Farmall Cub

Ken and all:

Yup, that is probably what I am going to have to do. Been told of a little trick. Will try it and take pics as I go along. Will let y'all know how that little job turns out when I can get around to it.

As it is, I got my potato digger working today. Took me a while to find the chain I needed for the sprockets to get the bed chain running. Finally found it in Amherst NS, about 40 miles away from home. It was #55 chain. They didn't have any, but the dealer cross town had #55 Hay Elevator Chain, so I bought that. $6.50 a foot and a 10 foot minimum.... oh well, that still makes the whole shootin match only 65 plus tax.... so I figure I still am way ahead of the game on the digger. (sold some parts which ended up paying for the digger and then some!). We had to take the chain apart and remove the hooked links then re-assemble the chain. Got lots left over for repairs though.

Anyways, seems to work alright. Have to re-adjust the chain to run under the idler though, right now it is running over and needs to be changed.

The digger is an old horse drawn Massey-Harris. Sure wish I could find an owners and parts manual for it. Would help figuring it out....

K guys:

Class is back in again, and it is time for the profs to come up with some tips.

How in tarnation do I get the poppet ball to compress into the bore and stay there whilst I somehow manage to slide the rail back in

Every time I try, the dang ball just ends up getting stuffed up against the expansion plug by the rod.... I have done this over and over and over. I am beginning to feel like the everready bunny

Course, I found the original poppet ball as well, right after I bought a new poppet ball and a spring. Poppet ball was rammed up against the expansion plug and the spring was buried in the bore under a lot of brown gunk... Aaaaannnd, true to its kind - danged if them poppet balls didn't both fall down into the tranny case.

Finally jacked up Granny, searched around in there for a couple of hours (getting crankier by the minute), and still no luck. Then, my FIL said I should check the drain plug. Well had already done that, plug was removed and brown sloppy crud was still dripping out of the bottom of the tranny case. Stuck in the magnet, clunk - voila One poppet ball. Did it again and voila another poppet ball. Geeesh How come they weren't there when I had thought of checking it

Any and all suggestions welcome

Rudi,

Get yourself a 1/4" drift punch and push the poppet down as far as you can. Then slide the rod. It will take some force to get it past the poppet the first time. I use a small pair of vise grips with the jaws taped up. Put the jaws at the shifting fork notch and push push push

Rudi,

Donny is right on. By using a smaller drift, the rail will come forward far enough that the ball can't get out. Another tip... rotate the rail sideways until you have it completely forward so you don't have to work against the detents. When you rotate it so you can get the bolt in for the shift fork, it will automatically be right for the detent.

Donny, George:

K, will try your advice. Makes a lot of sense. Hopefully I can get it together in the morning.

Donny, George:

Eureka By Jove, methinks I got it

Finally after many, many and again many attempts (occassioned by a number of hunt and searches for the poppet balls inside the tranny case ), I finally was able to get the poppet ball and the rod back in.

Donny, way to go buddy Did exactly as you told me, and when I finally achieved success it was with a version of your drift punch idea. Didn't have (read don't own) a 1/4" drift punch (will correct shortly ) so I used my noggin and grabbed my 5mm Stihl chain saw file Good thing too - as the hand lift was in the way (of course ) and the file gave me the length I needed to get by the lift and into the bore.

George, yupper, you too da man You were right. As soon as I got the rail to the second detent, the fork lined up perfectly, bolt almost fell into it's mating end

I likes it when stuff works...

However, everything is not rosy.... next post will describe.

Thanks again guys. I am getting there slowly

Way to go Rudi

I knew you could do it

Donny:

You had a lot more faith and confidence than I did.

One thing about these Cubs though, you sure do get an edumacation