early 9N feature?

I found this ratty 9N carcass in a scrapyard. Unfortunately it has an 8N engine block, but it does have several early features - dual ribbed fenders, snap-in battery cover (on a steel hood, DAMN!), cast aluminum
dash w/ starter button and charge light, smooth rear hubs, adjustable left link etc., etc....

It also has this unusual one I'm not familiar with: two oil cups screwed into the casting that holds the bushings for the upper lift arms on the three point.

It seems like an odd thing for someone to add on their own- I'm not aware of there being an issue with the bushings wearing out prematurely here due to a lack of
lubrication.
Anyone else have a tractor outfitted like this, or was there a service bulletin advising such a fix?

Never seen it on any 9n early or not.

It seems like an odd thing for someone to add on their own- I'm not aware of there being an issue with the bushings wearing out prematurely here due to a lack of
lubrication.

Click to expand...

I see a lot of rusted shafts sitting in loose bushings . Where this oil cap is it would need to be drilled through the housing and through the bushing to reach the shaft . Rain water would also want to collect and form rust on the shaft splines making the removal of lift arms very difficult .

I have a cover that I am working on that I drilled and added a grease zerk in the same location . Where the bushing lines up I cut a groove in the outside of the bushing and drilled 3 holes 120 degrees apart . I installed 3 or 4 o rings on each side of the shaft then installed the bushing . The o rings are slightly compressed between the center arm and the bronze bushing . The o rings should help the grease flow from dropping inside the cover and push old grease / dirt out towards the lift arm . With a thorough cleaning of the shaft , the lift arms slide on by hand . When I added anti seize I needed to lightly tap the arms on .

I do not know if this will actually help , but it should keep the dust pushed out and slow the rusting process . I have not actually installed this on a tractor and do not remember if there was room for a felt washer or o ring between the lift arm and housing . Like most things a stock bushing with no oil / grease added would probably out last my needs .

Out of 8 shafts I only had one that was exceptional and two that I would not want to reuse . Today it is a hobby that I enjoy . When I am 80+ I do not want to remove a lift arm or replace a bushing .

I wish someone had done that to a 52 8n that I once had. The 3 pt wouldn't lift so I pulled the top cover to find both the Piston Rod and the Lift Ram Arm were broken I tried heat and pb blaster and a 20 ton press and couldn't budge it I finally welded the the lift Ram Arm right in place and bought a new Piston Rod it worked that way for the next 5 yrs until I sold it back to the fella I bought it from and as far as I know it is still holding. BTW the tractor originally belonged to the guy's Grandfather and he wanted it back in the family.

Agree! Never seen one. Did not come from factory that way.

Nope, oil lube caps were never OEM -someone thought they were needed. Did you buy this? I am very interested in buying some of those early parts -my email is open.

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)

I bought it for the same reason: I'm gathering up early parts for a 1940 tractor I already have. All I need now is the small generator, a new set of 32 inch tires, extra time, some dedicated shop space, and LOTS of extra $$$!