Guess I have gain some weight

Southern Ray

Well-known Member
This past Friday the spring under my tractor seat broke.
So many reports come up on these forums how quickly things can happen.
It's a good thing I was driving straight and had both hands on the wheel.
Wasn't too bad but enough to get my attention.
I made a steel sleeve to slip over the ends and welded it back together.
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Welding spring steel isn't a good idea. It is very likely to break again at the weld point. The heat of welding changes the properties of the hardened spring steel. I would get different spring.
 
I would not set on that in the drive way. Buy a new spring or convert it to a shock type spring setup. If that spring breaks when you NOT holding on you will flip off the back and get hurt.

When I was a small kid a local fellow had that happen and he fell off then went under the drag disk. He was killed. I do not remember the model of tractor. I was little 4 or 5 at the time. I will asked my Mother if she remembers the accident.
 
New replacement springs aint that expensive,broken body parts are expensive n hurt long time.toss that spring,post new photo of new spring in its place
 
I agree also with the others: that spring will break again right where it was welded-and it won't take long. Mark.
 
My first thought was that it should work if there was a sleeve for an inch or two each way with a hole drilled halfway along its length where the spring ends could be welded only for the purpose of holding things in place.
 
Appreciate the concerns and the warnings. Yes I am aware of the hazards and not one to take chances. I know it hurts to get hurt.
The spring was never an issue when I sit on the seat. It always bottoms out on the bottom support. I weigh 187 lbs. I just felt the snap when it broke.
I relegated the spring to a cosmetic and added a sleeve over the shock absorber to stop the down travel.
All remaining fasteners and components are sound.
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As a spring engineer with 45 years experience, I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole. There's way to many stress risers and dubious metallurgy with that kind of repair. Get a replacement spring.
 
This makes me think i will replace the springs on my two tractors, both are almost 70 years old.

I weigh 190 pounds, any experience with standard / heavy duty on that weight range?
 
There are places where you can save some money and cobble up a repair and no one will be hurt.

Welding on springs is not one of them. Please, please, please purchase a new replacement. We don't want you to be seriously hurt or worse. I don't know if anyone else drives the tractor, but I'm sure you would not want to be responsible for an accident with another person in the seat either.
 
I recently bought one from YT for my farmall C. Good price. Only complaint, shipping took forever. I bought a shock too. It cost more than the spring. The monroe seat rivals the comfort of a caddilac, well almost.
 
Just a note on replacement springs. In the past, you could buy three different springs for your IH tractors based on your weight. Now the only replacement is the heaviest rated spring. I replaced the spring on my C just because I was restoring the tractor. The spring was so stiff that it would not compress with my 195 lbs butt sitting on it. The seat was at such an angle I could not sit on it. I finally put the old spring back on. If they ain't broke, don't replace them.

OTJ
 
Makes me want to order a new spring for my C. The spring on mine is weak and makes me to put my feet down on the axle housings to not feel like my knees are under my chin. I never checked out new springs and didn't know until this thread they made heaver springs. I have to use the seat to pull myself up to get a foot on the axle housing and the seat pulls way down. I had been thinking about the foot ball idea. Seeing the broken spring changes that idea.
 
A elderly man at an auction told me he was driving a 55 MH pulling a one way disk. Some thing in the seat broke and he fell backwards off the tractor . When he fell he accidentally pulled the power lift rope . This he said saved his life as it lifted up the disks enough that he went underneath the disks. I remember him saying that he broke his hip in the ordeal --- I am sure there would have been many other wounds.
 
We've had the spring on our MD welded since the beginning of time and has not broken since. Yes the metal changes when welded. It actually loses it's spring temper so it will more than likely bend rather than break.
 

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