8N - Governor With 3/4" Ball Bearings

jzimmer238

New User
I bought a governor off eBay to replace a poorly made new governor that does not provide enough force to counter the spring on the linkage.

This governor off eBay looks like an early 8N governor without the port for the proof meter except that it has 3/4 ball bearings instead of 5/8. I did not notice the larger bearings from the pictures. The shaft was frozen to the needle bearings so I replaced the needle bearing and seal. This governor also has a spring clip that goes around the shaft on both sides of the governor fork. There is a screw hole that you can see at about the 5'oclock position. This screw contacts the clip and limits the travel of the fork. I left the gap at .25" and did not shim further because that is the way I got it. My assumption is that the clip and screw were added to be able to account for the increased force generated from the heavier balls instead of adding additional shims by trial and error.

The tractor has been in my family for 40 years. The governor has never worked better.

I have not been able to find a governor shaft assembly part number for an 8N with the 3/4 inch ball bearings. What year of 8N came out with the early 8N case with the 3/4 inch balls or was this governor cobbled together? The screw was perfectly centered and tapped but it looks like this was a modification and not factory. I believe that the larger shaft and bearing would have given the new governor enough force to overcome the spring. Because it could not overcome the spring I could only use about 1/4 of the quadrant before the engine would over rev. I believe the larger shaft and heavier balls would have made the new governor usable. I am posting this because I would like to know what I have and this may be an option for others that have posted about having limited quadrant range before the engine over revs.
 

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I bought a governor off eBay to replace a poorly made new governor that does not provide enough force to counter the spring on the linkage.

This governor off eBay looks like an early 8N governor without the port for the proof meter except that it has 3/4 ball bearings instead of 5/8. I did not notice the larger bearings from the pictures. The shaft was frozen to the needle bearings so I replaced the needle bearing and seal. This governor also has a spring clip that goes around the shaft on both sides of the governor fork. There is a screw hole that you can see at about the 5'oclock position. This screw contacts the clip and limits the travel of the fork. I left the gap at .25" and did not shim further because that is the way I got it. My assumption is that the clip and screw were added to be able to account for the increased force generated from the heavier balls instead of adding additional shims by trial and error.

The tractor has been in my family for 40 years. The governor has never worked better.

I have not been able to find a governor shaft assembly part number for an 8N with the 3/4 inch ball bearings. What year of 8N came out with the early 8N case with the 3/4 inch balls or was this governor cobbled together? The screw was perfectly centered and tapped but it looks like this was a modification and not factory. I believe that the larger shaft and bearing would have given the new governor enough force to overcome the spring. Because it could not overcome the spring I could only use about 1/4 of the quadrant before the engine would over rev. I believe the larger shaft and heavier balls would have made the new governor usable. I am posting this because I would like to know what I have and this may be an option for others that have posted about having limited quadrant range before the engine over revs.

There were lots of manufacturers who made aftermarket parts and accessories for the Fords and other tractors "back in the day", including "upgraded" governors.

They were sold at Tractor supply and other farm stores and dealers, as well as by mail order.

I would suspect your governor was such a unit.
 
That makes sense that it is likely an aftermarket governor. I noticed that in 1953 the governors used 6-3/4 inch balls.
 

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