Farmall H steering issue

I finally got my transmission flushed and filled, and my carb rebuilt on the 1951 H I just acquired. I did a little raking with it and found a big issue with my steering. The tractor is very very hard to steer. I thought bearing at first, but I think it may be another issue. With the tires facing straight ahead, you can turn all the way to the left and back with no issues at all, the wheel is very easy to move. To the right is where the issue is, turning to the right more than about 20 degrees is tough, and just as tough to steer back. Were it a thrust bearing in the gear box, wouldn't it be hard to move in only one direction, and always hard to move in that direction? I've looked for physical obstructions under the front of the tractor and found nothing. There are four bolts that hold the wheel assembly to the bottom of the shaft, and the heads of these seem to be in contact with some sort of track on the bottom of the tractor, but there is nothing to indicate that they aren't supposed to ride there. The track does not make a full cycle though, it has a gap in it. It also does not look broken, as there is paint on the edges. Anyone have any idea what the issue could be?

I would pop the cover off the steering box, then rotate the gear 180 if it is a full 360 gear. I would expect that it is binding.

I'll try it, is there a torque spec for the main nut on that thing?

Watch the sector gear when turning to the left and to the right. Its under the cover in the front where the shaft from the steering wheel goes in. If the gear moves away from the worm when turned left and then back when straight again and binds hard when turned right I'd bet on the boltster steering shaft being bent. Had that on a SMTA I bought last year. Was bent right underneath the sector gear. Had to remove the wheels and lower bolster and beat it out with a BFH. Had exactly the same symptoms you describe. How it happens I have no idea, the local IH salvage yard guy said in all his years of fixing and parting out farmalls he'd never seen it before. New shaft and it steers like a dream. Wish I'd saved that shaft. It was pretty bad.

I just get it as tight as I can, others might have the correct setting.

That is the only thing I can think of, the worm will rotate several time to one rotation of the sector gear. I have seen this when people take too much slack out, but those are not adjustable unless you grind and shim.

DK44, that makes sense from the symptoms, have never seen it either.

One of those four bolts (left front) is supposed to have a 3/4 inch raised, tapered, head. That will become the "stop" inside that track when you get far enough right. Make sure you have the correct bolt there. If someone just stacked some washers under a hex bolt that would cause that.Could be the one you have is binding in the track.

Remove one bolt at a time and try turning right.

That is the bolt that I suspected. Left front, it looks like a regular hex bolt. I checked the sector gear, and it isn't moving side to side, so the shaft isn't bent. Good observation though. I have another problem now, we sheared something in the steering linkage trying to get the wheels back left. There is a coupler with a U-joint and what ever holds that coupler to the shaft sheared. It was getting dark, so I didn't get to take the bolt out to see what sheared.

There is a woodruff key in the coupler right next to the steering gear. They WILL fall out if you pull back on the shaft, BTDT.