340 Utility hard steering

MeanGene1 · Apr 30, 2015

I recently picked up a pretty clean and excellent running 340 Utility gasser with a Farmhand loader- and a #24 CAT front dozer winch unit from a D6 mounted on the back.. Seems it had a bale spike and the guy didn't have any idea what it was for, so he whacked it off and mounted the dozer winch. Anyway, the one we had when I was a kid was a great loader tractor with a Wagner loader and the forward-reverse shuttle shifter, and power steering. This one however is manual steering, and is ridiculously hard to steer. Not bad jacked up, not sloppy and no tight spots, wheels track well etc. but doesn't want to turn on the ground. One thing isn't helping for sure, it seems someone completely filled the steering box with MP grease- possibly trying to cure a leak, although it is pretty clean with no sign of major leakage. Thinking I need to get that grease flushed out of there somehow and see if it is better with oil in it. Need to look it and the manual over to find a drain and maybe (lightly and slowly) pressure feed fluid in there to drive the grease out. Suggestions?

MN Mike · May 1, 2015

I've had loaders on both tractors with power steering and manual steering. I won't buy a manual steer/loader tractor any more unless the first thing I do is take off the loader. the extra weight really seems to make steering hard.

L.Fure · May 1, 2015

If you find a drain plug let me know. My IT manual doesn't show a drain plug, or make any mention of draining the unit before any work needs to be done on it. I have another gear box laying on the garage floor. I did a quick look at it and didn't see a drain plug. It's little things like this that turns my crank when I need to work on something.

Janicholson · May 1, 2015

MP grease will probably not cause issues in warm weather. Below 30 degrees, it might make it stiff, but not dramatically. Replacing it with #0 wt (Corn Head) grease. When it is up in the air, greasing the spindles and making sure the grease gets into the lower spindle thrust bearing. This often gets dry and makes steering way hard. Jim

Catskill Pete · May 2, 2015

Unfortunately there is no "drain plug", you drain it by removing a welch plug at the base of
the steering shaft. And of course you have to pull the steering unit to get access to it.
Fortunately you only need to do this every 20 years or so. I too would suggest using #00
corn head grease to refill it, as after repairing mine I have never been able to get a
really good seal, and I got tired of putting 90wt in it.

MeanGene1 · May 2, 2015

Jim, one of the first things I learned from my gramps, who owned an IH dealership in the 50's and early 60's, a lime spreading operation, and several farms, was to always jack up the axle before greasing king pins so the grease could flow around the pin with the load off. That's why it was jacked up, It was obvious it hadn't been greased for a while, but everything is pretty tight. I turned it lock to lock, a few more pumps, repeated several times. Is there a way to know if the grease has reached those thrust bearings? This is something other than a regular king pin bushing? I've never had one of those spindles apart, is there a tapered roller or ? In there at the bottom? Can I get enough grease down there with the pump, turn and repeat method, or would it be easier to pull it apart?

Janicholson · May 2, 2015

I believe it is a thrust bushing It could be gone, dry, or failing. The only way to be sure grease is getting to the thrust bearing is to grease it till the grease is visible at the spindle bottom. Heating the spindle with a heat gun (moving constantly to avoid burning the paint) can assist in getting the grease to flow, as does turning the spindle through its range while heating. Jim

340 Utility hard steering

MeanGene1

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MN Mike

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L.Fure

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Janicholson

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Catskill Pete

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MeanGene1

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Janicholson

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