(ET) Steering

["Rhett T. George" <rtg ee duke edu>]

 - Greetings -

Two items have contributed to steering problems on the E-20 here.

First, as Chris says, keep the kingpins well-lubricated, especially
if the front axle is the later, welded assembly.  The goof-offs who
misdesigned it have steel against steel for a shaft and bearing sur-
face.  If run dry, one or both pieces will gall.  I had that happen.
Repair required raising the tractor front end a bit, removing the 
clip rings at the top of each kingpin, and wiggling, pushing, wob-
bling, and driving the kingpin with spindle down.  Once free, the
raised nodules on the kingpins were filed down, the bores smoothed,
the pieces reassembled, and the resolve to keep it greased was made.

The second problem is too much clearance between steering wheel shaft
pinion and the sector gear carried on the longitudinal steering shaft.
It has been so long since I did this that memory fails.  Likely I put
shims between the sector gear and the bearing just forward of it to 
get a proper mesh.

The brake pedal pivot has a single, rinky-dink bearing.  I put the
brake actuator and pedal on a longer shaft and added a bearing under
the floor.  Brake action has been much smoother.

Hope this helps.  Keep on 'Traking.

                                        Rhett