The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

Hello all,
I have been slowly replacing the front axle pins in all my Fordsons, therefore I was wanting to reduce the wear as much as possible.
I ordered a brand new 1" pin from a well known world wide supplier, only to find that someone along the line cannot tell the difference beween 25mm and 1".
Being a first class machinist by trade I can tell you they most definately are not the same! 1" translates to 25.4 mm so a 25mm pin is .4 of a mm too small, and I would almost be better of fitting second hand pin.
There is a supplier who does sell the correct 1" pins, so I will be ordering from this source from now on, unless my original supplier can assure me that they have replaced their sub standard stock.

Next I will deal with the axle bush, my original supplier only uses bronze bushes and while I can see good reason for this on a stacic display Fordson where they could size the pin, I do not want to use them on my working Fordsons, again the other supplier supplies the original steel ones, so I have switched to this supplier again.

Lastly the front castings incorperate a 2 degree caster angle for the front axle so when I machine them I set them up using caster wedges from a local Truck alignment centre, unforthnately they could only supply me with 2 1/2 degree ones and they have a bit more caster angle when bushed back to the 1" pin size hole.
This does made it a bit tridcky when lining up the rear A frame pin hole as it is set a bit lower, but so far there has been enough wear in the front frame bolts to fit them OK.

For those who are unaware the main axle pin is the same from the N model ( 1917 ) to the end of the Power Major ( 1960 ) and similarly the A frame pin seems to be the same right through too.

The distance between the main pin and the A frame pin is the same from 1917 to 1960 as well this is why the ajustable E 27N axle was used in the E1 A with minimal changes except to the plane arms. Theretically It might be possible to fit a Power Major front axle and A frame to a N model, It would raise the front engine height too, but I don't have a requirement to do this.

Readers please be aware that it is possible to refurbush a E 1 A axle that has worn through the bush and made the hole oversize, these can be machined out larger for the Super Major bush and used as Super Major axle, there is not as much surrounding metal, but there should be enough, or alternatively they can be fitted with a custom bush having the same outside as the Super Major but with the smaller New Major 1" hole. ( But more work )

Mike

The F came before the N. Yup. Inferior parts is why I have two Lathes and a Mill. Dandy Dave!

Yes I forgot the pins in the F would be the same, I don't have that model, thanks for the reminder.
Co - incidentally I have two lathes and a milling machine too, but I can't do the case hardening at this stage.
Old Hydraulic shafts make good material to make the front casting bushes from, but the right cutting tools are esential of course.

Mike

Thanks for the info Mike!
Several years ago I found out the hard way about the 2° angle, I had welded up the oblong holes in a tombstone, clamped it down on the mill, bored it out, and then attempted to put the axel back in it after it was bolted back in the tractor. I did a lot of swearing before I finally realized why the pin would not go in.... and then I did a lot more swearing.

Pat

Regarding case hardening mentioned by 1962 model, there is a product called Cherry Red sold by Midway gunsmithing supply that appears to be very easy to use. I haven't tried it yet but it looks promising.

Thanks pat,
Being a 1st calss machinist by trade I have done hardening by a few methods including quenching, nitriding & carburising these last couple need intense heat, and carburising takes hours in a furnace, so your suggestion may be well worth trying. Please be aware that during the hardening process the item usually shrinks, that is why these usually have ground finish to get the correct finished size

Another common method of case hardening is to use induction hardening using an electcial coil heating method, most loader pins and earth moving equipment pins are hardened this way, and it means that they have a hard wearing outside and a softer inside, that way they are not so brittle that they snap in half with a shock loading.

Mike

Hello all
I am a new member and recently have acquired a new major E1A 1952 oct/nov, checking engine no etc I have started with the front axle, the tombstone is badly worn, more than the pin. on reading this post about the 2 degree
angle, is this the axle bush or the tombstone as I will have to have the tombstone sleeved then rebored to 1 inch then fitted with a new pin which will be fitted with a grease nipple. any help in this area will be helpful

I will have numerous questions as things no doubt unfold

Thanks

George

Praps Mike will clarify if I have got any of this wrong but any heat hardening process which does not add carbon (which carburising / case hardening do) needs the steel which the shaft is made from to be a hardenable (i.e. carbon bearing) grade steel, mild steel is low carbon so case hardening would be the usual method of putting a surface on it and the heating involved does not significantly affect the base material (no experience with nitriding) some grades of carbon steel can be a real b***h to machine on a 'slack' lathe

In the UK the common hardenable steel is known as silver steel (drill rod in the USA) which is hardened by heating then quenching in oil or water, this leaves it brittle throughout, not good for this application and would require tempering to reduce brittleness.

My experience with this is that it actually grows by a small amount after the process

For skip / dumpster /scrap dippers, old hydraulic rams are a great source of tough close tolerance steels esp if chromed

HTH

Hello oehreck,
the quench method can not only shrink the pin but also bend it and in some other cases ( like a bush it can cause ovality too.
I have not comer across an increase in shaft size from the hardening process but then It has been some ywears since I had anything to do with hardening, it is far easier to buy one ready made.
Yes many cases do use higher carbon steels for hardening, however I think that this is not necessarily always the case, I can look up my 1970's text books if you really need the answer, I am too busy right now.

Yes I have sourced my higher grade steels from the places you mentioned, but some places are touchy about loosing their scrap shafts. Of course you need a larger lathe and tiped cutting tools to machine it.

Silver steel is more expensive I think, and my only contact with this was through my trade as a machinist many years ago, ( because of its acurately ground diameter ) higher carbon steel is good enough without going to the trouble of sourcing silver steel.

Georgewill, the thickness of the bush that you will need to have fitted to the front toomstone to bring it back to the standard 1" pin size eliminates any problem with crushing of the inner hole, but your machine shop will be familliar with this process. The 2 degree angle is in the toomstone, not the front axle bush or axle.

The only time that it should be necassary to machine the bush in place will be if an excentric bush is required to bring the pin back to the correct location concentric wit the recess for the washer, in the case it will also be necesaary to Scotch key the bushs on the top side to stop them tuning. To place a concentric bush in a very badly worn toomstone is notsomething I would do as it makes the bottom edge too thin and subject to brakage of that portion of the casting.
Grese nipples were never originally fitted due the revetively small diameter of the pin I suspect, only Super Majors had this feature as far as I know. I have not seen a modern replacement 1" pin with a grease nipple fitted.

Mike