[AT] 8N Hard Steering - Update

[George Willer]

In my experience failure of the spindle thrust bearings is fairly common. 
That's why I suggested it could be your friend's problem.  Even with regular 
greasing the bottom may not get any grease.  The best thing is to jack up 
the front end so the indicator grease comes out the bottom instead of the 
top... that will assure some gets to the thrust bearing.

George Willer

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Indiana Robinson" <robinson at svs.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2005 9:10 AM
Subject: Re: [AT] 8N Hard Steering - Update


> On 8 Dec 2005 at 0:15, Dudley Rupert wrote:
>
>> Well Al you appear to have hit the nail squarely on the head -
>> Yesterday the 8N owner and I raised the front end of his tractor and 
>> dropped
>> the spindles.  The bushings looked good, there was very
> little evidence of
>> wear on the spindles and there was plenty of grease up
> and down the
>> spindles.  BUT the spindle thrust bearings were locked
> solid.  In fact after
>> taking them out I drove a conical shaped piece of oak up
> through the inner
>> bearing race, clamped the bottom of the piece of oak in
> the vise and then
>> had to use a pipe wrench on the outer race before I could
> get the bearing to
>> start turning.  The inner races of both bearings were
> very tight on the
>> spindles and the outer races were very loose in the axle
> extensions.  The
>> "actual" thrust-bearing surface appeared to have become
> the surface between
>> the top of the bearings and the bottom of the axle
> extensions.  The
>> abundance of grease in this area probably attenuated what
> would otherwise
>> have most likely been some excruciating grinding noise
> when turning/steering
>> the tractor.
>> Amazing the difference two new fifteen-dollar ball
> bearings made - they may
>> wind up saving the owner hundreds of dollars.
>> Again, thanks for the responses.
>> Dudley
>> Snohomish, Washington
>
>
>
> Sounds like sometime in its life it might have crossed a
> deep creek often...
>
>
> -- 
> "farmer"
> Living at Hewick Midwest
>
> Sometimes we have to work at it a little but if we
> are all going to age well we must indeed work at keeping a
> positive attitude. We might as well go out in overdrive and
> with the pedal to the metal because this thing called life
> "don't got no reverse"...  There is no sense wasting
> a lot of time trying to find one...
> (FJR 2005)
>
> Francis Robinson
> Central Indiana USA
> robinson at svs.net
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