FENA

Q: Can I put a TO35 transmission and rear-end onto my F40. June 7, 2015.

A: If you have a standard clearance Ferguson 40, the TO-35 transmission and rear axle should bolt up with no problem. There was a change in the ring gear in the TO-35 models. Those prior to serial number 169 467 use a 40 tooth ring gear and those from serial number 169 467 and up use a 37 tooth ring gear. Since you are changing the entire rear axle, that should make no difference however, there were different tractormeters to go with each of these ring gears. There were also changes in the main shaft gears in the transmission. Tractors prior to serial number 171 549 have 60 exterior teeth on the Main Shaft gear, and those starting with serial number 171 549 have 45 exterior teeth. The reverse shaft gear on tractors prior to serial number 171 549 have 17 and 21 teeth and those beginning with serial number 171 549 have 13 and 21 teeth. Again, since you are changing the entire transmission, there should be no problem. I am not sure any of the F-40’s had the later style gears in the transmission. I believe those gear changes effect the speed in reverse. There may also be some differences in the clutch but there is no reason to change it if the F-40 clutch is working properly. F-40’s and early TO-35’s used a dual clutch with Belville springs on both the main and PTO clutch. Later model TO-35’s use a clutch assembly with a series of coil springs rather than a large Belville spring on the main clutch. The clutch assemblies can be interchanged as complete units and either clutch should mate to the transmission input shaft. If your 40 is a Hi-40 there are a few different gears in the transmission and PTO than would have to be changed on the TO-35 transmission. This will keep the gear rations and speeds with the larger rear wheels correct. That information is detailed in the last issue of Ferguson Furrows where I answered a question about converting a Hi-40 to a standard clearance version. Bottom line, you should be able to use the TO-35 transmission and rear axle on your F-40. Just be aware of possible differences in the transmissions and rear axles of some of these tractors that will affect gear speeds.

Question: My Hupp Trans got stuck in low gear,on my TO20. It only works in the neutral position on the Hupp, If you shift it up or down it stalls the motor, When you let the clutch out. It feels like it is in low. All gears work fine on the transmission. Any Suggestions?

Q: I am helping a friend with a MF65 where the clutch will not disengage. I pulled the inspection plate and a 3” pin fell out. Closer observation showed that the 6:00 ish release lever pin was partially dis-engaged. This pin, and the pin I had were the same. The previous owner’s family (tractor was an estate sale find) indicated that the clutch was serviced at some point. As far as I can tell the cotter pins/safety wire was not re-installed on the ends of these pins and the one was found loose in the clutch housing, and at least one other is ½ way out. These pins are item 42 in the attached parts sheet. I presume the tractor will have to be split to get at the clutch face. Do you think these pins can be re-installed without removing the clutch from the engine? i.e. Do you think I can get away with just installing them and going with that or should I plan a full clutch inspection (this would be beyond my current knowledge). May 5, 2015.

A: From your description, the groove pins holding the pivot pins have come out, there are several reasons why this could have happened: Whoever rebuilt the clutch did not install new groove pins when they reassembled the clutch. This is an absolute must do. After the new pins are installed the hole in the cover should be slightly distorted with a pin punch to help keep the groove pins in place; The pivot pins, and/or the holes for the groove pins are worn and should have been replaced when the clutch was rebuilt. Given the possibility for failure I almost always replace the upper pivot pins when I rebuild a clutch; and, if the clutch cover is damaged, or the area where the holes the groove pins go is cracked or broken, the clutch cover will require replacing.

You should be able to manage the disassembly and rebuild if you have a shop manual. If you don’t have a 65 shop manual, the clutch section of the 35 or 50 manual is the same. I can scan also send you the appropriate pages from the MF shop manual if you like.

When you have the tractor apart you should check for leaks at the clutch input shaft. Multi-power equipped tractors are prone to leaks in this area. As a result changes were made in the support bearing and input shaft housing. A sleeve bearing was replaced with a roller bearing and different seal. This improved assembly became standard on the 100 series tractors.

The 165 assembly should be used to replace the original 65 assembly. If the clutch cover is cracked or damaged where the groove pins fit, you may find it is cheaper to purchase a rebuilt clutch assembly.

Q: There is water in the steering box of my TO35, but there is no drain plug. I thought about drilling and installing a plug on the right side where there is a blank spot. I don’t want to remove it from the tractor. Any thoughts? February 20, 2015.

