Ross steering gear with ball bearings

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I am restoring a 1926 farm vehicle with a Ross steering box with round ball bearings. I am looking for a replacement bearing for the bottom. The top one is okay.

The bearings have 12 balls and they are in a cage.

The Ross patent date on the steering box is 12-29-25. Number cast on outside of steering box is 262969. The box could be more modern than the 20s, not sure.

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What's wrong with the bearing, balls damaged/rusted, the "cage", or the race?

If you can't find a bearing, and it's just the balls, you can buy individual bearing balls and replace them.

If the cage is not usable, you can install several more balls to "fill" the whole diameter of the bearing held in place with heavy grease and carefully assemble it. Once together, the balls can't get away. Ross did just that on other models of steering gears.

I just saw your post on another Forum saying the "retainer" is in pieces, so simply adding extra balls should solve your problem.

<img src = "https://www.kaiserwillys.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/560x560/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/2/1227_9077_popup_1.jpg">

Here's the complete bearing for another model of Ross gear.
 
(quoted from post at 04:36:37 01/04/17) What tractor is it out of? A part number to cross goes a long ways.
AaronSEIA

It's out of a 1926 Gotfredson one ton model 20B, flat bed truck but built like a tractor with a Buda engine. Dykes Automobile Encyclopedia says the vehicle came stock with a Gremmer box but no models given, so that's why I thought it may have been replaced at some point with a Ross.
 
(quoted from post at 04:43:44 01/04/17) What's wrong with the bearing, balls damaged/rusted, the "cage", or the race?

If you can't find a bearing, and it's just the balls, you can buy individual bearing balls and replace them.

If the cage is not usable, you can install several more balls to "fill" the whole diameter of the bearing held in place with heavy grease and carefully assemble it. Once together, the balls can't get away. Ross did just that on other models of steering gears.

I just saw your post on another Forum saying the "retainer" is in pieces, so simply adding extra balls should solve your problem.

Here's the complete bearing for another model of Ross gear.

Thanks, I was wondering if I could do that. The only issue was the cage was destroyed with chewed up bits of the metal pieces in the bottom of the box.

Looks like the balls were 5/16" from this post?
http://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cgi-bin/viewit.cgi?bd=ac&amp;th=130609
 
Can you find a number anywhere on the bearing? Look in online bearing catalogs (Timken, SKF, etc.) and see what matched the ID, OD and thickness. After you have a number search it online. Start with locateballbearings.com. That's a combination radial and thrust bearing.
 
Looks like the same bearing in the Ross steering gear that is used on garden tractors, some jeep products. Check Ebay.
 
Make a new cage out of a steel ring.
I had the same issue with a Borg and Beck throw out bearing and a transmission thrust bearing and both replacements are still working fine. The purpose of the cage is just to keep the bearings separated equally and the stamped metal type has the advantage of allowing more grease/lube to surround each ball bearing.
I made the rings on my lathe from a piece of thick wall tubing and then took them to a machinist with a mill who drilled the ball holes equal distance apart in the correct spacing to mate with the groove in the original matching race rings which were still in good condition.Care must be taken with the assembly--the cage does not totally capture the ball. I did try staking the perimeter of each hole and that held them in for easier assembly.
I almost tried waterjet cutting 2 thin sheet metal rings with the correct slightly smaller OD ball holes and capturing the balls between the two with tiny riveted spacers in between. I've seen races like these before. That would have been a lighter weight unit than what I used and allow for more lube access.
Good luck,
Roland
(quoted from post at 06:48:29 01/04/17) I am restoring a 1926 farm vehicle with a Ross steering box with round ball bearings. I am looking for a replacement bearing for the bottom. The top one is okay.

The bearings have 12 balls and they are in a cage.

The Ross patent date on the steering box is 12-29-25. Number cast on outside of steering box is 262969. The box could be more modern than the 20s, not sure.

unnamed_zpso3k1snbi.jpg


IMG_4705_zpsgipcz3nu.jpg


IMG_4703_zpsrhqdmenh.jpg


IMG_4697_zps8ve5ob8c.jpg


IMG_4695_zpsixnxkzjg.jpg


IMG_4692_zpszdillkb3.jpg


IMG_4690_zpsxfsb9qzl.jpg
 
In my local area there is a bearing supply house called Applied industril technologys , and I have taken bearings and seals to them. They get out their calipers, measure things, and then go thru their interchange books, and find a reasonable substitute for me. All in a days work for them. surely you have a similar business in your area?
 
Thanks guys for the suggestions! I do note that the CJ jeeps have a different Ross steering box that goes together without a cage, however they do have retaining clips for the races:
https://youtu.be/NsILb3-O4AY

And extra ball bearings are easy to find so I may not need a cage:
http://www.external_link/ABC2962Chrome-Steel-Ball-Kit-for-steering-worm-shaft

I will look for a local bearing house to see if they can match my existing one and go from there. I have searched online for the correct inner and outer diameter with no luck.

I will let you know what happens.
 
I can't seem to get this post to stick... just wanted to say Thank You for all the suggestions!
 

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