A few questions before I buy my first Super A

Hello All,

I am looking at a '49 SA for cultivating a 5 acre vegetable garden. I looked at one that seemed to be in pretty good repair with a few exceptions. I will preface my questions by saying that I am a decent mechanic, but don't have much money for parts.

The good:

The tractor started on the first bump when cold. It had not been run in a few weeks.

It shifted well through all gears and didn't hesitate in any of them.

The body seems to be in good condition with very little rust.

The hydraulics were fully functional, moving free and smooth.


The bad:

The steering was VERY loose. To use it for cultivating, I need substantially tighter steering. Is this something that I can adjust out? I saw what appeared to be an adjusting bolt with a lock nut on it. I was able to loosen the lock nut, but not the stud that it was locking.

The rear end sounded louder than I expected, particularly at the rear left wheel. Is this normal? To be clear, I am used to driving a '98 kubota that is relatively quiet. I may just be used to that. It sounded like a normal sound, just amplified (whine, not a grind).

It leaks a little of everything. The seller told me the last time that he filled anything up, which has been a while, and none of the levels were low. That being said, everything was a little wet with some fluid or another. Should I just expect this? I am used to dealing with dry equipment.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I have a 42 regular A. The rear end makes some whining noise. I think that's normal but others may have a different idea. Concerning the loose steering I'm assuming the front end is the same as mine. I had to tighten up the tie rod ends on mine as it wondered all over. It could be a bigger problem in the steering box. As far as leaks - I just changed all the seals on mine and cost over $500 with seals and gaskets. Mine wasn't just leaking - oil was flowing out. Parts are available if you want to spend the money.

As for the steering, check out these older posts
sloppy steering

I like my old A. It is a little damp in lots of places but doesn't leave any huge puddles. The rear end is loud on them - even louder with the pto kicked in. They were that way, built for longevity and durability not quiet operation. It is still running isn't it?

water tends to accumulate in those old tractor cases. crack open the drain plugs and let the water and goop ooze out, tighten the plugs and top off with oil. this may help noise and leaks.

the steering housing is one that probably will have some water in it.

i like mine better than the 9n i have.
keep fluids changed and yes alittle whine normal

Sounds like your is a lot like mine. Hope to get some work done on it this winter.

Some of the seals just leak like the belt pulley seal and were never intended to be a tight seal. Others like the PTO and wheel seals were not designed to hold standing fluid. The fluid level has to be maintained at the proper level. I would check by removing the level plug found on the left of the transmission housing. If it is high do not remove the excess oil here but remove it at the bottom drain plug as others have suggested. If it has been stored out in the rain it will have a build up of water in the trans/rear end case. The gear stick was not designed to be water tight at the top. When these tractors were used almost every day the water would be evaporated out due to heating.
You can learn to cultivate with loose steering or at least I did. The 200 I used had about a quarter of a turn of slop and dad did not like plowed up corn. Crooked rows were fine but plowed up corn was an absolute no-no. Your soil has to be kind of soft for this to work but when planting do use wheel plows aligned directly behind the wheels. Your row spacing will have to match the tread width of the wheels for easy cultivating. If you use 8" sweeps on the wheel plows and plow them deep during planting with a rather steep bite, you can cultivate almost without touching the steering wheel. Use full sweeps and not some of the high speed sweeps (thin shank)for wheel plows. The tractor will follow back down the same track it laid down when planting. Just be sure to center up the planters and cultivators.

My steering on my A was really loose when I got it. So much, that going down the road in 4th was challenging because the wheels would wobble. I had to tighten up a few things in the front. Also, the key way on the actual shaft that goes into the steering wheel was worn out. Some aluminum tape helped there.

Thanks for all of the awesome help everyone. Thanks to your encouragement, I will in fact be buying the Super A. It seemed like it was in reasonable condition, all things considered, and you all confirmed that. Thanks again!

The steering arm that is attached to the steering box output shaft is a likely culprit for your loose steering. No parts required. Its a matter of tightening the clamping bolt but I don't think you can do it without removing the steering assembly.
Like your cultivator set.
Dennis

I like your A. What type of blade is that on the front. I would like to get one like that to use.

Bes way to check steering is jack the front up till the wheels are free then starting at the tie rods work back to the steering arm off the housing looking for play probably need to rebuild the steering housing with new seals key on out-put shaft and maybe the bearings. Cost for all the seals and bearings will cost around 50 bucks. Just remember a little play here and there will soon add up to a bunch. When jacked up if you can wobble the out-out arm on the steering sector it needs to be rebuilt inside. The key on the out-put shaft can also be worn as it lets the gear have play.

Bes way to check steering is jack the front up till the wheels are free then starting at the tie rods work back to the steering arm off the housing looking for play probably need to rebuild the steering housing with new seals key on out-put shaft and maybe the bearings. Cost for all the seals and bearings will cost around 50 bucks. Just remember a little play here and there will soon add up to a bunch. When jacked up if you can wobble the out-out arm on the steering sector it needs to be rebuilt inside. The key on the out-put shaft can also be worn as it lets the gear have play.