Brake Seals for Farmall H

For those of you who have been following this forum over the last few days ... I'm the guy who has been fighting with frozen brake drums and impossible-to-remove brake seals on a '42 Farmall H. I did manage to get the frozen drums off today and was also able to remove both seals - but only by destroying them. Does anyone know where I might find seals just like the originals which I removed. They are quite wide (3/4 or 1"). Most folks say that I should just replace there with two 'regular sized' seals (3/8" I think) ... but I'd like to use something close to the original if I can. The numbers are 48498D and the additional letters C/R. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Pairodox, I have done both my H's. I could not find seals like the original. Sometimes you have to trust other's experience...here's mine...I bought the new narrow seals, an old I-H dealer told me they would outlast the originals and that I did NOT have to double them up. The new seal can be placed so that it misses any worn part of the shaft they ride on..my old dealer friend suggested just flush with the housing. That is how I installed them and that was five years ago, both tractors have not leaked. There is always an argument from some that you should put two of the new narrower seals together, my read on it is that you just double your costs...ten years down the road its only a Saturday afternoon job anyway. Incidentally make sure you have good brass bushings in the tractor housing and coat them with grease before you replace the brake pans. Like any brake job we should pull the pans off every once in a while and check everything,lube the pivot arm and clean the brake dust out and clean the bands with some fine sandpaper. I always figure that these old tractors never had regular brake service, only when there were no brakes at all. Good luck and trust me about the one new narrow seal working just fine...

Which brass bushings are you talking about. Might there be one where the shaft holding the brake band inserts into the tractor itself? My next job is to remove the keys on this shaft so that I may actually remove the bands to get replacements. One of the drums I removed was really, really dirty - I'm now trying to figure out how I'll clean this up. Your wisdom on the seal is appreciated - I'll order up just two in the morning! Thanks very much.While I've got you ... what should I do to the surface of the drum before I reinstall? What did it look like new? Shiney? Dull? Smooth? Rought? Mirrored? Let me know. Dave S.

Michael is referring to the bushing in the pan and one in the transmission casting for the shaft that actuates the brake band. Also look at the actuators to see if there any cracks in the welds, had to re-weld both sides on my H.

Michael is right about using only one seal, using two on each side is a waste of money.

They do not make the wide seal anymore.

Some paint thinner, varsol or a little bit of gas will wash the pans clean , then wipe them up. The drum was or ought to be smooth metalic surface..it may have wear marks from where the bands rode on it. It can be cleaned up with some emery cloth..you want a smooth surface just like any brake drum or rotor on a car or truck. The brass bushings I was refering to fit into the portal on the rear casting, the brake actuating lever fits into the bushing when the brake pan is replaced..I had one siezed into the tractor, took most of an afternoon to get the pan off,pulled the corroded bushing , honed out the hole and reinstalled new parts with anti sieze to protect the bushing and prevent corrosion..a dab of grease will work too.

I looked everywhere. These seals are not available. As noted recently, the old ones were made of leather. The narrow ones properly installed are a good replacement. Check your shaft for rear and ease the seal to a portion of the shaft with no wear. Make sure the seal lip is pointing towards the oil

Oh, failed to mention...I would not stick 2 seals in the hole!!! One is good. I think that with two of them, the outside one will not oil and will just become useless.