1948 Ford 8n steering play

[farmall ray]

I have a 8n with alot of play in the steering box. Early 1948 model serial#20550.Is there any way to shim or adjust it? any help would be apprecieted..

 

[Dan]

You can try to adjust it by removing the sector housing bolts and turning the housings until they line up again with the bolt holes. They ar eccentric and designed that way so you can take up the slack as the bushings wear. Do the left side first, then the right side.

If the bushings are worn too badly to take up the slack, you can replace these. You will need to hone these as they purposely come undersize to account for wear in the sectors (which there are no replacements for). I uses a brake hone and got mine good and tight on my '48 8N trailer queen.

Good weekend job.

HTH,
Dan

 

[ZANE]

Along with the pitman shaft bushings check the ballnut steering shaft for up and down movement. Turn the steering wheel left and right while observing if the wheel hub rises and falls. If it does the thrust bearings are bad and need to be replaced. That involves removing the whole steering box from the tractor in order to repair. A big job!

Zane

 

[Hobo,NC]

(quoted from post at 22:40:07 10/17/09) You can try to adjust it by removing the sector housing bolts and turning the housings until they line up again with the bolt holes. They ar eccentric and designed that way so you can take up the slack as the bushings wear. Do the left side first, then the right side.

If the bushings are worn too badly to take up the slack, you can replace these. You will need to hone these as they purposely come undersize to account for wear in the sectors (which there are no replacements for). I uses a brake hone and got mine good and tight on my '48 8N trailer queen.

Good weekend job.

HTH,
Dan

I don't tink they purposely come undersized so as to tailor fit a worn shaft,,, never been into a early box but would think the sectors are kin to a late box,,, does the bushing first have to slide over a unworn part of the shaft,,, if so you hone to fit over the unworn part of the shaft. But if they are stepped up were the bushing runs I could C that

 

[Dennis Sherman]

I have my steering sectors apart and tried to get the old bushings out. Whats the trick? And how do you get the new one"s in without damaging them?