Farmall A fan bearing and oil reservoir

dmiller · Mar 22, 2009

Used the A to disc the garden today. As I was finished the fan started to squeel and I realized I had forgotten to fill the oil reservoir at the fan shaft. Got it shut down, filled and doesn't appear to be any lasting damage.
I was wondering if there's a good way to keep from doing this again. Can the reservoir just be filled with grease (with hopes it will not seep out like the oil does)??
Is there a better idea than grease? Obviously the best answer is simply keep it full and don't forget to check it.

CNKS · Mar 22, 2009

I have two C's, the first fan went south shortly AFTER I cleaned it and replaced the oil. The second died the first time I started the tractor when I got it home from the auction. I replaced both with sealed bearing fans. The originals lasted for years, may or may not have lasted several more, but they can go bad at any time, unless you are the original owner and have maintained them. They were not designed to use grease, it is too thick for proper lubrication.

Mark · Mar 22, 2009

My "52 Super A has a zerk on the fan hub. I give it an occasional shot...seems to work for me.

CNKS · Mar 22, 2009

Original? I wonder if it is an older replacement with an "unsealed" bearing. But, if it works, it must be ok. Seems like IH would have not made the fan that complicated if a simple grease zerk would do it, though.

Mark · Mar 23, 2009

CNKS,

Beat the heck out of me. It was on there when I bought it....probably been there for years. Never had any problems...knock on wood.

LMack · Mar 23, 2009

In the past two weeks I have burned two of those fans and I have had to learn how they work. The unsealed bearing was original and will last a lifetime if properly maintained. It uses centrifugal force to keep the oil in the hub with a pump at the north end to circulate the oil through the bearing. If the oil gets too low, the pump can't pick it up. The bearing is rather simple being just a shaft through a casting. You can't overfill since too much oil will simply flow out the unsealed end when the engine is not running. I would use somewhere between 45 and 90 W and fill till it runs out the south end. I did install one of the new sealed bearing types. Personally I do not believe they are as good as the originals.

Farmall A fan bearing and oil reservoir

dmiller

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CNKS

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Mark

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CNKS

Well-known Member

Mark

Well-known Member

LMack

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