300U Knuckle/Front Arm adjust

300U Manual Steering

I followed the service manual instructions to the letter adjusting the steering setup.
I have the adjustable front axle so if you match the marks on the gearbox/ pitman and the knuckle/arm it should give you the recommended ¼ to 3/8 toe in.
I have all the marks matched but I have about a 4in toe in.

Question: Is there a mark or keyway on the front knuckle shaft splines so the arm is installed in the factory or stock position?

As long as I have the drag links, pitman and front arm correct I could remove the front arms and move a few splines for the correct toe in but I really hate messing with the front arms and knuckle splines because they have not given me an ounce of trouble in 20years. (I bought the tractor from the original owner)

Thanks,
Dell

I do not think they should be changed. If there is a broken tooth (common) in the gear box, the whole system can be off by that tooth. I believe the gear box is your real issue. 4" of toe in is not operational, and is about what I would expect from a tooth that was either worn or broken. These steering systems 300U and 350U are the single weak point on the tractor. (opinion)
The spindle bushings and thrust bearing must be near perfect.
The drag link ball ends must be tight and near zero play.
the steering box should have the arms move in opposite directions at the moment the wheel is turned, (less than 1" of play). (dreaming on an old machine) The cam pin following the spiral groove in the worm gets worn as does the groove.
The gears are over stressed, and wear, and there is no way to adjust backlash in the box.
If it were mine, I would remove the tie rod from the pitman arm on the box, and measure the free travel and total travel of each arm (left-right) to assure they are the same. if there is a difference in looseness, there is going to be a need to repair the box. if there is a difference in travel, it may be broken internally.
Gears can be repaired (expensive)
New, or NOS, seem to be non-existent. if the left side seems good, a drag link could be made to transfer the steering from side to side, then power steering linkage type (early mustang, or ford car from 1955 to 1962 could be adapted. Several companies make kits to replace the system with power steering. Jackson Power Steering is one. Best of luck and keep us informed, Jim

Here are the troubleshooting results:
Both right and left pitman, drag link and front arm connections are tight with no slop.

LEFT SIDE FREE PLAY:
No play at all in pitman, drag link or front arm. Steering wheel play is only about ½ inch.

RIGHT SIDE FREE PLAY:
Centered- Pitman arm bottom has about 1 ¼ inch play. Steering wheel has about ¼ turn play.
Full Left Turn - Same play as centered.
Full Right Turn - All Play Disappears. No play in pitman or steering wheel.

There is something definitely wrong in the box that needs attention.
*What is puzzling is why there is too much right side toe-in when I have the marks on the front arm and knuckle housing line up. I tried moving the knuckle/arm one spline but it gave it way too much toe-out. I was amazed at how much movement there was with just one spline adjustment. When those two right side marks are lined up the toe in should be correct but it is not and I haven’t figured out why.
I have both pitman’s mounted with the correct 3 1/32 inch rear of a plumbed datum line so I guess the best thing to do is adjust the toe in with the drag links disregarding the factory marks.

Dell

If the box is out of synchronization internally the right arm will be off of its correct position, thus the toe in. The facts are also indicating the same issue. I asked the full travel diagnostic to assess that fact. The fact that the right arm gets no slop at all full travel one way suggests it is out of position, and being pushed against the case inside (it should not) it should act just like the left arm at its extremes. There is only tearing into the box and looking for a replacement. THe best of the boxes is a power system off of a 350U, or with slight mounting changes the box off of a 460U is way much better than either 300 or 350 components. Jim