to relieving the top ID. After a few minutes, I again had a good snug tap in fit for the top bearing.
It was close to work time but I had to see if it worked. I quickly aligned my sector gears and ballnut, and dropped the top on. Took a few minutes of play to get the required number of shims, but once it was shimmed and bolted in.. it was a nice thing. I didn't add the sector cover plates.. but did a quick side to side steering test and was very happy.
I tarped it and had to zoom into the house and remove 6 hours of grease and dirt and rush to work. hopefully there will be time aside from my honey-do list to slap the sheetmetal, lines, wires, etc back on the N, and see what else I've mucked up in the process this weekend.
Well...my 8n officially has a piece of a tube frame canopy installed on it now.. though you'd not be able to tell except with a caliper and mic set... or this email!
I guess this is a tad more elegant than using a nail as a cotter pin.. !
Soundguy
I have been back to working 6 days a week, 3 of them doubles.. so farm time is extremely limited. meaning the wifey has really been getting on to me about getting things in the barn in order.. things like the tractors disassembled all over the place.
I got up expecting to have my 8n buttoned up in about 4 hours, as I had all my parts to complete my steering rebuild. Had the shaft back from the machinist, and new consumables, and a new (used)steering shaft tube, to replace mine that was bent, which in turn had stressed and broke my steering shaft.
I dinked with it for about 4 hours this am.. Ended up that the steering tube I had got must be for a different tractor.. or was machined wrong. There were clearance issues, and even after two trips to the machinist to turn it down, and cut and grind on it here and there.. he eventually declared it a lost cause, and sugested I try to repair my old one.
I left there feeling a bit defeated.. but decided I really needed that bay of the barn freed up this weekend.
I had the bent sheet metal tube out of the cast top piece of the steering box. It mic'd out to about 1.5" od. I searched around a couple hardware stores and fencing places, and finally found a guy selling those tarp covered canopies.. he had thick walled tubing that was 1.5" od... though a hair thicker than the original tube. i decided it was my best shot.
6 dollars and an hour later I was back in my shop getting into full swing 'farmerizing' my steering.
I measured the oem tube, and cut the required length from the canopy tube ( I have enough tube to make.. oh.. about 5 of these things! ) Mating the tube to the cast section was an interference fit deal, so to make it easier to press in, i turned about a 64th off the bottom 2". That gave a good stiff fit using a copper mallet and wood block to tap it in. Next concern was the ID at the mouth of the tube for the top bearing suporting the steering shaft near the steering wheel. That was about a 32nd too thick.. a bit too much for a brake hone.. so i chucked a cylindrical garnet hone into my drillpress and set to relieving the top ID. After a few minutes, I again had a good snug tap in fit for the top bearing.
It was close to work time but I had to see if it worked. I quickly aligned my sector gears and ballnut, and dropped the top on. Took a few minutes of play to get the required number of shims, but once it was shimmed and bolted in.. it was a nice thing. I didn't add the sector cover plates.. but did a quick side to side steering test and was very happy.
I tarped it and had to zoom into the house and remove 6 hours of grease and dirt and rush to work. hopefully there will be time aside from my honey-do list to slap the sheetmetal, lines, wires, etc back on the N, and see what else I've mucked up in the process this weekend.
Well...my 8n officially has a piece of a tube frame canopy installed on it now.. though you'd not be able to tell except with a caliper and mic set... or this email!
I guess this is a tad more elegant than using a nail as a cotter pin.. !
Soundguy
