Rebuilding front end and steering box on Super A - Question

denglish · Jan 10, 2017

Hi,
I am preparing to remove my front axle assembly and also repair the steering gearbox. This Super A has an enormous amount of free play that is clearly due to a problem in the gearbox. The front end is fine, but I want to remove it and paint it and also see if I can get the badly-rusted width adjustment freed up and moving.

Here are my questions

1) Can I support the tractor by putting bracing/cribbing under the flat surface on the front of the bell housing and blocking/chocking the back wheels?

2) Are there some useful tips for removing the front axle? Are there some warning issues I should be aware of such as things I may not wish to take apart due to difficulties reassembling or unavailable parts? Order of removal?

Janicholson · Jan 10, 2017

Question #1 that is a perfect place to hold it up.
question #2 The slop in the steering comes from two main places. The gear box has two shafts one hooked to the steering wheel, the
other hooks to an arm on the bottom of the box. If the shaft to arm keyway has been loose, the shaft can be seen to move without
moving the arm. Removing the arm will show the problem. If it is bad, the fix is to use a dremel tool to recut the Key pocket to
the next larger size/thickness, and have the arm broached to match the bigger key. (new key pockets can also be machined into the
shaft, but the whole shaft would need to be removed) If ti is a square tapered shaft, (I can't remember which it has) replacing the
shaft may be needed.
The other place for slack is in the ball bearing at the end of the steering shaft (behind the big nut) If it is toast, replace it.
Other issues can be spindle vertical bushings, and tierod ends. Easier to see and fix. Jim

gene bender · Jan 10, 2017

i have done several yes that would be a good place to crib. You will need to remove the u-shaped bracket to remove the axle. The out-put arm has to come off at the same time as the lower half the rest is replacing the bushings and bearing if its bad. Also the seal at the bottom. You will need to remove the steering wheel then the big threaded plug on the sector then you can screw the shaft out. You will want to replace the seal on the steering shaft also.m If the gear is loose on the shaft the wwoodruf key will need some attention. When replacing the large nut use a sealer on the threads. If the bearing on the steering shaft has play it also will need replacing as a worn bearing will give the steering shaft end play causing loose steering also. Good luck getting tie rods loose for adjustment if you want to widen the front track. A torch will come in handy.

Doug Kieta · Jan 10, 2017

I have had my front end off a couple of times to resolve the same problem. I learned that if you can free the axle inner tube on the right side, and the axle pivot pin is not bent and can be driven out, you do not need to remove the U-bolt, which is quite a chore in my opinion. Just a thought that might help you move along a little quicker. Good luck.

CGID · Jan 10, 2017

Wear between the worm and worm gear can account for steering slop too. The worm gear can be replaced but you are stuck with the worm you have. It's welded to the steering wheel shaft and there are no new replacements. If any slop remains in the box after checking keys replacing all the bearings and bushings, it's the gears. Have you checked the tie-rod ends for wear? Are the balls replaceable or are yours the earlier type forged on the ends of the tie-rods?

denglish · Jan 11, 2017

Thanks for all the helpful hints. They are going to be very useful. I am first going to follow Jim's trouble shooting suggestions for the gear box. Perhaps I'll be lucky and only need to replace the bearings behind the big nut.

I'll repost when I get stuck or have some findings to report.

MARK ROBKE · Jan 11, 2017

If you need a new shaft with the worm gear on it,Greg at Augusta Farm Supply has 3 or 4 new ones in stock,in Augusta,Ky.Mark

denglish · Jan 12, 2017

(quoted from post at 17:27:50 01/11/17) If you need a new shaft with the worm gear on it,Greg at Augusta Farm Supply has 3 or 4 new ones in stock,in Augusta,Ky.Mark

Thank you. That's good to know.

CGID · Jan 12, 2017

I pulled out what hair I had left looking for replacement steering worms. I hope he will ship to Idaho.

denglish · Jan 17, 2017

Hello,

So I didn't get much done on the SA front end, before I was stymied by the pivot pin. Is there a trick for getting it out? Right now the tractor is supported under the bell housing by cribbing and I also have two jack stands under the front axle. There is not much weight on the jack stands. I loosened the screw clamps on the pivot pin (rod?) and I can drive it back and forth about 1/16" but that is all. I have not hit it as hard as I can but I've hit it pretty hard.

Are there any tips or tricks for this? Would it help if there was weight on the axle?

Jim Becker · Jan 17, 2017

(quoted from post at 11:50:22 01/17/17) I loosened the screw clamps on the pivot pin (rod?) and I can drive it back and forth about 1/16" but that is all.

ake the clamp bolts completely out.

denglish · Jan 18, 2017

(quoted from post at 14:15:53 01/17/17)

(quoted from post at 11:50:22 01/17/17) I loosened the screw clamps on the pivot pin (rod?) and I can drive it back and forth about 1/16" but that is all.

Click to expand...

ake the clamp bolts completely out.

Doh! Thanks Jim Becker. That was the problem! Not sure how long it would have taken for that to occur to me!

denglish · Jan 22, 2017

From Jim's response, " If the shaft to arm keyway has been loose, the shaft can be seen to move without moving the arm."

Here is what I found upon inxpection. I have not opened the gear box yet. I have simply removed the tie rods and the front axle.

I can move the steering arm (that extends out from the gear box and attaches to the tie rods) back and forth about 15 to 20 degrees (a lot) without moving the vertical it is mounted on in the steering box. Clearly the arm is loos on the rod.

My question is, how best to proceed. Do I need to open the gear box? Can I pull the arm from the vertical shaft by removing the nut, without opening the gear box?

denglish · Jan 22, 2017

Upon reading Jim's previous response again, I think I know the answer. I'm gong to pull the arm and see how bad it is. Then will probably have some more questions. Thanks for all of your help.

denglish · Jan 22, 2017

So I pulled the arm off the shaft at the bottom of the steering box. All looked well. The slots in shaft and arm both looked fine. On the key, there was a slight ridge that might be from wear right at the mating surface for shaft and arm. I couldn't see anything noticeably wrong and the key seemed fine too with micrometer. So I put the arm back on, tightened it down and the slop is gone! I might have inverted the key relative to its previous orientation, so maybe it was worn. The free play is now gone!

Rebuilding front end and steering box on Super A - Question

denglish

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Janicholson

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gene bender

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Doug Kieta

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CGID

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denglish

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MARK ROBKE

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denglish

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CGID

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denglish

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Jim Becker

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