Disc Harrow old disc repair

[MORRISONSTEEL]

Hi. I am trying to repair an old disc I acquired. The disc axles go through two housings that seem as though they should have a bearing, though there is no bearing, just some sort of liner of unknown material. The housing and the liner are round, though the axle is square. Any information on how this works would be much appreciated. I am attaching some photos.

Square gangs with round hole bearings is not terribly unusual. Deere has done it for decades on tandem discs. Yours kind of looks farmerized. If really wanting to repair I would go with 1 1/8 sq gang (this will give you a huge selection of disc blades, and there are also lots of companies that will put whatever hole size you want in a disc), from there the round hole bearing simply rides on a piece of pipe that matches the appropriate disc spacing in relationship to bearing location (the act of tightening the gang is what keeps the pipe from wearing on the gang). Steel bearing flanges can simply be bolted to your original standards (looks like you have enough material). I have also spoken to many an individual over the years with a really hard chunk of plastic/rubber insisting it is some form of a bearing or seal, when in reality it was just twine (or something similar) that got wrapped up in there and over the years of getting hot, then cold, then hot, etc, eventually this wad of twine (that we all know can snake its way into anything) now really really resembles a manufactured part when it is really just molded plastic from its environment. And as another mentioned chemically soaked wood was used many moons ago for bearings. If you wanted to see some parts images of sq gang w/ rd brgs look at Deere tandems like say a 230-235 disc. Then again it may be more work and cost than the old girl is worth and might just look for another unit. Good luck

 

[cedar21]

Thanks for the information and advice. The rubber looking material is in all of the housings that the disc axles run through, so it must be there on purpose. I have not had the time to get into trying to get it out of the housing yet. It was missing a disc, and that is what started the process of taking it apart. For $350.00, I guess I should not have expected much. I bought it sight unseen, and the frame broke within the first 10 feet I pulled it. The ad had said it was ready to work. I did actually use it with the one missing disc. It was certainly better than no disc at all. Still hoping to try to fix it.

 

[cedar21]

The rubber looking material could be greased soaked wood. There is a metal tube inside of the material, that runs through the housing. This is what the axle was riding inside of.

 

[M5farms]

looks like a homemade bearing. with a liner and huge amount of grease . If it were mine I would make new hangers and put a real bearing in it . the issue will be finding the right spacers for each side of the bearing. Square shafts are the standard on these type of disc.

 

[downslope]

....The ad had said it was ready to work. Still hoping to try to fix it.

Are you sure the ad didn't say ready to work on?

 

[cedar21]

It should have said that.

 

[cedar21]

I just "Googled" wooden bearings, and found a picture of a disc that looks like the one I have. Am attaching the photo. It is on the "Yesterday's Tractors" website: Ford 9N, 2N & 8N Discussion Board - Re: Disc Harrows, Which One???

 

[countrybumpkin]

Woodex, bearing co may have them, or can at least make replacement ones, may not be cheap. I too would agree on not sticking a bunch of money into it, may even be able to find a few used blades to throw on it. Then sell it and look for a little better setup. Not sure of your plans for using it , but that too would come into the decision.

 

[cedar21]

I was going to use it to work about 2 or acres, in the spring and fall.

 

[2458n]

Thank you for posting on the old ford disc. Hooked my old 52 Dearborn on a telephone pole and of course bent the last disc. Put field rock on it till the 3pt. would barely lift it. Going fine until I turned and broke two of the blades. Fix will be 30 years later. If I can find the parts needed.

 

[FredH]

Depending on how much time involved and parts availability + costs , Maybe scarp it for $$$ then use that to check out what this guys have to offer :

Woods Equipment - farm & garden - by dealer - sale ??????????????

I bought a 6.5' KK years ago and modified the gangs for my intended purpose . Basically widened it by 6" or so , with both front row and back row disks cupped outwards . Throws soil out from center and for center tillage , I have a 18" ripper . Has 5 100# weights on it , plus some large channel holding those weights . Weighs around 1,100+ # total . Use it for making 7' fire breaks around property . Even if I don't get to that project until soil starts to dry out , It still tears the tar out of the Clay soil we have here .

Agri supply is a pretty good source for parts also . Your Disk is likely fixable , maybe not to original , but with some mods to accommodate more modern parts . But then again , $$ to repair versus cost of a used or even a new disk harrow ???

Fred H.

 

[cedar21]

I am not able to afford a new disc at the moment, otherwise I would go that route.

Interesting to hear about the disc you modified. I would be happy just to have a disc that is usable for this season.