A: If you have water in the steering box and its been in there for any length of time there is a good chance the recirculating balls in the worm drive have rusted and pitted. If that happens the only solution is to replace that recirculating ball nut steering gear/shaft. The water usually gets in when the seals under the steering wheel go to pot. Water leaks there also tend to take out the upper bearings. If it has manual steering, You can probably drill the casting and tap it for a plug but I believe you should be able to drain the steering box by simply removing one of the bottom bolts from the seal caps on either side of the gear box. The fill plug is located on top of the casting under the battery carrier. Its a slotted plug and because its located under the battery it often is corroded. You may have to drill the original plug and remove it with an easy out. Replace the slotted plug with a hex socket plug. Coat the threads with anti-seize compound and fill the hex socket opening with heavy grease or wax to keep it from being damaged by battery acid in the future. The grease or wax can be easily removed when you need to remove the plug.

Q: What is the best oil for the trans on the TO 20 right now I am using 30W motor oil in both motor and trans. October 10, 2014.

A: The correct oil for the transmission/rear axle/Ferguson system is SAE 90 weight mineral oil. You can purchase it in 2 gallon jugs at Tractor Supply Stores. Ask for “Traveler Ford Tractor All Mineral 90 Transmission Fluid” SKU #0806600.

You will need just under 6 gallons or 3 jugs to change the oil. Make sure you push the hydraulic control lever down to drain the lift cylinder and remove all 3 drain plugs, transmission, hydraulic pump, and rear axle housing to drain the oil. Oil is added at the plug on the top of the of the transmission, shift lever cover. It will take a while for the oil to flow to the rear housing so keep adding a little at a time and rechecking the level after you have added approximately 5 gallons. Then run the PTO, raise and lower the lift arms several times to make sure the pump and cylinder have oil in them and recheck the level.

This information is contained in the operators manual which is still available from AGCO/Massey Ferguson. The original factory service manual and parts book are also still available. You can order these manuals on line from AGCO/MF. If you need additional information, please let me know. 30 weight motor oil is correct for the engine for warm weather operation.

Q: When I first bought my TO-20 in 2012, I was unable to adjust the steering tubes to get the proper “toe-in” on the front wheels: even with the drag link ends/tubes adjusted to be as short as possible, I still had “toe-out”, rather than “toe-in.” I blamed the problem, at least in part, on worn out spindles/bushings, pivot pin/bushing and drag link ends, all of which I replaced. Even with all of the new parts, however, the tubes/ends were still too long. (The steering arms are timed correctly, per the manual.)

An additional issue also appeared to be that the new front drag link ends had a longer threaded shank than the old ones, which caused the front drag link ends to “bottom out” in the tube. With the shorter tubes, it looks like there’s a very long portion of the threaded shank of the drag link ends exposed, and it doesn’t look quite right. Have you run into this before?

Is it OK to use the shorter steering tubes, even though it looks like a lot of thread is exposed? July 23, 2014.

A: It is possible your tractor has a mix of TO and TE parts. The steering parts are similar but not the same. I do not have the measurements for the different tubes. The tube assembly, tube pus ends, is serviced with the same part number but the ends are different for the TO and TE models. Not sure what the exact difference is however but over the years I have found when there is a problem with the ends being right for the tractor, going to the other part number for the ends solved the problem.

There is also the possibility there might be TO-35 tube assemblies involved. The early TO-35 assemblies were similar to the TO-20 and TO-30. I would suggest finding a TO tractor with correct tubes for a TO and measuring the tubes and comparing them to the length of yours. If the lengths of the tubes are the same as those on your tractor and the ends seem correct the problem must be in the gear timing. When correctly timed the end of the arms should be directly over the foot pegs.

Looking at the picture you sent I think your steering is times correctly. I am curious to see how the ends of the arms would look if they were timed so they were back one gear tooth further. If the tube lengths check out, I would be tempted to try timing the arms so they were just a bit farther back.

There is one other possibility. The spindles may be reversed. The spindles are left and right hand. With the axle pointing straight down to the ground, the key-way on the right hand spindle should be to the right of vertical and the key-way on the left spindle should be to the left of vertical when the spindle shaft is viewed from the top down. I’ll send you a picture from the shop manual.

Q: I need a small steering bearing for my F-40, its the one right below the steering wheel — it is a 1956 model. Can you help me find one? May 1, 2014.

A: I have been unable to locate the small bearing. However, I found out there is a kit available from MF to service the steering column but, I can’t figure out what’s in the kit. The kit is part number 1035054M91. Jack’s Small Engines (Jacks) has the kit priced at $155.80 The kit is supposed to have replacement parts for the bearings in the steering column but like I said, I haven’t been able to find out what’s in the kit.

I do know there is or was an updated part that could be used to replace the individual ball bearings. That is part number 1024477M91. That part number is a bearing assembly that replaces the individual balls. However, so far I have been unable to locate one as it comes up as an obsolete part.

