Stabilizer Bar Bolts

I am installing a pair of stabilizer bars on
1949 8N hoping to use my carryall to carry my
daughter and granddaughter safely in the
Lowry's Christmas Parade. The carryall swings
enough now to give the girls and Granddad a
fright!

The installation instructions, found somewhere
on this forum or a link from the forum, suggest
that fender bolts will need to be replaced --
longer. However, looking at the photos you
will see that the current bolts are double-
nutted and leaving one off seems to give plenty
of room. Photo with bracket loosely attached
is left fender bolt; photo without bracket is
right fender bolt showing two nuts.

Do I need longer bolt to allow double nuts?

Also, when the nuts were removed, I found a
flat washer next to the axle and then a lock
washer. The casting on the axle has an
indentation that the flat washer seems to fit
in. Should I reuse the flat washer here (like
in the loosely attached bracket photo), or
should it be next to the lock washer, or should
it be removed entirely?

I am installing a pair of stabilizer bars on
1949 8N hoping to use my carryall to carry my
daughter and granddaughter safely in the
Lowry's Christmas Parade. The carryall swings
enough now to give the girls and Granddad a
fright!

The installation instructions, found somewhere
on this forum or a link from the forum, suggest
that fender bolts will need to be replaced --
longer. However, looking at the photos you
will see that the current bolts are double-
nutted and leaving one off seems to give plenty
of room. Photo with bracket loosely attached
is left fender bolt; photo without bracket is
right fender bolt showing two nuts.

Do I need longer bolt to allow double nuts?

Also, when the nuts were removed, I found a
flat washer next to the axle and then a lock
washer. The casting on the axle has an
indentation that the flat washer seems to fit
in. Should I reuse the flat washer here (like
in the loosely attached bracket photo), or
should it be next to the lock washer, or should
it be removed entirely?

Technology not working too well for me. Hope this is second photo, right fender bolt.

Maybe this is it. . . .

(quoted from post at 13:53:50 10/21/14) Maybe this is it. . . .

Click to expand...

Somebody has already replaced the OEM bolts with longer ones. The thread on the originals was 5/8-18 and that picture is a coarse thread fastener - probably a generic carriage bolt from a hardware store. If you are truly concerned replace them with quality (grade 5 or 8 ) cap screws the same length. The washer is fine as is.

TOH

Your bolts are long enough. On mine I just have the lock washer and nut and they work fine.

The washers are there more as locators to keep the brackets from moving around under stress. The top,or bottom depending on your viewpoint,are only there to keep the other nuts from loosening. lha

Thanks, Del, TOH, and iha. I think I might have figured it myself, but you guys are great just to give a first-timer with an 8N some confidence.

Come to find out, the existing bolts were actually 1/2". So, I replaced them with 5/8" hardware store carriage bolts. At least that's a step up in diameter. Interestingly, I've seen installation instructions suggesting 7" long bolts but it looks like 6" work fine.

Tried the stabilizer bars with the box scrape and I must admit that the implement was much more "centered" and not banging back and forth if the slope changed. I guess that is success.

I also am finding why a REAL farmer might have more than one tractor. Changing implements is a pain. . . .

The ole tractor looks OK to me now! Just gotta figure what to do with the cotter keys on the end of the dangling chains!

I don't use the chains, just replace the lynch pin back in the stabilizer bar pin when I remove the stabilizer bars.

Pict below are the actual bolts that you would need. And an ebay listing that sells them.
They are known as Hex Head Bolts 5/8-18 x 6-1/4 Fine Thread Grade 8 Cap Screws.
I bought from this guy last year. I needed to replace them since my bolts actually fasten the rear brackets of a loader frame to the top of the axle and the stabilizer brackets below. The PO had replaced them with course bolts that were a mix of grade 2 and 5.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-Hex-Head...8-Cap-Screw-/360428281676?hash=item53eb331f4c

