Fordson super hydraulic top cover

[Fixersteve]

Hi guys, yet another question! Is there a trick to lifting the top cover off?? Mine is coming off for the first time but it's super tight! HELP!!!

[super6954]

Hi Steve
This might sound stupid but have you undone all the bolts and the 2 nuts , the nuts should be one under each side where the top arms are supported in the top casting. if the nuts undid and came off the studs your top could be tight on the stud with rust in the holes. sometimes the stud undoes like a bolt as the nuts are rusted on. if you have done the above, I seem to remember that there may be 2 locating pegs one at the front and back im thinking, they will be a tight fit too. I do so many different tractors it's hard to remember who has what some days .
What i usually do is use an engine crane to take a little strain( you need this anyway as the top is rather heavy and needs to come up and go back on square, and in a controlled manor as not to bend the linkages in side it or chew the new o rings on the pipe in there ) Then carefully work round the top tapping a pry bar or flat blade screwdriver in the seam between the top and gear box taking care not to mark the castings. It could be that the gasket is holding it tight, it might let go with quite a pop .
Ive done a fair few major tops and some are easier than others.
This is all i can think of for you, so good luck .
Regards Robert

[AdrianNPMajor]

Totally agree with Robert. The two studs halfway down each side under the lift arms (see second photo) are easy to miss. On mine the studs unscrewed before the nuts and I left it that way as it proved easier, given that I had already made four locating dowels out of bolts with the heads cut off and with a slot cut into the top for a screwdriver - see photos.

Once you've got all the bolts out and freed off the two studs (they're too long to extract because they foul on the casting), insert your four dowels, then hook up your crane to the lid so as to give as even a lift as possible. Begin to lift and with a ltttle pressure on grab hold of the lift arms and rock her gently. You should find that the bond with the gasket will then break and she'll pop up. Because of the dowels she'll come up straight, which is important as you need to disconnect the hydraulic feed pipe union squarely otherwise you'll nip it and it will come up with the lid (I know a blithering idiot who did this ).

The hydraulic feed pipe has two semi-circular collets set into its neck to prevent it from pushing out of its location within the casting under pressure. If the pipe does come up enough to expose them, as it did on mine, it's no problem as the weight of the lid going back on will spring the pipe back into its seat. However to make sure the collets stay in position just wrap a little PTFE tape around them - works a dream.

The dowels make the job of raising and lowering the lid very easy. Especially lowering - you know everything is going to locate correctly and squarely.

Good luck!

Best

Adrian

[Fixersteve]

Cheers Chaps! you guys are fonts of knowledge! Will have another attempt this evening after work.