MT retractable steering wheel

[Dave from Texas]

I just found out that the steering wheel is suppose to be retractable. Mine is weld so that it will not move. How did the lock work? I see that there is a locking wheel and there is suppose to be a steel ball. Is the ball squeezed by the locking wheel in the groves of the retractable shaft? What keeps the ball in place?

 

[bill mart]

look at the parts catalog section at the john deere company website Should be a schematic with a breakdown of the assembly

 

[Dave_from_Texas]

I verified that the locking nut does hold the steel ball in the groves of the extractable shaft. If the lock rings slip the locking nut moves and you lose the ball. This appears what happened to mine.