With the bearing on the disc I have, if they are wood, I am not sure what the purpose of the metal pipe inside of the bearing would be, or if that may have been a modification made by a previous owner.

 

[downslope]

I am not able to afford a new disc at the moment, otherwise I would go that route.

Interesting to hear about the disc you modified. I would be happy just to have a disc that is usable for this season.

With the bearing on the disc I have, if they are wood, I am not sure what the purpose of the metal pipe inside of the bearing would be, or if that may have been a modification made by a previous owner.

The metal pipe could be in there to maintain the spacing when you tighten down on the gang bolts (they have to be really tight). Without the pipe you would just be compressing the wood insert and you would never be able to keep it tight, the disks would start to wobble and/or rub on the frame.

If it is s Dearborn disk there are usually part numbers on the back side of the housings near the grease fittings.

Take a good clear picture of an individual bearing assembly front and back, showing how it attaches to the hanger that connects to the frame. Also measure the spacing between adjacent disks. Check them all, at least the ones where the gang bolts are tight; are they all the same, like maybe 6.5 or 7 inches. Let us know what you find.

It's a shame, the blades look in good shape, it looks like it has scrapers, nothing bent up. Maybe you'll luck out and can just slap it back together with a lot of grease. If the bearings are in fact wood and they are just cylindrical with no grooves it seems it would be easy to make up new ones from a hardwood. Good luck.

 

[Degolyerent]

Thank you for posting on the old ford disc. Hooked my old 52 Dearborn on a telephone pole and of course bent the last disc. Put field rock on it till the 3pt. would barely lift it. Going fine until I turned and broke two of the blades. Fix will be 30 years later. If I can find the parts needed.

I have a early 50's Dearborn disc and have bought blades, bearings and axles at Agri-Supply.

 

[Jstpssng]

I am not able to afford a new disc at the moment, otherwise I would go that route.

Interesting to hear about the disc you modified. I would be happy just to have a disc that is usable for this season.

With the bearing on the disc I have, if they are wood, I am not sure what the purpose of the metal pipe inside of the bearing would be, or if that may have been a modification made by a previous owner.

Several people have mentioned AgriSupply; they are probably the quickest, least expensive way to go. You can buy the entire bearing housing and spool for $18.00 plus shipping; it may take a little fabricating you will be ready to go. I have an old Dearborne harrow which I have fixed this way. At the time I could have bought the correct parts, but they were quite pricey.

 

[Jstpssng]

Here are some pictures of parts for my harrow. This one shows both my old and new bearings, the corresponding spools; along with the shaft which goes through them. There also is another half of each housing. This shows the new bearing and spool separately. The third picture shows each bearing and spool together. The one on the right is the original, which had a wooden bushing between the two pieces of metal. (I tried to find the old wooden bushing, but must have gotten tired of looking at it and tossed it.)

 

[Jstpssng]

I have a early 50's Dearborn disc and have bought blades, bearings and axles at Agri-Supply.

You also can still find the old wooden bearings. Replacement Wood Bearings for Disc Harrows, Cultipackers & Other Farm Equipment | Woodex

 

[MORRISONSTEEL]

The metal pipe could be in there to maintain the spacing when you tighten down on the gang bolts (they have to be really tight). Without the pipe you would just be compressing the wood insert and you would never be able to keep it tight, the disks would start to wobble and/or rub on the frame.

That is exactly why the metal pipe is there to allow tightening of the gang and to allow the assembly to spin as an assembly. In tough conditions if the gang is loose it will break the centers out of the discs. As a side note there isn't a single disc retailer that will warranty a disc blade that has a broken center, they will blame it on a loose gang every time.

 

[cedar21]

Thanks for the information. Would it be accurate to say that the entire wood and metal pipe assembly supposed to spin in the housing then? At the moment it does not move.

 

[downslope]

Several people have mentioned AgriSupply; they are probably the quickest, least expensive way to go. You can buy the entire bearing housing and spool for $18.00 plus shipping; it may take a little fabricating you will be ready to go. I have an old Dearborne harrow which I have fixed this way. At the time I could have bought the correct parts, but they were quite pricey.

If you can buy all 3 pieces for $18 (is that a current price?) it is certainly worth looking into. Just be sure the width of the spools is the same as the current spacers that are on the disk. Also be sure that the square center hole is the same size as your axle and the disk blade centers. Then you can fabricate a bracket that will bolt to the top bearing half and weld/bolt it to the harrow frame.