The individual balls which were originally part number 13535X are now part number 22199X. Jack’s sells them for $0.74/each. Early versions of the F-40 did not use the bearing in the top of the steering column but, instead used a bushing.

I would suggest an alternative to the top bearing. Have a bushing, approximately 1″ to 2″ long, the longer the better, made out of a bearing plastic like Delrin. Just about any machinist with a lathe should be able to make the bushing for you. Sorry I couldn’t be more help but I think purchasing the individual bearing balls and having the plastic bushing made to replace the top bearing will solve your problem.

FYI my farm, where most of my tractors and implements are located is in Rock, which is about half way between Escanaba and Marquette.

>Q: How common was the Sherman transmission in a TO30?

A: The Sherman was probably the most often used overdrive or over/underdrive used. The other two you see are the Hupp and the F&T but, the F&T is pretty rare. These auxiliary transmissions were more common in the Ford 9N and 2N because they only had two working gears. The 4 speed in the TO-30 as well as the TO-20 provided a good range of working gears,’ Sherman also made a Live Power Take Off transmission for the TO-30. A creeper gear or underdrive transmission and a shuttle transmission was popular on loader tractors because you could move forward and back at the same speed.

Q: The TE20’s from the 1940’s seem to have had steering wheels with round bare metal spokes. I have seen photographs of tractors in the factory with flatter, wider spokes. Later tractors from the 1950’s have wider covered spokes that are covered but, I am not referring to these. We’re the wider spokes fitted to tractors for the USA market when TE’s were being shipped from Coventry in 1949 and 1950?. Have you observed any of these steering wheels on TE’s?.

A: The only wide spoke ones I’ve seen are “Bakelite” or rubber covered on a later model TEA-20. (1952). The flat spoke steering wheels in the picture you sent are not like any I have ever seen on a Ferguson TE or TO-20. I can’t tell if the spokes are bare metal or covered. They do appear to be similar to the replacement steering wheel AGCO supplied for these tractors and it is a covered spoke wheel.

AGCO no longer supplies either the metal spoke steering wheel or the original covered spoke steering wheel. These are currently available from Steiner Tractor Parts here in Lennon, Michigan. Just FYI, there were two versions of the original covered spoke steering wheel used on the US built tractors and sold by Ferguson and MF parts here in the US. There was a smooth or plain rim version and a grooved rim version. I was told that these two versions came from two different suppliers. Both versions were used in production.

Q: It was a pleasure to meet you at the EXPO. What a great group, and like I wrote my brother: “there’re no phonies in this tractor club, just real guys”. I,m having a good time with our “new” 1955 TO-35 Deluxe, S/N 165398. Do you know of any good ways to access the dashboard underside, for replacing gauges & tractormeter, and for cleaning and painting?

A: Sadly there is no easy way to access the underside of the dash, unless you remove the entire panel. It is much easier to connect the wires for the ignition switch and starter switch before you attach them to the dash. As for the gauges, I have found that nut drivers or deep well 1/4″ drive sockets make it easier to install and remove the bolts on the gauges.

Q: I want to order tie rod ends for my TO 35 Fergie. Do they come in more than one size? Mine are larger in diameter on the rear Pitman arms and, I was wondering if the larger (originals) are no longer available. Are some folks doing restorations using the smaller size ?

A: All TO-35s used part number 180 391 M91 for the rear tie rod end. This is the same tie rod end used on the TO-20 and TO-30 and would be Steiner part number MFS176.

The original leather boots for this tie rod are being reproduced as well as similar looking one with a rubber boot. AGCO/MF replaced the original 180 391 M91 with part number 193 733 M91 and then with 193 733 V91 which should be the same as the after-market one Steiner is selling. Between the phase-out of part number 180 391 M91 and the change over to part number 193 733 V91, MF/AGCO supplied a version of the 180 391 M91 tie rod end without a grease zerk and without a machined base to receive the original leather boot. These tie rod ends used the new boot or cover, part number 196 099 M91, used on the later MF-35 tie rod ends.

As to the outer diameter or these tie rod end, the NOS tie rod ends I have on hand, part number 180 391 M91, the outer diameter is approximately 1 3/4″. They do not have grease zerks but are sealed units. The ones I have are the later version of 180 391 M91 that uses the 196 099 M91 boot or cover. The later MF-35 used different tie rods and tie rod ends. These later MF-35 tie rods could be installed on the earlier TO-35. The later style MF-35 tie rods were beefier and used a jamb nut to lock the tie rod length adjustment rather than the clamps used on the earlier TO-35.

