steering box metal??

[Don Hooks]

I have a crack in the upper left side of my TO 30 steering box that needs attention. I do have a spare box I could put new seals in but the old one is tight in that respect so it might be cheaper to repair it. Is it Aluminum? I didn't see the crack until I removed the grease in the box and replaced it with oil then a weep line showed up a few days later. If it is aluminum, what do you think of the low temperature aluminum rods like Alumalloy? If it is cast iron or pot metal I will probably replace it.

Don Hooks

 

[Mark from the Fort]

Don't know how "wide" the crack is, BUT.
I have two 35's with bad seals on the sides of the steering arms. Instead of tearing totally apart, I cleaned and drained my steering box and filled 1/2 way with John Deere Cornhead Grease.
It is the closest to liquid without being liquid.
Did that make any sense?????
The steering box isn't a "high rpm" area and this grease is soft enough to protect parts and "thick" enough NOT to weep out of cracks and seals.
I have replaced all the lube in my gear boxes with this stuff with ZERO problems. Bush hog and rototiller gearboxes. The bush hog does not even get warm with this stuff.
Mark

 

[Mark from the Fort]

Sorry, I forgot to mention that this grease comes in tubes for your grease gun. Actually makes shooting into gear boxes easy.
Mark

 

[Don Hooks]

That might be what was in there before I "renovated" it. It was working fine but the seals were shot and I wanted to return it to original - so much for good intentions.

 

[Bob (Aust)]

Don. The TE series has an aluminium cast steering box, integral with the transmission top cover. I thought someone mentioned the TO series are all cast steel?

Either way, the steering box is not under any stress or pressure - have you thought of cleaning out the crack, "veeing" the metal and filling with a metalic epoxy cement?

 

[Jeff-oh]

The TO series used steel castings.

 

[phil(va)]

I checked two of my TO-30s this morning and a good magnet would NOT stick to either steering box. Of course it wanted to stick to the bolts close by, but by placing it carefully on just the box I was able to determine it would not stick.

 

[Jeff-oh]

Humm... Guess I knew about the transmission cases. and projected it to the steering box. Will have to check some on my own. But on my TO-35 it is just as "rusty" as the rest of my tractor.

 

[Jeff-oh]

Here is the picture. Though it is a TO-35 not a TO-30. Never heard of them not being Steel.

 

[Don Hooks]

Thanks for the responses! It sure looks like aluminum but when I was reworking it the inside was rough like sand-cast iron and it didn't occur to me to find out then. Someone suggested I repair it with epoxy so I will try that first and work it from the inside out so there won't be much refinishing to do. If I get a definitive analysis on it I will post it.

 

[phil(va)]

I think the 35 has a ferrous steering box. I do know the boxes are not the same. I did check two tractors. I have a third TO-30 but it is lent out at the moment.

 

[Bru]

(quoted from post at 15:58:08 01/11/08) Thanks for the responses! It sure looks like aluminum but when I was reworking it the inside was rough like sand-cast iron and it didn't occur to me to find out then. Someone suggested I repair it with epoxy so I will try that first and work it from the inside out so there won't be much refinishing to do. If I get a definitive analysis on it I will post it.

WIW, aluminum is sometimes sand-cast also. The magnet test, as someone mentioned above, will tell you.

 

[Paul in AZ*]

Several years ago my TO-30 developed a similar crack. I took it to a good local welder who knew just how to weld it. He ground it down and now you can hardly see where the welding was done. Yes, it is aluminum.

 

[Jeff-oh]

That why I love this site. You learn something new. I do not have a TO-20 nor a TO-30. Now I know. Thanks for teaching me.