Shop Time w/T.W. Friends. Torque wrench on spark plugs, we need answers so cast your vote now

Will do Bob . However , a few months ago I was really thinking about the end.

 

Only once...

 

I'm sure we all would be thinking that. You seem like a strong person, and have put up a hell of a fight...stay strong, brother!!

 

The day he told me I had a 10% chance of making was a real hard blow to take. My brother committed suicide in 2018 after finding out he had cancer. It weighed on my mind .

 

Prove him wrong then tell him to kiss your ass.
Sorry about your brother.

 

Do the Best you can that is all we can do!

 

@Steve Urquell You might enjoy the next few posts.

Well fellers, on today's episode of Past Tech with Rusty we have a Ford (Jacobsen built) LGT 145 built between 1972-76. This is my plow tractor and recently (well, 2 years ago ) it suddenly developed a free spinning steering wheel -- as I was plowing snow at the time this made for quite a challenge to get back (uphill) to the garage.

These were well built old iron horses and quality weighs -- she tips the scales at 797 pounds with no attachments.
The grill isn't original, somebody in the past put some work in that, the originals are fiberglass and difficult to find in nice (as in unbroken) condition.




You can't start a job without buying some tools, $50 at Harbor Freight got this nice bearing separator/puller set.



Fortunately this old girl was stored under cover mostly it would seem, if water gets in the steering wheel hub it is very difficult to remove the wheel without destroying it.



Changing the steering box in one of these is like a fire sale: "everything must go".



Ah Ha! Now the enemy can be seen...
See that piece of pink tape? The space it is sitting in isn't supposed to be there, the plate is usually flush with the box and that nut looking thing towards the bottom is supposed to be flush too.

 

You can do it!

 

The real story is just How you got it back up the hill to the garage ??

The old standby move the wheel with a stick?

I drove a Celica Home about 5 miles with a broken tie rod That was interesting I really had no clue it was possible/

 

There was about 10" of snow and the driveway is on both a grade and a side slope - I swore a lot.

 

Just like Paul Harvey, page 2.

A nude photo! These are referred to as "tube frame" tractors. The fender pan in the background sits on 8 studs, quite a challenge to get back aligned alone -- enhanced by the weight, size and awkwardness of it.



After removing roughly half of the tractor I could finally remove roughly half of the steering box.



The other half was held on by the steering arm which is held on by a 3/8" roll pin that a previous owner had apparently installed with a 5 pound hammer turning it into more of a rivet -- on both sides... After the ordeal of removing said roll pin again the puller was employed.

 

Old and new (used) on the bench.



This is the broken end of the double nutted shaft above it is supposed to be in the hole on the plate.



The pin on the plate rides in the groove in the shaft, the pin forces the plate to move turning the (broken) cross shaft moving the steering arm which moves the front wheels.




There are 2 sets of bearings, the cap is threaded into the box and sets the play. If is too loose the steering wheel will move up and down as you turn it. Look to the right of the photo at the replacement box, you can see the cotter key holding the installed cap in place.

Free play in the wheel is adjusted with the flat head screwdriver slot and the nut on the pin on the plate above the screwdriver handle in the photo. It is called the backlash adjustment.

 

Many people think the engine is welded to the frame on these tube frame tractors, actually the engine base pan is welded, there is a seam. There are some bolts underneath that separate the pieces.


Well, this could have gone bad...

Just as I finished Mrs Green came home with a pizza, naturally pizza trumped plowing.
About 40 minutes later I stepped in the garage and smelled gasoline -- seems the needle valve must leak and I had left the shut off open -- and the furnace turned on too. The lake under the tractor is gas.



Tested her out moving the 8" of cement heavy snow that dumped here today. Beats the daylights out of using the snow blower!

 

That’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem, stay strong my friend

Sorry about your brother

 

He and I have worked together for 26+ years. He saves everything.

My dad does too, he says it comes from growing up poor.

 

One can become a prisoner of a poor past. The memory of having next to nothing haunts you.

No matter how far you have moved away from that edge you never forget how it felt standing on it, in the back of your mind is always "...if things get real bad I can use this...".

 

Good morning friends! Getting closer to Friday

 

That’s some good shit right there.
Nice job
Thanks for sharing

 

While being poor was much of the problem You could not just jump in your vehicle run down to whatever and find what you needed.

Anything that might be used to cobble together something to get you working again that might have a use .

Reminds me of my early days hunting through cans of bolts or fittings to find what I needed.

Buying Bolt bins and plastic boxes for fittings might have been one of the best things I did to save time fumble fingers drop hardware just go get new ones if a few minute search does not see it.