As part of the 830 restoration, we swapped front ends from the donor tractor. I'm in the process of taking the original front end apart, to see what it needs and what its condition is...WOWOn both sides, the spindles have been welded to the steering arms. On the right side, there was a lot of bottom-end (wheel hub) side-to-side play. The only way to get to that area is to remove the steering arm, and take the spindle out from the bottom. I ground the weld material off, and pulled the arm off. The spindle's bottom bushing is almost completely destroyed. The bottom bearing that carries the load is still intact, but pieces of the top bearing fell and wedged themselves between the casting and spindle, creating grooves in the spindle over its entire length. Despite the destroyed top bearing and bottom bushing, I think the spindle is still usable. I wonder how the tractor could even operate with all that stuff that was bad in the spindle. I think the damage may have occurred because the dust shield was installed on top of the steering arm, not right on top of the grease seal. I'm debating whether to sell it as-is, or sell it after putting it together with new parts (about $45). I also am debating whether to tear into the other side - there isn't any sign of damage, so that's a tough call!
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