[Farmall] Steering gear lube

[John Hall]

Maybe it was on the tractor list guys were talking about using cornhead 
grease to fill leaking gearboxes. Might be worth looking into.

John Hall
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Sloane" <mikesloane at verizon.net>
To: "Farmall/IHC mailing list" <farmall at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2006 5:05 PM
Subject: Re: [Farmall] Steering gear lube


>I don't know what is right or wrong, but all the H/M type steering 
>gearboxes I have seen, including the two I have owned, were filled with 
>grease. That seems to be the generally accepted way of dealing with 
>steering box leaking seals. The alternative is some serious major surgery, 
>and a couple of bucks worth of grease seems to do the job just fine.
>
> As far as the transmission, you may find that just draining enough out of 
> the housing to remove the water that has collected there may be 
> sufficient - 90 WT transmission oil really doesn't lose it lubricating 
> qualities over time. If the tractor has been sitting a week or so, all the 
> water will be on the bottom, so all you need to do is crack the bottom 
> plugs enough to let the water (and the usual crud and filings) run out, 
> then check the level and top it off, if necessary.
>
> Just my (cheapskate's) opinion, and other may feel free do suggest more 
> expensive alternatives. :-)
>
> Mike
>
> Dean Vinson wrote:
>> I made some more progress today on getting the M caught up on 
>> maintenance.
>> Went around with a grease gun and the operator's manual to be sure I 
>> found
>> all the fittings, then took the cover plate off the steering gear 
>> housing.
>> The manual says to put 90-wt oil in there but it had some heavy grease
>> instead, which seemed like a good idea so I added a little on general
>> principle and closed it back up.  So there's a lot of grease slopped 
>> around
>> the worm and sector, but they're not literally bathed in it or in oil. 
>> Is
>> that the general practice?  I'm sure it'll be fine for the light use this
>> tractor is going to get.  My main concerns are (a) to keep the worm and
>> sector from unnecessarily getting more worn, and (b) to not have oil 
>> oozing
>> down the steering bolster.
>>
>> Item b seems like a definite possibility, too, if I put oil in there, 
>> since
>> there's some noticeable play in the bolster when I turn the steering 
>> shaft
>> and the worm gear starts to pull on the sector.  There's maybe 3/32ds of 
>> an
>> inch of slop in the position of the sector gear, front to back along the
>> axis of the tractor.  Looking at the parts book, I assume that means that
>> either the "upper bolster pivot shaft thrust bearing" or the shaft itself
>> are worn, or both.  So even if the oil seals were new there'll be a lot 
>> of
>> movement in there anytime I use the tractor.  Unless Geoff Gauger
>> spontaneously decides to come over to Ohio and rebuild this M, I suspect
>> that worn bearing is going to stay exactly as it is for a very long time.
>> :-)
>>
>> Meanwhile, it's good to see that the worm and sector aren't in too bad
>> shape, and to get some grease in all the various fittings.  While I had 
>> the
>> grille off I took the opportunity to mostly straighten out some dents, so 
>> it
>> doesn't look too bad either.  Before winter I still want to flush and 
>> refill
>> the radiator, and drain and replace the transmission oil.  I'm not sure 
>> if
>> the PTO works so I may have to investigate that while I've got the
>> transmission drained.  Probably be one of those Saturday-afternoon 
>> projects
>> that ends up taking about six times as long as I think it will.
>>
>> Dean Vinson
>> Dayton, Ohio
>> www.vinsonfarm.net
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>
> -- 
> Mike Sloane
> Allamuchy NJ
> <mikesloane at verizon.net>
> Website: <www.geocities.com/mikesloane>
> Images: <www.fotki.com/mikesloane>
>
> He who fights with monsters might take care lest he
> thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into
> an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
> -Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)
>
>
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