Installing Stabilizer Bars On A Ford N-Series Tractor

Original stabilizer brackets have the pins already correctly located, but the new aftermarket style angle iron type with multiple mounting holes allows you to determine which set to use. The linch pins on the brackets have to face inwards towards the pins on the tractor lift arms. Imagine your two index fingers are the pins on one side. Slowly point them at each other and that is how the pins should be correctly set in the brackets. You may have to remove the fender completely, set bracket up loosely and visually determine which hole you need to use then insert linch pin and tighten it down.
The next step is to remove the fender bolts and get some new, longer ones. Now all 9Ns, 2Ns, and early 8Ns used 5/8-18 x 5.56 hex head bolts. Later 8Ns went to a 5/8-18 x 6.12 carriage bolt so your fenders will have a square hole. The axle trumpets too will have a square cast hole to accept the square shoulder of the carriage bolts. Look before you buy. 7” bolt length should be more than adequate when using stabilizer bars regardless of whether you have hex heads or carriage bolts. Carriage bolts are not available any more commercially in fine threads. 5/8-11 is the course thread size, often labeled 5/8-NC for National Course. You will need new nuts and washers as well so be sure to get correct thread size on nuts.
First, take old fender bolts off, doing one at a time, removing old bolt, inserting a new one, and then continuing with the others. Mount stabilizer brackets –pins face inwards, but keep loose –do not tighten anything down yet. Get an implement that you intend to use the stabilizer bars with such as a mower or back blade and connect to lift arms. Fit stabilizer bar ends over implement pins and secure with a linch pin. This step requires starting the tractor so be sure it is in neutral and have a buddy nearby in case of emergency. With lift quadrant lever down, PTO not engaged, start the tractor. Depress clutch and engage PTO lever. SLOWLY raise the lift lever and observe the lift arms rising up with attached implement. You are looking for the stabilizer bars binding, bending, or kinking, none of which is desirable. If you detect one or both bars not correct, immediately drop down the lift/implement. Determine where the problem is and with fender bolts being loose, you can try to adjust the length by sliding the bar and fender to compensate. You need to keep lifting it up and down until the bars are self-aligned. Once satisfied the lift goes up and down without any obstruction from stabilizer bars, you can tighten down the nuts on the fender bolts. Do a final check once everything is tight lifting up and down several times while watching and listening for unusual activity. Check fender bracket nuts every now and then and tighten as needed. Many Ford-Ferguson tractor owners get by using only one stabilizer bar. If you choose to go this route, put the bar on the right side –the side with the lift arm crank.

Tim 'PloughNman' Daley(MI)

You should have a small hole in bracket to attach the cotter key to. This keeps you from dropping pin, then you can reattach pin to bracket.

As Miner said there should be a small hole for the cotter key to attach. The set I have on the 8N does not have the hole but this spare set did. Don't see much of a problem in just drilling a hole if you need it.

Hey [b:bc62029af0]Tim[/b:bc62029af0], thanks for the details. Luckily, I got the brackets installed and while your suggestion to eyeball the alignments sounds good, I used a screwdriver that just happened to be the right length to place between the pins on the lift arms and the "multiple choice" on the new bracket; that helped me pick out the right hole. After I installed everything, I checked the stabilizer arms with ALL my implements -- which only include box scrape, dirt scoop, and carryall. The stabilizer bars didn't seem to bind at any spot. Better lucky than good, huh?

Funny thing, I understood that a longer bolt would be needed, but 6" carriage bolts worked fine. I did have to get a file out on one fender to clean out one corner so the carriage bolt would seat all the way. But that worked out well.

And, as [b:bc62029af0]Del[/b:bc62029af0] and [b:bc62029af0]Minor[/b:bc62029af0] suggest, I think I'll put a small hole in the bracket so I can use the cotter key and chain. I figure I paid for the chain, so I should use it. . . .

(quoted from post at 15:06:06 10/21/14) Thanks, Del, TOH, and iha. I think I might have figured it myself, but you guys are great just to give a first-timer with an 8N some confidence.

Come to find out, the existing bolts were actually 1/2". So, I replaced them with 5/8" hardware store carriage bolts. At least that's a step up in diameter. Interestingly, I've seen installation instructions suggesting 7" long bolts but it looks like 6" work fine.

Tried the stabilizer bars with the box scrape and I must admit that the implement was much more "centered" and not banging back and forth if the slope changed. I guess that is success.

[color=red:7b8d77ac49][b:7b8d77ac49]I also am finding why a REAL farmer might have more than one tractor. Changing implements is a pain. . . .[/b:7b8d77ac49]
[/color:7b8d77ac49]
The ole tractor looks OK to me now! Just gotta figure what to do with the cotter keys on the end of the dangling chains!

Click to expand...

It can be a pia when you are alone and doing it. You might get yourself one adjustable stabilizer bar. Sometimes getting things to line up to get the last stabilizer bar on can be tough.

The adjustable one goes on real easy then adjust it to get your implement centered if you need to.

I also made the adjustable lift arm spreader you see below out of PVC stuff. It comes in real handy to set the lift arms the correct distance apart so you can back into the implement. It helps a lot when you are alone. You can also see the adjustable stabilizer bar on the left side in the picture.

[b:7d0bf4c204]Caryc[/b:7d0bf4c204], great idea with the PVC spacer. I think I could fab that up, but I doubt I could justify an adjustable stabilizer, yet . . . . Thanks for the help!