[Farmall] Welding cast iron

[olmstead at ridgenet.net]

Still have the VAH, Dean.  I guess you're confirming my suspicion that
those cheapskates at Case made the front axle out of cast iron.  What an
inappropriate choice of materials!  Mine has been goobered up on one side,
and I can see a crack on the other side.  That's one of the reasons I
haven't done anything with the tractor; I don't know where to send the
axle for a GOOD repair job.  VAH front ends are too rare to let just
anybody fool around with them.

-Karl
---------------------------------

> The front end on my Case VAH got beat up pretty bad about 30 years ago by
> a
> certain irresponsible teenager.  Dad eventually found somebody who said he
> could weld cast iron, and got the tractor fixed back up.
>
> But one of the wheel stops on the front end is missing, and I assume it
> got
> busted off way back then but never noticed.  So the left front wheel will
> actually turn 90 degrees to the direction of travel if you're not careful.
> To keep that from happening, years ago we put a little wooden clamp thing
> on
> the front end that interferes with the steering linkage if you turn real
> sharp.
>
> Now I've got the old tractor back and would like to get that thing fixed
> up
> right.  Sounds like finding somebody who will really do a good job on the
> weld is going to be the hard part.  Any suggestions?  Karl, your
> description
> of the process sounds helpful--I could at least compare it to what I hear
> from whatever shop I find to ask.
>
> (By the way, you had a VAH some years back, didn't you?  Still have it?)
>
> Thanks--
>
> Dean Vinson
> Dayton, Ohio
> www.vinsonfarm.net