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A hidden hassle
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Water-damaged steering gear box with an Allen wrench inserted in the fill-hole plug. Photo by S. Nesbitt |
The little tractor was old enough to vote, so for years and years we ignored the increasing play in the steering wheel.
Then one day the steering just gave up. Zip, zero, nada.
This compact diesel tractor was among the toughest machines in the fleet, but it shares with millions of other machines some serious hidden flaws buried deep inside the steering box.
The play in the steering wheel resulted from the destruction of the thrust bearings in the steering box. The system has a long shaft connected to the steering wheel. The bottom of this shaft has a short, flat gear segment that meshes with gear teeth on the cross-shaft. The cross-shaft pokes sideways out of the box and connects to the steering linkage.
When you turn the steering wheel, the short gear section pushes on the cross-shaft’s gear teeth. There are caged ball bearings at the top and bottom of the steering shaft that resist the steering force the driver applies. They also resist kick-back from the front wheels as they move across the ground. Without those bearings, the steering wheel shaft will move up and down as the flat gear segment climbs up and down the cross-shaft’s gear teeth, and you have no steering control.
Problem one: Like all moving parts, the steering box needs lubrication. Over time, the oil oozes out the seal where the cross-shaft pokes out of the box. You really should check the lube level and the seal at least once a year, but getting to the gear box often requires removing the tractor’s fuel tank and other bits and pieces.
Problem two: There’s no drain hole at the bottom of the gear box. There’s a filler hole on top of the box, but there are gears right below the hole. They block your effort to vacuum out the old oil.
Problem three: The tube that houses the steering shaft has no seal at the top, and the steering wheel’s center hub is not water-tight. If you don’t have the center trim cap on the steering wheel, it’s like having a house with no roof. Water runs down the steering shaft, settles in the bottom of the steering box below the oil, and starts destroying the bottom thrust bearing. Eventually the top bearing also comes apart, and your ability to steer suddenly disappears.
Next month: Rebuilding the steering box.
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