Ford Dexta - 1957 - Hydraulics and Diesel Question

Spudhut

New User
Hello all. Been a long time lurker and enjoy the information put out on these pages.

I just acquired a 57' Ford Dexta with 3 cyl. perkins diesel. It runs really good and strong.

[u:8ffc936417]Steering: [/u:8ffc936417] I recently adjusted the steering as it had a load of slop (1/2) wheel in it. I removed most of the shims on the side plate and greased the upper bearing. got it down to (1/8) wheel movement. New tie rods are on the way.

[u:8ffc936417]Hydraulics - 3 Point: [/u:8ffc936417] The 3 point appears to work well but I had some questions on it. This tractor has the flow control and Qualitrol system. The flow control works when I adjust it. The pull out valve for external hydraulics functions in and out. I dont have a hose on it so I can confirm oil flow. As for the 3 point, it lifts well but I found that the side control is real touchy to keep a device suspended in the air, unless you go all the way up or all the way down. I can set the 3 point to 'suspend' half way, but it starts to trickle down at time, but not consistently. When I turn off the Qualitrol the hydraulics fall down and I have to readjust the side control. Any adjustments that can be done?

I would like to put a hydraulic control valve for rear implements, will I lose the flow control or is there a unit that I can add on it for separate controls?

[u:8ffc936417]Diesel Engine - Injectors:[/u:8ffc936417] My injectors leak (sweat like leak) at the head - I know there is a seal there; a copper washer? I have been looking and cant find a source.

Are there any places where used parts can be found for the Dexta?
 
Two points from your post. You do not have a Perkins engine it is a Ford engine.
Ford made all the parts at Dagenham and Perkins assembled it for Ford, some parts
from Perkins engines can be used but there are differences in things like the
injection pump, oil pump, cylinder head and injectors. Some M-F parts will fit after
modification.

As far as the hydraulics are concerned all Dexta tractors came with Qualitrol (Draft
Control) and Position Control. When the selector lever is pointing to the footboard,
the lift is controlled in work by the pressure on the top link. The position of the
lift lever in the quadrant sets the amount of pressure on the top link required to
cause a reaction in the lift. The lift will only lift when the quadrant lever is
within around an inch from the top stop and it is difficult to find a neutral point
in the quadrant where the arms can be held in a set position.

When the selector lever is horizontal or pointing forward, the lift is in Position
Control. When the quadrant lever is moved up the quadrant, the lift arms should
follow the lever position, half up, lift arms should be half way up their travel and
so on.

The flow control is used to control the response of the lift to movements of the
top link when in Draft control. For example, when ploughing if the soil conditions
change and the tractor starts to spin the wheels, the rate the lift lifts can be
slowed down so that the weight of the plough can be slowly transferred to the rear
wheels rather than lifting the plough out of the ground. There is a link from the
lever quadrant to the flow control so that when the implement is completely raised,
the flow control is moved into maximum flow for a fast lift.

Wear can occur on the Position Control cam follower in the lift and this will give a
problem of not lifting until the selector lever is pressed down. Not a big job but
the lift will have to be removed to get to it.
 
Thanks Majorman for the information and clarity on the engine. I was not aware.

As for the hydraulics, now it make sense. Even though the hydraulics feel like they are working, I was going to open the lid to check the hydraulics out, replace the orings in the piston, and now check and replace the cam follower/pin. I did some further research and I believe I understand now.

The pin in this picture wears from sliding. Is this correct? Can you replace the pin only? if not, where would you find a replacement cam follower or any repair advice on it?

Any other 'wearable' items that I should be aware of and replace while I have the lid off?

Thanks again.
mvphoto80521.png



This post was edited by Spudhut on 08/18/2021 at 11:45 pm.
 
Yes, that is the pin and yes it can be replaced. I believe they were sold separately
in the US but here in England we had to improvise. Sometimes a cut-down drill bit
was used. The problem is that there is little lubrication in that area so, after 60
odd years, it will be a bit worn.

Press it out carefully as you do not want to damage the arm it fits in.

You may not have O rings on the piston, originally it was a lipped seal. I would
advise using only O rings from Case-New Holland as certain rings on the unload valve
are made of a special material blend and a standard ring in that area will swell and
jam the valve, leading to problems. If you cannot find a genuine unload valve O
ring, you can leave it off. This is a better solution than fitting a non standard
one.
 
For the first and probably last time I have to put a question mark against something major man has wrote....
I always thought the dexta engine is Perkins, there was an agreement between ford and Perkins that no name was to be cast into block ... someone else told me that the engines were cast by a firm called Quality Castings who also made lawnmowers .... Qualco..... this guy told me there is an emblem cast in rear of block that can only be seen when engine is removed
 
The Ford-Perkins tie up is a bit confusing but Ford did indeed make all the castings in the Dagenham Foundry, then ship the parts to Perkins for final finishing and assembly. The completed engines came back to Dagenham on the trucks return trip. Ford had looked at fitting the Perkins P3 into a Dexta but did not want the CAV pump and the timing chain drive so they came up with a joint design with much Ford input.

Ford were good at helping people, Perkins changed over to gear drive cams etc. soon after working with Ford, could have been a coincidence. Harry Ferguson changed the design of his hydraulic lift and made it into a successful world leader after the Ford engineering team sorted out problems with the David Brown-Fergusson that was demonstrated to Henry Ford.

The liners in the Dexta are an interference fit, pressed in then bored to size. The Perkins version of the engine fitted to the M-F 35 have a retaining lip at the top which, if used in a Dexta, means the block has to be counter bored for them to fit.

The Dexta block casting has an area of weakness just behind the injection pump near the cylinder head. If the engine gets frosted it will break out there, so antifreeze is very important. The area in the block will not drain and there is always enough water left in it to give a problem. Not with the Perkins made blocks.

Back in the early 2000's I was training excavator drivers for Ford at the Dagenham plant. We were digging huge holes to bury unused parts from the assembly line. It was cheaper to do that than put them back into the stores. This had been done for years and we were digging up car and tractor rough blocks from the Foundry that had been buried, from the start of the plant in the 1930's through to its closure.
 
Thanks major man for interesting reply
One more question... I have 1960 dexta with single clutch
and I have seen a number of dextas over the years which were mostly live drive , do you know ratio of single clutch
Dextas to live drive I will make a guess and say for one single clutch there was 20 live drive
 
I would possibly say it was 50/50 here. The Live clutch was a bit more expensive and a number of farmers would not pay the extra. Most export Dextas had live clutches so I would say 75/25 for them.
 

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