1964 Ford 4000 proofmeter and related parts Q's

Dirtsmith

Member
I replaced the proofmeter on my 1964 Ford 4000 today.

The tractor has a 4-speed transmission and I have the appropriate proofmeter.

The cable physically appears to be in good condition, BUT I think something still is amiss...

How long should the cable be for a 1964 Ford 4000? The way the cable is currently routed is:

It exits the proofmeter in a smooth, but tight radius. Then it crosses the driver-facing side of the battery. Then is runs underneath the battery and into the pump.

My concerns are:
1) The routing seems too tight and I think that although the cable reaches from end to end, it is still too short, but I am not %100 certain of that.
2) There are no gaskets or o-rings or seals on either end of the cable - is that right?
3) The shaft integrity looks good, but it was 'wet'; some water and some not water stuff came out of the housing while it was disconnected.

Can you tell me:
1) What is the proper length for the cable and the proper routing for the cable?
2) Should there be any gaskets or seals on either end of the cable and should the cable be lubricated?
3) Because it looked wet, I filled the housing with WD-40 and then worked the WD-40 in and out of the housing WD-40 to do what WD-40 does. Was that a wise/safe/prudent action?

Thank you all again for your collective knowledge.
 

I don't quite understand "crosses the driver facing side of the battery". If by that you mean it descends from the proof meter down the back side of the battery and then goes underneath, it is installed correctly.

I don't know what length it is, but assume if you have enough cable to go from PM to HP you're ok.

moisture in the cable???? Not great, but probably likely if the tractor sits outside in the damp. There are no seals at either end of the cable. Just snug it up as best you can.

A silicon lube would be better in the cable housing than a penetrant, IMHO.

Now . . . are you saying your proof meter isn't working? If so, suspect the drive in the end of the hydraulic pump.
 
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Thank you for your response, Larry.

By driver-facing side of the battery, I meant the side of the battery that faces the driver. That is probably not any more helpful, so here's a picture. That's gotta be worth at least a thousand words.

I don't like how snugly that cable runs around the battery, but maybe that is how it is supposed to be.

I probably have some silicone lubricant for door seals and gaskets. The WD-40 was for what WD-40 does - remove water because I was absolutely certain the water did not belong there.

You will clearly see that the sheetmetal is off of the tractor and that it is fairly well exposed. The tractor has lived most of its completely outdoors. The sheetmetal was off for a repair. I suspect the water got in from the broken glass on the old proofmeter I just removed.
 
(quoted from post at 13:35:51 10/29/18)
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Thank you for your response, Larry.

By driver-facing side of the battery, I meant the side of the battery that faces the driver. That is probably not any more helpful, so here's a picture. That's gotta be worth at least a thousand words.

I don't like how snugly that cable runs around the battery, but maybe that is how it is supposed to be.

I probably have some silicone lubricant for door seals and gaskets. The WD-40 was for what WD-40 does - remove water because I was absolutely certain the water did not belong there.

You will clearly see that the sheetmetal is off of the tractor and that it is fairly well exposed. The tractor has lived most of its completely outdoors. The sheetmetal was off for a repair. I suspect the water got in from the broken glass on the old proofmeter I just removed.
Yah! WD-40 is worthless at removing water too
 
Moly grease is the OEM recommended lube for such. Your grease supply store should have it in a cartridge. When I lube up a cable, I remove it put on
a plastic glove, get a wad of grease in the plam of my hand and pull the cable through it, full length. It's a one time deal.
 

Oldseabee, your tractor has the colors mine is supposed to have. I am working my tractor in that direction.

I have no idea of most of the history of my tractor, however that paint on it now is not what it should be. The blue and yellow that is poking out from under the red and grey paint is testament to that, as well and the serial number that supports my supposition of the colors. The SN says it is a light utility tractor. My understanding is that the light utility tractors were yellow(?) and blue.

As for my tractor, it will be used as a work tractor, but whenever my small community gets together for a holiday or event, all the folks with tractors, bring out and put them on display. So I want mine to look good too. God Bless small-town America!

Is there any chance you have some more pictures of your '64 4000 posted some place where I can see? I am looking references as I work on my tractor. I am not looking for factory perfect restoration. Most pictures I see are of the hundred series tractors.

Speaking of reference, back to the reason why you posted the picture. What I see in the picture suggests that proofmeter cable on my tractor could afford to be a bit longer. Thank you for sharing.
 

Thank you Texasmark1 - I'll look for Moly grease and apply it as you suggested.

Your help is greatly appreciated.
 

Dirtsmith, I have more pictures that you can shake a stick at, but if you need a lot of them we could swap Email, I hate to bog the site down with a lot of pics. I didn't restore mine just a total rebuild, to restore you have to use the right paint colors and I didn't like the cream (Buff) color. When the tractor was given to me I didn't know what it was until I got it home and started pressure washing it. You can see the original factory color in the 2sd pic. This was the first time I painted something this big but it was easy compared to all the prep work. I think it turned out OK being I getting older than dirt and half blind. I saw in your other post about a Sherman hole, so I put in a couple of pics. with and without a sherman.
Hope this helps.

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Thank you Oldseabee. I agree with not wanting to clog up the site with too many photo's, I'll gladly pass you my email address to see some more of your tractor.

In the photo with the rake on the back, it looks like you have a vertical exhaust on your 4000. Am I seeing that correctly? I just bought a 'kit' to make that same change. I know that is not factory, but my vision of a tractor includes a vertical stack and a rain cover on it.

Thank you also for the view of the Sherman. I am fairly certain I need to put a Sherman Reverser back in there. My wife might think otherwise once she hears how much it costs for a 60 year old "piece of metal".

(That means I'll have to go double secret keeping that Elanco I want, under wraps!)

There are so many more questions I would like to ask of you, if you will entertain them. It sounds like you have already gone down the path with your 4000 as I intend to go with mine. There is not much info out there (that I have found) that is specific to the 62-64 Thousand series, and even less information about the Industrial versions.
 

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