late vac steering

I have a 51 VAC (narrow 2 wheel front) I just purchased today. It has the last version of the steering setup with no box at the wheel, just at the pedestal. It has about 20 degrees slop at the wheel and traces to the gears at the pedestal. Can I take the gear on the pedestal off and rotate it 180 degrees like the fix for othe Case products? Do I have to drop the pedestal to do that? The parts book online is pretty fuzzy. The manual that came with the tractor doesn't carry info on this version of the steering.
THanks for all imput.

(quoted from post at 02:56:34 11/23/17) I have a 51 VAC (narrow 2 wheel front) I just purchased today. It has the last version of the steering setup with no box at the wheel, just at the pedestal. It has about 20 degrees slop at the wheel and traces to the gears at the pedestal. Can I take the gear on the pedestal off and rotate it 180 degrees like the fix for othe Case products? Do I have to drop the pedestal to do that? The parts book online is pretty fuzzy. The manual that came with the tractor doesn't carry info on this version of the steering.
THanks for all imput.

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I wish I had an answer for you. Looks like you'll have to jump into this project alone. Let's us know what you find.

Behind the end cap for the worm shaft there is an adjustment to set the clearance for the gears. Counter clockwise rotation will decrease backlash. The wheel can not be turned on this setup due to only being a partial gear. You have to remove the grill to access the end cap. There are also shims behind the cap to adjust end play of the worm shaft. I hope the pictures will be clear enough to help. Binder is to thick to be able to get flat enough to copy so had to use camera. Also note the position of the cap when removing. Due to it being thicker on one side that the other it will only clear the grill in one position. It amazes me the number of tractors I have bought that they put the cap back on wrong then adjusted the grill with a hammer to fit the cap. Lee

Thanks so much! IT is all pretty clear to me. I always have trouble understanding shims. WIth worn steering will I be removing them? This is so much more simple than the CA Allis I have. It has the same problem and I have to take off the pedestal to fix that one. I probably should have that shop manual you have. Can you tell me which one and which edition it is? Don't need one that doesn't cover the mid 51 change. looks like mine 5570213 was made right after the change. The tractor is the same age as me. Needed a tractor for working 2 acres. Had my eye on vac from the start as they are the cheapest tractor with 3pt setup. Couldn't find one. Bought the Allis, which I call the Titanic because of all its leaks. A week later this tractor came along and bought it too. The Allis is a bit like a sports car, small, powerful and touchy. The VAC is more like an old pickup. If I were buying the tractors new I would pic the ALLIS, but 66 years later, the VAC is a better machine.

My grandfather only had one tractor while he was farming. It was a 1947 VAC with narrow front end. He bought it new along with a mounted plow and cultivator. Your VAC should be more than enough tractor for your 2 acres.

The service manual that this information is in is a true dealer service manual complete with greasy fingerprints (RI 258}. It covers about all of the VA series from early to late. I also have several reprints of Case manuals but they are not true service manuals so they are not as through. You would remove shims to reduce the end play of the worm shaft. The rotational adjustment of the front bearing carrier should be made one hole at a time to be sure you don't get it to tight. If there is a lot of wear, you may not be able to get it all out. With the wear mostly occurring at mid travel if you get it to tight , the steering will bind at the extreme right or left travel. It is best to check this adjust with the front wheels off the ground so you can turn the wheel full travel both directions to be sure it is not binding. Good luck and anymore questions just ask. Lee

Below isa link to Mike Johnson's website with a lot of VAC info. He has the Case service manual VACLee mentioned on here. Nick
Untitled URL Link

(reply to post at 07:37:35 11/23/17)

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anks
Thanks, Lee. Already have the grill off. TOmorrow I give it a try.

So All is as you said. Except that bearing carrier with all the holes does not want to turn. Do I have to pry it out first? Sprayed some penetrating oil to loosen it up. If you have any tips let me know! THanks.

Two things that you could try. One is rocking the steering wheel back and forth with quick short turns to try and push the carrier out some. This probably would be best done with the wheels still on the ground to give more resistance. Other method would be to place a wood block against the universal joint on the other end of the worm shaft and tap lightly. I would think one or the other should work. Lee

thanks again. Since you seem to have expert advice, how about gas cap info. THe cap I have looks pretty generic. You cannot lift the hood with the gas cap on....Is this the way it is, or is there a factory gas cap that lets the hood open.

gave up on trying to get that bracket to turn. I used a punch on the end holes and tried to get it to move that way, but no luck. I was starting to distort the holes so I quit. I figured I would let that PB Blaster work and maybe try again when I have an afternoon to waste. It had ALL the shims from the factory. I took out some. THat helped a little and no binding. I noticed the two steering knuckles have holes for zirks, but no zirks installed. Should there be zirks? Is it a little to late to worry about those at this point? There is a tiny bit of play in each one, but not much considering the grease thing.

Thanks again

Apparently it is stuck pretty tight. I was hoping that the other methods even though they did not put any real pressure on the sleeve that it might get it to move. If you have a large pair of channel locks you might be able to get some pressure on the sleeve where it comes out of the steering box on the back side. There is not enough room for a pipe wrench and would not advise using one since the sleeve is not solid where it goes by the wheel gear. Don't think you would put enough pressure on it with the pliers to hurt it. As for the gas cap it has a lip that fits pretty snug on the outside of the neck and does not hinder the opening of the hood. They are being reproduced so should not be hard to get if you don't have any luck finding an original. Lee

I figured it must have the wrong cap as they made that hood so handy to raise.

(quoted from post at 23:25:36 11/24/17) gave up on trying to get that bracket to turn. I used a punch on the end holes and tried to get it to move that way, but no luck. I was starting to distort the holes so I quit. I figured I would let that PB Blaster work and maybe try again when I have an afternoon to waste. It had ALL the shims from the factory. I took out some. THat helped a little and no binding. I noticed the two steering knuckles have holes for zirks, but no zirks installed. Should there be zirks? Is it a little to late to worry about those at this point? There is a tiny bit of play in each one, but not much considering the grease thing.

Thanks again

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Are you sure you have all the bolts out? I've battled things like this only to discover that there was one bolt that hadn't been removed.