Q: I’m looking for help with my Ferguson TO-35 Steering box disassembly. I am looking for the felts, o-rings and shims for the sector shafts. Can you help me find them?

A: I believe these are the parts you need and they are all still available from AGCO/lMF. I’ve included the links to Jack’s Small Engines, a MF Dealer what sells parts on line but you should also be able to get these parts from any AGCO/MF dealer.The O rings and Oil Seal are also standard parts so I can also give you the manufacturers part numbers for those items and you can them from a bearing supply house.

The O ring, part number 180560M1 is still available. See the attached link from Jack’s for $1.47 ea., you need 2, http://www.jackssmallengines.com/searchdb2.cfm The O ring, part number 180559M1 is also still available, See the attached link from Jack’s for $2.38 ea., you need 2, http://www.jackssmallengines.com/searchdb2.cfm

The Felt Dust Seal, part number 180562M1 is still available, See the attached link from Jack’s for $1.30 ea., you need 2, http://www.jackssmallengines.com/searchdb2.cfm.

The Oil Seal, part number 833455X1 is still available, See the attached link from Jack’s for $11.88 ea., you need 2, http://www.jackssmallengines.com/searchdb2.cfm.

I have not been able to locate any shims at all, either the kits or the individual shims. Here are the part numbers for your information. I would suggest having your local dealer do a parts locator search to see if any dealers have them listed in their inventory. I can do that also if you wish. Here are the part numbers: 830627M91, Shim Kit, 180568M1 .002″ shim, 180569M1 .005″ shim, 180570M1 .010″ shim, 180571M1 .030″ shim.

Q: I am restoring a TE 20 and I am looking to find a Sherman transmission with an eye to saving Petrol which costs about $2.50 per liter. Can you help me find a Sherman transmission to put on my tractor? I read an article on Oldfordtractors.com that described the differences between Shernan transmissions for Ford and Ferguson tractors.

A: I am aware of this website and yes, they do an excellent job detailing the Sherman and other auxiliary transmissions. The Over and Under transmissions for Fergusons are a rather scarse item but they do show up on places like ebay and Craig’s List. Keep in mind there are numerous listings for Craig’s List as they do them regionally so you may want to check Craig’s List for Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, etc.

There is also the matter of items not be accurately described in these listings. I’ve seen many of the units described as being for Ferguson’s when they were clearly the Ford version and units that were described as being for Fords actually being the Ferguson unit. Of course you can use a unit designed to fit a Ferguson in a Ford but you cannot used the over/under drive unit designed for a Ford in a Ferguson unless you disconnect the gear shift operated starter linkage.

The bottom line is don’t take any of these descriptions at face value, ask for pictures and compare them with the ones on the website. You can install the Ford version in a Ferguson if you are willing to give up the gear shift starter but I don’t recommend that for safety reasons. When they do that they install either a dash mounted starter button like the ones on the early Ford 9N or a solenoid switch with a push button.

The Sherman OVERDRIVE transmission will fit the Ferguson TE-20, TEA-20, TO-20 and TO-30. If you are just interested in increasing your speed on the road you can get by with the Sherman Overdrive. The overdrive transmissions are much easier to locate and less expensive and the same unit will fit both the Ford and Ferguson.

Some other options would be the Hupp over/under drive and the F&T overdrive. Both of these units will fit either the Ford or the Ferguson. As I’m sure you are aware, you can get rebuild kits for the either the Sherman over/under or the overdrive from the guys at the website you found. They also sell parts for these transmissions and rebuilt or used transmissions. I’ll let you know if I see any of these transmissions for sale.

Q: Hi Bob, is there anyone who supplies parts for TE-20 transmissions? I Need the input shaft or pilot shaft bearing. My original TE-20 parts manual calls it the main drive bearing assembly part number 4073 comprising 4085 cone and roller, and 4075 cup not serviced separately. Please help! The model is TE28343.

A: The old Ferguson part number 4085, the bearing cone, is now MF part number 15854X and it is still available from AGCO/MF for around $10. It is also available as Timken, Bower or SKF bearing number 25820. The old Ferguson part number 4075, the bearing cup or race, is now MF part number 15853X and it is still available from AGCO for around $20. It is also available as Timken, Bower or SKF bearing number 25877.

You should also replace the seal when you replace the bearings, it is MF part number 195760M1 and it is still available from AGCO fro around $15.00. It is also available as National seal # 5872. You should also replace the gasket, MF part # 181746M1 which is also still available for around $3.50. I know I have the gasket on hand. I suspect you can get the bearings and seals locally, either from a local dealer or from an automotive supply or bearing store.