The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

Just wondering how easy the kingpin bushes & bearings are to change? I have a significant amount of spindle wobble and very heavy steering.

The bearings are easy enough to change, but the bushes need to be beaten out (or pressed), and the new one need beating in (or pressing), then depending on where you get them from, they need to be honed to size.
Ive done mine, and it made a hell of a difference!

You need to size the bushings with an expanding reamer. Did my Power Major a while back and it steers like a dream. Dandy Dave!

The replacement bushes are a very tight fit. I would recommend pressing them in rather than trying to drive them in with a hammer and a block of wood. I tried this and it didn't work.

You may also find that your kingpins are worn. If you are handy with a welder, or know somebody who is, build up the metal with weld and then get them machined back to the original size. The one in the photo was done with this method. Be sure to apply the weld in circles rather than lines going top to bottom. Doing the latter will pull the kingpin out of true.

Going from wobbly kingpins to tight ones is a pleasure worth all the hard work!

Agriline sells new lower bearing assembles. If the lower bearings are full of dirt and rust, you will need to replace them. Dandy Dave!

Halloween, I found it a reasonably easy job to do and I`m no mechanic, but I did get a friend with an expanding reamer to come round and ream the new bushes for me as the reamer is quite a specialised tool and expensive to buy for a one off job. I whacked one bush in well with a hardwood block and lump hammer, the other was a s-d, got stuck with about half an inch to go. I got it in eventually but it was well worth the agro, the difference to the steering was unbelievable.

I believe you can ream the king pin bushes using the king pin itself as it has the splined bit on the top just wind it up through, i did it using agriline bushes.

Sounds like I'm definitely going to give this a go! Thanks guys!

Hi
When I did some and found the reamer was $500 plus I used a brake cylinder hone on a drill , It took a while and the purist machine shop guys will a mile or two in horror but it only cost $15 and it's not like the major does 100mph down the road and it has to be dead precise
Regards Robert.

The reamer I bought was A "K" which is 1-11/16 inch to 1- 17/32 inch. Not cheap, but no where near $500 either. Here are several similar that are online. Dandy Dave!

http://drillsandcutters.com/DWRRADJKrea ... 4AodF2cAXg

http://globalaircrafttool.com/khssadjus ... 21-12.aspx

Dandy Dave wrote:The reamer I bought was A "K" which is 1-11/16 inch to 1- 17/32 inch. Not cheap, but no where near $500 either. Here are several similar that are online. Dandy Dave!

http://drillsandcutters.com/DWRRADJKrea ... 4AodF2cAXg

http://globalaircrafttool.com/khssadjus ... 21-12.aspx

Hi Dave
The one I was looking at was a dormer through our local bearing store up here in Canada. so taking into consideration I'm not local born and raised n have a funny accent, I think I was getting adjusted with a big screwdriver at $500 . Some places around here are that way inclined . I did see the cheap ones on line with a certain auction site. I kinda needed it 3 days before, you probably know how that works .
I was also concerned that it may be a use once and replace kinda deal So if you don't mind me asking how good is the one you got .
I have 5 or 6 more tractors to do and was thinking I would get one now as it would take ages to do them all with the brake hone
Regards Robert

Look, I was very happy with the results, A 7 fluted reamer is better than a 6. But for the front end on our old FMD'S it does not matter that much. If you have 5 or six to do, Buy a reamer. You will not be dissapointed if you know how to use it proprerly. Go fot the Gusto.

Dandy Dave wrote:Look, I was very happy with the results, A 7 fluted reamer is better than a 6. But for the front end on our old FMD'S it does not matter that much. If you have 5 or six to do, Buy a reamer. You will not be dissapointed if you know how to use it proprerly. Go fot the Gusto.

Thanks Dave
Not gonna buy a $500 reamer at the moment, as you say yours worked Good I'll pick one up like that. I need to spend money on shop equipment updates like a big new compressor and mig welder that i'll use more than the reamer in the long term, $500 would be better spent there as that little lots gonna cost about 4 -$5000 to do it right .
Regards Robert

Hi all just bought a king pin bearing set from agriline does any one know if they have all ready been reamed out or not??

Hi all just bought a king pin bearing set from agriline does any one know if they have all ready been reamed out or not??

Hesford wrote:Hi all just bought a king pin bearing set from agriline does any one know if they have all ready been reamed out or not??

No, You will need to ream them to size. Dandy Dave!

after their is fitted