1948 Super AV Tire / Wheel Wooble

I have a 1948 Super AV that I am getting ready to restore. It has a bad wobble in the wheel to the point that it wore the tire out prematurely. the wheel is not bent. it seems it might be in the spindfle or bearings. Any thought on correct diagnosis and repair?

Did you jack it up to see what is going on?

Did you check the bearings to see if they are loose?
If it just scrubbed the tread off you could be toe'd in or out a little to much

No I haven't jacked it up yet. I drove it after purchase and noticed the wooble in the right front tire. The tread has been worn off. Thats my weekend project... just looking for any suggestions

The guesses (and that is what they are at this point) are unlimited. Wheel bearings is the obvious one. After that, I would guess there are bushings in the spindles. Tie rod end...who knows. Getting the wheel off the ground and finding the slop is the first step.

not 100% of the setup on an av - but assuming it's very similar to that of a 48 super a ...

AND assuming you're talking about a FRONT wheel...

the steering slop comes from many places you'll need to work on.

The wheel bearing is an obvious point.

then up from there - the steering linkage is connected to the spindle with a bolt that has a sort of cone end on it (inside). take that bolt out and make sure it's not broken - clean it - and make sure it goes back in tightly - loosen the jam nut so you're not tightening against THAT - tighten it - then do the jam nut.

From there - each linkage in the steering arms has adjustable ball sockets. look into the ends and you'll see they're slotted and can be tightened with a large screwdriver - but also held in place by a cotter pin most likely. pull the pins if need be and tighten the socket (try removing one to see what it does if you haven't seen them before) but be sure they're all nice and tight when done.

finally - the arm that comes off the steering box (from below) is a "known" weakness on these tractors.

try to either look in from the front, or up from the bottom while somebody wiggles the steering wheel back and forth. You'll probably notice some slop in there - you'll see the shaft turn before the arm turns. (the arm will be loose).

you MAY be able to sneak a wrench in there from below and actually tighten it up to remove some slop - worth a try but can be tedious.

Do all that and I'm pretty sure you'll get rid of the wobble.

May or may not need to go further to remove looseness from the steering wheel (amount you have to turn the wheel before the tires start moving) - as in rebuild the box.

The spindle bearings (top and bottom of the vertical tube at the end of each axle.) are bushings. The bottom of the spindle is located by a thrust bearing that keeps the wheel hub down, and the spindle tube up. If the lubrication of the spindle has been ignored, the spindle will wear the bushings. this wear allows wobble. Check it by jacking the axle till the wheel and tire is off the ground. Block the axle with good cribbing to make it safe. then violently shake the wheel/tire assembly while someone waches the spindle top and bottom to see if there is looseness. Side to side more than 1/16" is about all that is acceptable. Jim

If the wheel wobbles it has to be a bad rim. The way the welded loop are fastened to the rim must have a bad one could easy be bent. Just jack that wheel up and spin it over easy and you will find the problem easy. Those welded pieces should be easy to fix.