Antique Tractors Forum

[daddys big bad m]

What exactly is the cure for the dreaded farmall row crop front end shimmy? I realize something is worn but which parts wear worst?
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crops are green, tractors are red!

[carpman15]

check the steering gears in the top and check the bushings that the shaft from the tires up to steering gear goes on there is 2 bushings in there i believe one on top one on bottom also check tire press and wheel bearings
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1941 Farmall M (she lives again after 30 years)
old stationary buzz saw know nothing about it
Mc Cormick-Deering No 3?? single bottom

[Red Kiwi]

Starting at the top of the steering column, check that the bolt is tight in front of the universal, that is often overloooked, if it is tight without any play on the shaft, then check the universal to see it's not worn, if its a wee bit worn you can undo the shims and tighten it.
Then go right to the front, take the radiator cowling off, lift the top off the pedestal and see there's no movement under the split pin which holds the castulated nut in place that holds the gear in place on the main shaft.
The only wear left could probably be in the worm gear and that is very remote.
Make sure your tyres and bearings are in reasonable order, not too many bulges in the tyres,lol.
That covers the whole bit, I've been there many times on H's & M's.
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1948 W6; 1945 M: 1939 A: 1950 Super A: 1946 Cub:
1955 FC-C ; Inter. B414;
Inter. 203 Combine;
Inter. B46 Baler;..
Little Genius No. 8 3 furrow plough..
Z104, 3 furrow mounted plough...
IH B23 mower

[John M]

[daddys big bad m]

[carpman15]

if its the half moon there isnt much you can do if its a full circle gear you can flip it over and use the side that hasnt been used other than that i dont know of any adjustments
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1941 Farmall M (she lives again after 30 years)
old stationary buzz saw know nothing about it
Mc Cormick-Deering No 3?? single bottom

[redshoes]

Start with the front rims, if they are not straight, you're fighting a loosing battle. Check them at the area, on the rim, next to the bead, with a dial indicator. Ignore the weld area bump. Auto rim reject is usually .040, tractor rim should be around .060. Please dont forget to clean and lube test area with WD-40 or the like before measuring. From the rims to the steering wheel, it's just a matter of replacing worn components. Actually, the repair is fun, easy, and making them drive straight again is great.

[jd2840]

reminds me, me and my grandpa are going to be doing some work on his M's steering. i think ill send this page to him so he can print it.
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-Ray-

My collection counting both grandpa's
1937 Farmall F-20
1939 Allis Chalmers B
1941 Farmall H
1944 Farmall M
1949 Farmall H
1954 Farmall Super M-TA
1955 4400 Chevy Truck
M-H no. 8
IHC no.9
2 John Deere 120bs
IH Model MF grain drill
Old Wagon
IH 1 Row Planter (converted for tractor)
25ft Long 8ft Wide Trailer (Brand Unknown)

[redshoes]

When these tractors were new (H&M), there was very little up and down or side to side movement in the upper bolster. As they aged, the thrust bearing wore and let the shaft and gear move upward. If the front lower thrust bearing seized (often the case) the bearing began grinding on the bolster or the balls began wearing on the inside of the races. This caused great wear on the bottom 1/2 of the sector gear and worm shaft
After install of new thrust bearing check for up and down movement in upper bolster (with gear attached). Place machine washers ON TOP of bearing to remove as much of this play as you can without binding the upper bolster shaft.
This will move gear back down in bolster and often is enough to avoid buying a new gear $$$ and worm more $$$. This moves the gear to a relatively unworn area and takes out a lot of slop.
After a heavy pull, when the front end comes back down, you are NOT supposed hear a big clunk. That's a dead giveaway to this condition.

[daddys big bad m]

[John M]

DITTO to everything above........
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2 1941 Farmall Ms (Consecutive Numbers), 1940 M, 1939 F14, 1949 Cub, 1945 I-4, 1971 154 LoBoy

[daddys big bad m]

well lifted the front end tonight and put a floor jack under tires to see how much play it had, happy to say very very little like maybe an 1/8th of an inch, SO, with that being said I hope that maybe I can flip the gear over and cure it.
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crops are green, tractors are red!

[redshoes]

An eighth of an inch is way too much. Buy machine washers (bearing house ) to match ID and carefully grind OD to fit, slightly smaller than OD of thrust bearing.
There is an area on the upper side of the sector gear that you are trying to get back to when the tractor was new and everything was lubed and fit properly.
You can do this. Ya just gotta love your IH enough. Parts are cheap.
You can't flip the gear over because the shaft splines are tapered. If you are lucky enough to have a full circle gear, you can 180 them and that helps somewhat.
I hope this helps. Please let us know how you get along. I would love to have you feel this tractor as it was when it was new. You will be amazed.

[daddys big bad m]

[carpman15]