Seeking tech. advice from retired mechanics

Is there anyone out there that knows any retired Massey mechanics who might be willing to share his knowledge of the old MH-44 model with me ??? I have a steering question, and finding the answer seems very elusive................

Sure, post your question, lots of good help at your fingertips.

There are several good ones on here, I have a MH44 and have done a lot of work.

Please post your questions, you may get more than one response, and they may not all be the same.

I see DieselTech posted, he is one of the best.

Okay, here goes:
I'm not sure what the correct names are for certain parts, so please try to bear with me..........
The front of the tractor ( row-crop ) is supported by a pedestal (??????), to which the axles are attached. On the back side of it, down low, is a boss in the casting into which is attached a short "stem" (??????) ( vertical in orientation ). Two short adjustable bolts are attached to that "stem" , obviously to act as stops to control the angle to which the front tires can be turned.
Someone before my ownership of the tractor inserted that "stem" into the boss 180 degrees off, so that, in effect, the bolts offer no protection in stopping the front tires from being turned too far in either direction. Is the "stem" inserted into the boss by threading ( possibly even left-hand threads ), or is it a press-in fit, or am I in complete misunderstanding of the proper operational use of the stop-bolts?
I clamped a pair of vise-grips onto the "stem" and made one attempt to turn it, thinking it was probably threaded in, but it didn't budge one bit, so I decided it would be best to seek advice from someone knowledgeable before I made a complete disaster of my tractor.
Thanks for reading this.......hope it isn't too confusing !!!

I have a pedestal sitting in my yard, but it has been off for 40 years when WFE was installed, I do not know the answer.

David----
This is unrelated, but...........
The gear-set in my "pedestal" is REALLY worn, has very much slop in it. Three questions: 1) Would you be interested in selling yours? 2) If so, how much $ ? 3) Where are you located ? I'm in lower Mich. peninsula, northern part ( near Traverse City ).

My top gear is missing on the pedestal, I think my dad gave it to neighbor many years ago. There are 3 styles of gears, they are for different types of front ends and do not interchange. The case is the same, just different gears inside. The gear on my WFE is not much better, shame you can not get replacement gears. Maybe Tim S over on the JD forum could adapt the JD PS from the new generation JD to fit, or we could modify a farmall box to fit.

On second thought an Allis Chalmers box would probably be best, but do not know if they are the correct exit.

I guess I don't follow----------what does "correct exit" mean? And, what model AC tractor are you thinking of ?

Looking at the MH partsbook the pin that holds the stop bolts looks to be pressed in place. Have you ever heard of Hein & Son salvage on Roosevelt road south of Mishawaka? That's where I get a lot of old tractor parts, open 10 til dark Sundays and Mondays only. I have some 44 parts but not sure about the pedestal or gearbox..

Dieseltech:
Thanks for the name & city for Hein's-----I found them on a search, no problem. Will give them a call on Sun. to see if they have anything. If they can't help, how much would you take for the pedestal/gearbox ( if you have them, that is ) ?

Also, any chance you could ask around to other mechanics you know, to find out for sure whether that pin is actually pressed in place ? I just don't want to tear up something that would be about impossible to repair.

Thanks again; I really appreciate all the help you guys offer !!!

Hopefully you can tell from the pic. The
bolt heads face to the rear of the pin at
4:30 and 7:30. The threaded end of the
bolt is what hits the cast stop. It
appears the pin is pressed in to the front
spindle.

For your gear, if you can t find a good
one, the worn spots could be brazed up and
ground back to shape. It could also be
worn bushings or bearing making all that
slop. Had to say without tearing it
apart.

moresmoke:
Okay---the light-bulb just lit up in my pea-brain !!!!!!
Of course: It's the THREADED end of the bolts that are supposed to do the stopping !!! DUH !!!
Geez, do I feel stupid !! When I looked at it, I assumed the heads of the bolts were supposed to do the limiting. Amateurs, huh ?
Boy o boy, am I glad you posted !!!! And, thanks a million for the picture. Like they say, worth a thousand words !!

where is that?