Ford 3000 steering alignment adjustment

jgshannon

New User
Sorry if this question has been answered elsewhere, I looked and didn"t find anything. I recently bought a "73 Ford 3000. When I turn hard to the right, the left front wheel turns much more than the right one, to the point that the left tire "plows" through the dirt. When I bought the tractor the left front wheel had a lot of wobble to it, so I replaced the bearings and that solved that problem. I"m pretty sure the steering issue was already there before I replaced the bearings (is it possible that the steering issue may have caused the bearings to wear more?). The tractor has power steering. Is there a way to adjust the wheels so they both turn an equal amount. The wheels are aligned properly when going straight. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I"d like to be able to make reasonably sharp turns without tearing up my field. Thanks
 
Hi, I don"t think they are suppose to turn the same, They are trying to follow the turning radius. Think about it , They are 5 feet apart and do not take the same path in a turn. ed
 
Ed - True, the 2 sides should have slightly different tracks, but his are acting the opposite of what they should be. The wheel on the "outside" of the turn should turn less so it makes a wider turn than the one on the inside, so when you are turning right the right wheel should turn a bit more than the left, but on his tractor the left one is turning more than the right on a right hand turn, so the outside wheel is trying to make a tighter turn than the inside wheel.
 
Sean, Hi, You are correct, Sorry, I should have paid closer attention to what he said. The only thing I can think of is wrong steering parts-ed
 
I've been thinking about it, and Ed's comment about wrong steering parts got me thinking. The main difference between a left and right spindle is the positioning of the slot for the woodruff key that aligns it properly with the spindle arm, so having two right spindles or two left spindles would set the spindle arm off on one side or the other such that they weren't positioned identically when the steering was adjusted properly for the correct amount of toe-in for straight ahead steering, and so they wouldn't rotate the spindle the same amount for the same linear movement of the tie rods on each side as you turn the steering wheel.

Set the steering for straight ahead and look at the arm on the top of each spindle. Are they lined up in about the same position? They should both be pointing almost straight sideways in toward the nose of the tractor, but angled just slightly rearward . If one is actually a little forward of straight sideways instead of a little rearwards, then that side most likely has the wrong spindle in it, and yes, the stress of the wrong steering geometry, especially with the power assist, could have been what wore the bearing out.
 
JGS,
Welcome to the Ford board.
I've been thinking about this one since last night - and still don't have an answer.
What Sean suggested about checking the steering arms on the front spindles is apt. They should be pointing the same relative amount rearward.
The next steps we will do with the front end of the tractor jacked up off the ground and the engine off.
We want to look for mechanical issues and not hydraulic.
Turn the front tires from lock to lock. Are both wheels turning the same amount?
How are the tie rod ends on the tie rods? Is one or more of them very loose or sloppy??
How about the adjustment on the sector gears?
Could one side be badly out of adjustment so it does not engage as soon as the other?
In other words, the steering arms on the sides of the steering box should start moving (one forward, one aft) at exactly the the same time when you turn the wheel side to side.
Can you see any evidence of one of the sector shafts being bent or twisted?
Check those things and post back. Those steering systems are pretty simple but the analysis on this one might take us a while.
 
ultradog, Hi bud, The easy way out for him would be to find another tractor that"s the same and compare the steering components. You don"t have to do all that heavy thinking( gives me a headache)lol-ed
 
How much "plowing"... every Ford I've ever seen plows the tire on the outside of the turn(due to the swept back axle design I was told) if the appropriate brake is not locked to aid in making the turn. With that much plowing, is the tire worn noticeably than the other side, assuming they are the same age. Without being able to see how much plowing is going on, I think we need more info.
 

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