M Farmall steering

Dan in Ore · Mar 23, 2010

I have a 1947 M and the steering is real loose. I was curious if there is a weak link in the steering system that wears more than others or not.

sflem849 · Mar 23, 2010

From what I have read on the forum it is death by 1000 cuts. Every little piece gets some wear and it goes downhill from there. I would guess once you get slop in one it pounds on the rest of the system to accelerate wear.

CARTER & GRUENWALD in BROOKLYN, WI is the place to go to get the parts to fix it. I am not sure why, but their name is the only one I have heard associated with these parts. I would guess they get them special made. They will ship them to you.
http://www.external_link/

Loren MN · Mar 23, 2010

First thing you can try is opening up the gear box on the top of the bolster and turning the drive gear 180 degrees, if it"s a full gear and not a sector. There shouldn"t be much wear on that part of the gear. Also check wheel bearings and that the front wheels are centered on the hubs. Next thing would be changing the bushings in the bolster, top and bottom. I"ve done all that, and I still have a wobble on the road, so my next step is to change the worm gear.

DeltaRed · Mar 23, 2010

its worn out,from the top down.Worse if you have a wide front.After all,that tractor is 60+ years old.repair parts are still available.

glennster · Mar 23, 2010

carter has put together the whole kit to do the bolster rebuild for about 160 dollars. has the upper and lower bolster bushings, the lower bearing, the bearing on the end of the steering worm gear , the bushing for the steering shaft and seal and the upper bolster seal. kinda one stop shopping at a good price. also check the worm and sector gear teeth for wear, if its a later steering gear that is a full circle you and turn the gear 180 degrees and get some better teeth. the worm gear if worn bad will need to be replaced. i think carter as them too. yt may have the set also.

DeltaRed · Mar 23, 2010

any CIH dealer con get the parts. Igot mine from B @ G imp. in Greely Co.

john d · Mar 23, 2010

Previous posters all make good points. Take the hood off, and go for a drive. Watch the universal joint in the center of the steering shaft. It's often a source of play. As others mentioned, check that big gear at the top of the bolster. Also, that little bearing on the end of the steering shaft is cheap and easy to replace. In my experience, it usually needs it!

Loren MN · Mar 23, 2010

What I've noticed with my M is that the wheels don't wobble if I can keep some steering pressure toward the left when driving down the road. If I move the wheel a little to the right, or go around a curve to the right, the wheels wobble alot. I'm assuming that it indicates too much play between the worm gear and sector.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 23, 2010

Just an interesting note. The last bolster kit I bought from the local farm store was back in the late 60's, early 70's. It was a few pennies less than $20. and included genuine IH can sealed bearings. My how prices have changed, but I guess not any more than everything else!!!

F-Dean · Mar 23, 2010

I solved the wobble on my M by tightening up the nut on the top of the bolster. Just take the grill off, remove the top of the bolster and tighten the nut.

If this does not solve it, try the more expensive solutions suggested by others.

Cub n M in OR · Mar 23, 2010

I got a steering stabilizer shock like some pickups have on their tie rods, and fabed up some hardware to bolt it to my wide front. Worked great. Cheap, easy fix.

Ben

M Farmall steering

Dan in Ore

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sflem849

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Loren MN

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DeltaRed

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glennster

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DeltaRed

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john d

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Loren MN

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Anonymous-0

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F-Dean

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Cub n M in OR

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