ford 4000 selectospeed steering repair or part out opinions

sue metz

Member
My ford 4000 HD 1963 industrial loader (Which I
paid $ 5000 for 12 years ago ) started leaking
fluid pouring out of steering column. Mechanic
says the steering sector will cost at least 1,500
to repair
This is a Select-O Speed with no problems noted ,
but due to age of tractor anything COULD break. It
has been a very good tractor and I really like it.
The Mechanic also sells tractors and may be able
to find another tractor that I could put the
loader on put the foam filled tires on and then I
guess I could part out the select -O speed. Engine
on the select o-speed has always run well
I am inclined to have it repaired keep driving and
hope for the best or should I figure I have been
lucky and got my $$ worth and move on?????


Thanks Sue
I live out by Farmersville Texas if anybody is
interested in the Select o speed if I part it out
looking
 

I'm wondering what the mechanic is basing his estimate on. Seems high.

I'd repair the steering and keep going.
 
Well its a pretty well known dealership in the
Royce city area. They picked they tractor up
Monday and checked it out today. I was told they
would be using a used rebuilt part due to cost of
New Holland replacement to help keep costs down. I
figure labor is the main expense and also noted
that frequently the steering wheel is destroyed
while pulling the steering sector and I may need
to purchase a wheel also. I do really like this
tractor although with the select o speed
transmission and age anything could happen. I am
inclined to bite the bullet and get this tractor
fixed and hope for the best.
Thank you for your opinion. I read your posts a-
lot about select o speed transmissions I guess a
person either loves them or hates them....
P.S. I love this site. I purchased a video years
ago from yesterday's tractor and rebuilt the carb
from watching it...saved myself some $$$$ then
learned how to fix the rocker arm and lot's of
other stuff
Sue
 
Sue I have the same tractor(1959 1841 HD which evolved into the 4000 HD). You say you like it and it"s been good to you so why get rid of it?
$1500 is kinda high but if that"s your only major repair in 12 years,in my humble opinion, you have done really well!!
Good Luck!
GT65
 
Sue,
I sure hope whoever told you they couldn't pull the steering sector without crushing the steering wheel isn't one of the guys working on your tractor!If he is get away from those guys as FAST as you can!!
I wish you were closer.I'm not that good of a mechanic but some of my friends are. If we knew you needed help you get the part and we would put it on for you!
Good Luck!
GT65
P.S. You might want to get a new steering wheel anyway! A nice brand new Repro. is only around $30 or so and you can get them pretty easy. Tractor supply or even this website, etc.......
 
How much coin are your parting with on the upgrade? You could spend 5K on a new used tractor and be in the same boat in a year or two (or maybe less depending where you buy). As one of the other posters said if it's treated you well (and you have treated it well) and you look at it objectively (is it using oil? how are the hydraulics acting? any funny noises or changes in the select-o-shift?) You might be better to fix your old tractor as it's a known quantity to you. Imagine the worse case you fix it and the tranny takes a dump in a year how much of the $1500 you spend this year will you be able to recover?
 
I need a steering sector for a ford 4000 HD industrial the mechanic ordered one for a ford 4000 but it was not a HD industrial so NOW the est is $2,300 cause they can only get a new sector for a HD industrial--So if you or anybody has a rebuilt ( if that's possible) Service will not gurantee if I find my own part but will help cut costs
 
(quoted from post at 16:03:12 04/23/13) I need a steering sector for a ford 4000 HD industrial the mechanic ordered one for a ford 4000 but it was not a HD industrial so NOW the est is $2,300 cause they can only get a new sector for a HD industrial--So if you or anybody has a rebuilt ( if that's possible) Service will not gurantee if I find my own part but will help cut costs

Why doesn't the mechanic simply rebuild your current steering unit? If it was working fine before the leak, most likely just needs some new seals, which are probably still available from New Holland. Would be a whole lot cheaper than replacing the entire unit. The trouble is most mechanics would rather replace a whole unit rather than tear it apart and fix it.

If he does not want to simply repair it, then maybe time to find a new mechanic. $2,300 is a lot of money for an old tractor, and he should realize that.
 
They say they can not get parts to rebuild even
hard to pull an old part from an old tractor so far
tractor not repaired at mercy of the shop
 
(quoted from post at 18:03:44 05/08/13) They say they can not get parts to rebuild even
hard to pull an old part from an old tractor so far
tractor not repaired at mercy of the shop

From your initial post, sounds like there is just a seal or o-ring that needs replacing, not a total rebuild. Looked on the New Holland parts site and some parts say they are available and some say no longer serviced. I've worked on a lot of tractors, and there is usually a work-around for these cases. O-rings are pretty universal usually, and seals can many times be crossed over to another brand either by using the part number on the seal or by measuring the seal to find something similar. Gaskets can always be made. I agree that parts like these cannot be salvaged from an old steering gear. I truely feel that your mechanic simply does not want to go through the extra work and time to at least try and find parts, and would rather replace the whole unit then spend that time. With this old stuff you sometimes need to improvise.

Can you find another mechanic, or have the steering gear removed and taken to someplace that works on steering systems to have them repair it? I bet it is not a difficult fix and can be done for no more than a tenth of what he wants for a replacement whole unit. It might even just be a $20 seal. If you have mechanical aptitude, the Implement & Tractor service manual goes through the whole overhaul procedure with exploded views to help you make the repairs yourself. I hope you find a solution for a lot less then what your mechanic wants.
 

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