Farmall Cub

The steering arms on 49-1 are welded to the knuckels. I'm wondering if I should grind off the weld and fix them correctly or clean up the welds (poor welding) and leave them for the time being?

I can re-weld them and make them look good but...

All the bushings seem to be ok but it sure looks like

I'm leaning toward fixing them but, right now I need a little push.

Donny, One of my parts tractors and one of my future project tractors have the arms welded to the knuckles. In fact, the weld on one of them is broken already. I have no intention of re-welding them. They will be ground down and fixed correctly when that tractor is worked on.

Donny:

I have absolutely no experience to state this, but here goes anyways. It is my intention that all parts on Jethro will be restored to original condition, ie - the way it was designed to be. No weld jobs, no half measures. I am only going to rebuild him once - so it is going to be the right way.

I would therefore recommend that you fix it right! I think you will probably be happier.

Oh, looks like I might actually get him split this week!

If it's the old style using the set screw that fits into the cone shaped hole in the spindle when you grind off the weld and disassemble it you might find that it is welded because the previous owner let the screw get loose and it wallowed out the hole in the spindle so bad set screws could no longer be tightened enough to hold. Repairing a wallowed out hole would probably be an expensive job.

Of course you could always weld it back at that point if you wanted.

P.S. Set screws aren't cheap either.

Donny I save this from either here or the other broad don't remember who the author was but it sounded like a good fix. but I have never tried it

From other posts and talking to other Cub owners at various shows I know that the steering arm becoming loose on the early Cubs is a problem. The coarse thread bolts are not available.
I solved my problem by removing the arm and spindle from the tractor. I mounted the spindle in a vise, installed the steering arm and drilled a 7/16th hole completely through the arm and spindle. I removed the arm and installed a 7/16 - 14 helicoil in the back side of the arm. I then took a hack-saw and cut a slot in the back of the arm (90o from the drilled hole). After installing the spindle in the tractor I used a 2 1/2 inch long bolt with nut run up to head to secure the arm. It still looks like the original setup.
Hope this helps others. It was cheaper than buying late model spindles

This is what they looked like this afternoon:


And the grinding and a good file:


Now good news and bad news. The reason they were welded is because the knuckels have the hole for the large set screw and no key way. The steering arms themselves are the pinch bolt type with the key way. I can cut a key way in the knuckles and that should fix things. I think that the key way is in line with the hub but the parts manual isn't clear. Could someone confirm this

The good news is that the axle came apart without much effort I was dreading pressing those apart but I got very lucky. The KROIL must have done the trick.

Looks like you are making progress on it. So you like the kroil-oil huh!!?. I have been looking for that Solvo-Rust stuff that Rudi said was great stuff but haven`t found any in town yet. Looking at your bottom picture I thought you were cooking a barbeque but then I seen at closer look that it is a sand-pot.

Donny:

Ya know, sometimes I really need to read a post 3 or 4 times to figure out exactly what people are saying. I have just reread it again for the umpteenth time and figured out what was going on. Then I saw this last post of yours and like Duhhhhhh! Geez sometimes I think I need a new brain cause this one is toast....

I have 2 count em! 2 front axle assemblies. One if basically perfect. The other one however has seen a jack-ss with a stick welder trying to fix something he should have got parts for.

You however, have achieved much more than I have. It is at the point where I am going to leave the welded arms to the knuckles alone. I have tried to loosen up one and not a chance. Good thing they are only for my wagon otherwise I would be looking for a new spindle!