[Farmall] cub steering upgrade

[E. John Puckett]

I added thrust bearings to one of my cubs that I put a loader on, and it 
does help quite a bit.  If you are having trouble steering it normally 
though, I suggest before going the bearing rout  you check for oil in 
the gear box and that the vertical tubes are sufficiently greased.  When 
a cub is moving in second gear you should be able to rotate the steering 
wheel using 2 fingers.  If it is harder to turn than that you need to do 
some maintenance.   Jack  the front up, and if there is any resistance 
to steering you need to fix that. disconnect tie rods and see if it is 
from one wheel or the other. If so, pump grease into that vertical 
spindle tube and keep working it back and forth.  frequently they do not 
get enough grease to lubricate the top bushing and they begin to bind.

If you decide to go ahead with the thrust bearings go to 
http://www.mcmaster.com/#needle-roller-thrust-bearings/=kmcyb7 and order 
the thrust bearings.  ! inch if I remember correctly.  The spindles have 
a brass thrust bearing that is part of the tube and another on the 
shaft, which are not hard enough to carry the bearings so you need the 
washers that go with them.  if you have knuckles that have the woodruff 
key and clamp it is easy, just put them back on.  If you have the set 
screw spindles, you will need to grind about 1/4 inch or more off the 
top of the spindle tube to have enough room to put the setscrew back 
in.  The biggest job is getting the spindles out of the tube.  They are 
normally grooved, worn out of round, have lips where the setscrews went 
in, etc. and it normally requires some work with a file, strips of emery 
cloth, or even an hand held grinder to get them out.  Driving them out 
with a hammer rather than a brass drift will tend to head them and make 
it even worse.  It does help the steering.  On my loader it is only a 
little harder to steer with the empty loader on than a front blade. Of 
course when you put 400 or 500 pounds in the loader it gets a lot 
harder.  LOL.

Regarding the seat, remember that when you go to the deluxe seat the 
only up and down give you have will be the cushion, you will lose the 
spring travel. I live in hill country where the ground is uneven, rough, 
etc. and prefer the pan set with a good cushion.  it lets me stay 
upright better on slopes, when the wheel goes into a hole or over a 
rock, etc.  One thing to think aobut the pretty vinyl cushions tend to 
cause your posterior to sweat on a hot day, and are pretty cold when you 
first hit them on a freezing day.  The canvas one are not as pretty, but 
much more comfortable.


On 12/16/2012 7:29 AM, jtchall at nc.rr.com wrote:
> I think someone on the list has done this but I can’t remember. Can you remove the front spindle assemblies from the axle on a Cub and replace the thrust washer at the bottom (I assume there is one there) with a thrust bearing? I can’t remember how the steering arms on the top are located, if it is a bolt/notch type setup then the bearing thickness may be a problem. Anybody here ever tried upgrading this?
> John Hall
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