The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

G'day All again,

Got the interesting and heavy job ahead of removing the rear wheel From our Fordson New Major 1953 model, so as to get the tyre repaired. With 50 years of dirt and rust the rim is pretty tight on the wheel. Do any of you have any tips on this??????

Firedog

The usual techniques:
Soak nuts with penetrating oil for as long as poss, ideally weeks. If the nuts don't come loose, gently heat them up with a torch and allow to cool. repeat several times. If that doesn't work, heat nuts up, then quench with cold water, repeat. They will come loose!

Thanks Bensdexta,

I didn't explain myself fully. All the nuts are removed they came off quite easily, maybe the fact I have a 3/4 drive socket set and have been working with machines for 35 plus years. It's removing the rim from the wheel/counterweight where the trouble is. There are no jacking screw holes on wheel to jack rim off, unless they are hiding??? Like I said above years of dirt and rust have the rim firm on the wheel. I was thinking of putting keeper plates back on but having them 1/2 a turn loose and driving the tractor to see if the movement would loosen the rim. Also to add to the problem years of driving forward under load has caused the rim to slip on the wheel jambing the drive keys against the wheel. Once again maybe driving in reverse may help loosen rim?????

Firedog.

Link to pic of rear wheel style we have on our Fordson.

http://www.tradefarmmachinery.com.au/de ... king/14673

Firedog.

The easiest way, although not the most cost effective, is to get your local tyre repairer to come and do the job for you. As I recently found they don't remove the wheel but do the job in situ -- in my case fitting a new rear tyre.

An alternative, which I have used, is to get a length of 4x2 and a hydraulic jack stretched between the 2 wheels; pump up the jack and then belt the wheel with a club hammer. It's not unlike using a splitter to remove track rod ends.

Pavel

Fixing the tire while it is on the tractor is the preferred method. If you do want to get the rim off of the hub, a method I have used is to loosen the nuts one turn from contacting the rim, and then go for a drive around the farm, using the brakes on that particular wheel from time to time. It may take a while, but it will loosen up.

HTH - SR

Further to the removal of a Fordson New Major rear wheel........
Firstly here in Nth East Vic to have someone come out and repair/replace a tyre while still on the tractor is cost prohibitive.

Ok so last night was very successful. I put four of the keeper plates back on but only tightened nut then backed off one turn, I also loosened hub nuts one turn. If either item came loose it's a win. Drove around for a bit which released the wheel/counter weight to hub fitment. Jacked up tractor removed hub nuts and worked complete off the hub, no real drama. Then removed the four keeper nuts and plates, placed two bits of timber next to wheel in line with rim.................and pushed it over. Of cause gravity did it's work. Centre wheel/counter weight just popped out, simple as...........to easy!!!! It's simply F=MA therefore if counter weight is 150kg, (be nice to know what it weighs), gravity is 9.8m/s time was about 1/2 a second so the force to pop out the counterweight equals 0.5 x 9.8 = 4.9 therefore 4.9 x 150 = 735N. That's some serious force.

Once the counterweight/wheel is seperated from the rim/tyre it's not too heavy. Now the tyre is at the local tyre repair place and will either have a patch fitted or a tube fitted.

Assembly of wheel back on tractor will be counterweight first using a jib crane and hub nut torqued too?????? not sure but I'm tipping BLOODY tight should do. Then fit rim with repaired tyre to tractor, fit keeper plates and tighten nuts, again Bloody tight.

Good little project and I hope this may help a fellow tractor buff.

Firedog.

PS - If anyone has torque values for wheel nuts I'd appreciate a copy, thanks.

Are you up near Swan Hill? We stay there when we come over before moving on to friends in Robinvale. Great museum in Swan Hill.

Sorry Brian we are a long way from Swan Hill enjoy your trip and museum visit

Firedog

Glad to hear the old "drive around loose" method worked. Good luck on the rest of the repair.

Cheers - SR

Sounds like you got things under control, don't forget to go back and check the lugnuts after you have used her several times.

Pat

Will do got that sorted too. Thanks for the heads up.

Firedog