Fordson Major transmission bearing replacement. (Lots of pics!)

Marveltone · Sep 10, 2014

With haying all done and the loaner tractor returned, it's time to tear into the Fordson and replace the failed lower shaft bearing. I have never split a tractor before and neither has my dad, but not knowing what we're doing has never stopped us before. We gathered all our screw house jacks and a couple bottle jacks, as well as ample blocking. My dad welded up a support for the frame rails, then went over to a friend's place to borrow a pallet jack to roll the front half with. I had meanwhile purchased a repair manual, as well as a repair operations manual, which is slightly different. They both hit different areas of the repair process, so the additional information is welcome.

Once we stripped away the various linkages and bodywork, we removed the connecting bolts and started slowly moving the two halves apart.

Next, we removed the bolts that hold the transmission casting in place so we can pull it out.

(More...)

Marveltone · Sep 10, 2014

We quickly discovered it wouldn't budge. Someone had previously worked on the transmission and put it back together using blue RTV silicone instead of a gasket. The piece sits so deep we can't get a hold of it, so we decided to build a puller. We also discovered via the manual that the PTO assembly needs to be removed before the transmission will slide out. The puller was a simple fare: A 4X6 block, some threaded rod, a few nuts, and a few pieces of flat steel. Use what you've got!

The puller worked like a charm! We tightened the nuts and the seal popped with very little effort. We then removed the wood block and all but two of the rods. The remaining two rods would serve as handles to help pull the transmission housing out.
At this point, we realized that the fuel tank and mounts needed to be removed, as did the dash and steering sector. The Hi-Lo linkage was keeping the housing from moving and needed to be accessed from the top for removal.

At this point, the entire housing slides right out.

Marveltone · Sep 10, 2014

Lacking a proper bearing puller, we used a Dremel with a cut-off wheel to remove the old bearing races.

I was then able to cross reference the numbers stamped on the races, as well as measurements with a caliper to order a new replacement bearing. I actually found one on Amazon! Now, we wait for UPS.

Joe

Tor Arne · Sep 11, 2014

I wish you good luck with the overhaul. The old majors are solid tractors that can do a good day's work yet. I have a Power Major which I plan to refurbish when I finish other projects. I have noticed that the fuel pump on some are mounted with a claw coupling on the shaft and the others are mounted directly to the timing gear, which solution is applied to your?

Marveltone · Sep 15, 2014

The old Hoffmann R325L V3 bearing is on the left. Not much left, to say the least. The new replacement FAG NU305E.M1.C3 is on the right. We'll carefully clean the galling from the shaft on the machine lathe before reassembly. Hopefully we'll resume operations this weekend.

Sent from my XT907 using TractorByNet

8N Ren · Sep 18, 2014

Bearing for supper again! lol
Sorry I couldn't resist.
I think that's awesome you have your Dad to help you out with this. My Dad is not into anything mechanical, my FIL on the other hand was a certified mechanic and grew up on a farm, so he helps me when I get stuck......................I get stuck a lot!
Good luck to you guys on the continuation.

Marveltone · Sep 22, 2014

More progress! Now that we have the bearings, we can start assembling. The races are installed with a bearing installer and the gaskets are cut and punched.