Wandering right hand steering Ford 4110

[Ross040457]

Does anyone have firsthand knowledge in correctly diagnosing the above fault.
I bought the tractor with front end loader attached and over time the steering has begun to toe in or toe out particularly on the right wheel.
From what I can tell the possible cause is a worn seal in right side power steering ram. It seems that the original rams are not repairable and aftermarket replacements are a heavier design and have replaceable components.

I'd want to be sure that I'm not missing any other causes of the issue any help would be appreciated.

Thanks Ross

 

[skyhook]

Lift the front of the tractor and move the wheel "left to right",
observe whats loose, could be a tie rod end.

 

[Ivan49]

Lift the front of the tractor and check your wheel bearings

 

[pacerron]

Is your tractor 2 WD with adjustable wheel widths?

If it is you probably have a center axle with various holes in it to widen or shorten the wheel width.
I broke an axle like this on my 3910. Ordered a new one but it is not available as an OEM part anymore. So they ordered
some foreign made aftermarket replacement. Within 2-3 uses doing nothing more than scooping horse manure with the FEL
the Camber began to change, more on one side than the other, which caused steering problems. Closer looking revealed that the
aftermarket replacement apparently had not been hardened properly and the axle was bending up.
Replaced that with a used reconditioned crack tested axle and it has been fine for over 400 hours of use.

Might not be related to your problem since you did not define what type front axle you have.

 

[Ross040457]

Thanks for the info, The axle is as you described and doesn't appear to be damaged or worn.I have removed lifted the front end and removed and checked the bearings as suggested previously. The wheel bearings were in poor condition though they were firm prior to removal.

I would guess that they are a major part of the problem though there may be additional wear that I haven't discovered as yet. One ball joint is also quite worn.

Thanks again for your help so far.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Since both wheels should be connected by a tie rod which is then connected to the steering cylinder, if the cylinder was bad, both wheels would move in the same direction if it were leaking by the seals. I suspect that you have one or more worn out tie rod ends which should be a simple replacement. It doesn't take much slack in a tie rod for the wheel to drive left/right or wobble back and forthlike a drunk sailor.

 

[pacerron]

Thanks for the info, The axle is as you described and doesn't appear to be damaged or worn.I have removed lifted the front end and removed and checked the bearings as suggested previously. The wheel bearings were in poor condition though they were firm prior to removal.

I would guess that they are a major part of the problem though there may be additional wear that I haven't discovered as yet. One ball joint is also quite worn.

Thanks again for your help so far.

How many hours show on the hour meter?

 

[Ross040457]

How many hours show on the hour meter?

3480 hours

 

[pacerron]

3480 hours

Could be some wear then particularly if not greased properly and bolts kept tight.

I have over 4000 hours on the 3910 and everything is still tight. It has always had a FEL on it used to pull trees over, dig stumps, dirt, stack hay rolls in the barn and whatever.
Plowed, mowed, made hay plus a lot of hours with a big Kelly backhoe attachment, on the back, so it has been used to do a lot of aggressive work. Those old tractors were built tuff compared to the pretty creature comfort ones made today.

 

[Soundguy]

i'd be checking those tie rod ends like GF mentioned!

draglink end too.

the wheel bearing / hub wear didn't help either..

 

[Ross040457]

Thanks I replaced the wheel bearings, half moon keys at the top of the kingpins this has tightened things up a fair bit though apart from one worn ball joint that I will replace when available, the drag links etc ar pretty good.
There is some evidence of the camber being wider at the bottom than the top of the wheels so the next thing I plan to do is check the main axle for true along with the adjustable stubs.

 

[pacerron]

Thanks I replaced the wheel bearings, half moon keys at the top of the kingpins this has tightened things up a fair bit though apart from one worn ball joint that I will replace when available, the drag links etc ar pretty good.
There is some evidence of the camber being wider at the bottom than the top of the wheels so the next thing I plan to do is check the main axle for true along with the adjustable stubs.

Would be better if it were a little wider at the top for steering box and wheel bearing wear.
Wider at the bottom was what made me realize the non OEM replacement axle was bending. When I rolled the barn door open that the unit sits behind my eyes saw the wheels
spread out at the bottom being different than it had been for years before.
Check the cross axle for hairline cracks where the bolts go through. You might try taking the weight off the front axle and loosening the bolts enough to see the cross axle
where it makes contact with the wheel arms.

 

[Soundguy]

that camber out can be from worn spindle bushings as well

 

[pacerron]

Ross
Hopefully you won't end up like this.
I was lucky as was just mowing a relatively flat area when it let go with no advanced warning. On a hill it could cause a rollover.
Is your land flat in New South Wales?

 

[Raised on a Deere]

Ross
Hopefully you won't end up like this.
I was lucky as was just mowing a relatively flat area when it let go with no advanced warning. On a hill it could cause a rollover.
Is your land flat in New South Wales?

That brings back memories. When I built my first house I borrowed a friends John Deere 4640 or some such model, about a 65 or so horsepower tractor two wheel drive to finish up moving some dirt for landscaping and learned that tractors with front loaders are not bull dozers nevertheless I move a lot of dirt and picked up a few large slabs of rock to move out of the way and after a few days of this I returned his tractor which was used on a dairy. Drove down the highway for about 12 miles to and from and up a rough country lane road.

Put the tractor in the barn and felt like all was well. About two weeks later when my friend returned home from business trip (shades of Green Acres) he was eager to get in some seat time cleaning out some barn yards and driveways. He climbed on his tractor and just as he hit the starter the axle broke and looked just like that picture.

The tractor had a lot of hours on it but I did not do it any favors with what I used it for. My friend called the John Deere dealer and had them come out with a new 4wd model and never batted an eye my way. When I saw the break it was obviously a fatigue crack and all I had done is help it along a bit but basically it was just going to let go any day.

If it had broken while I was using it, it would have been my dime for sure, but he was wealthy and just helping me out so did not make too much of the fact that a I was the last to use it.

He later commented that that axle breaking was a god send because he did not know that it was not necessary to struggle with backing out a load. 4wd changed his world.