Many parts of an antique tractor are not manufactured any longer, and purchasing used parts are not any better shape than the one that needs repaired. In many instances the local machine shop may be the best choice. I am not an antique tractor guru by any imagination, although cleaning up a bore and building up a shaft are right up my alley.
In this job the cast iron steering shaft support was worn egg shaped and the steering shaft was worn down on the outside diameter. The first step in the repair was to machine a round hole where the egg shaped hole was located in the cast iron steering support. I accomplished this by using a adjustable hand reamer, by using the hand reamer the original angle that the shaft went through the cast iron support is obtained. I would have liked to use a boring head to correct the egg shaped hole, but the shaft and support were all I had to work with to keep the correct angle.
A hand reamer with care will normally follow the original hole. Once the support was reamed I had a diameter to work with.
It would make sense to make a brass bushing for the support at this time but the steering shaft is also worn. The steering shaft from this John Deere tractor is the same diameter along the shaft except for the worn area, so a bushing would not slide over the good portion of the shaft.
The shaft was sand blasted at the worn section to help in the brazing process. The shaft was then brazed up with enough brass to turn in the lathe to clean-up at the desired out side diameter.
After turning the John Deere steering shaft to the correct outside diameter, to have a nice slip fit into the cast iron support, the tractor should be ready for the parade…. With a little bit of paint and new rubber.
The brazed portion of the steering shaft will wear more quickly than the cast iron support making the repair easier and cheaper forty years from now.
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