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I don't have a lathe . . .

Grumpy

. . but I do have an ancient compact tractor!

The power steering ram is connected to the steering arm with the usual ball coupling but with a straight M12 bolt rather than the tapered bolt that you generally find on track rod ends.

Unfortunately the M12 hole in the steering arm has become ovalled causing excessive play.

The steering arm is part of the casting for the front hub and 4WD system and cannot be removed so any repair will have to be in situ.

My first thoughts were to try and drill out and then ream the oval to 18mm and insert a new 12mm id bush but I was wondering if the collective brains on here had a better solution.

Thanks. G

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  • in reply to kfh

    Right, I've taken pics, hopefully I'll be able to attach them!

    I'm not convinced that this hssn't been bodged in the past as, surely, a taper would be more usual. The arm is 18mm thick and the oval is 15mm x 17.5mm.

    I briefly used a conical drill to clean up the top of the hole and the metal is quite soft so I would have no difficulty drilling out to 18mm for a bush. And as you can see there is plenty of meat left around the hole.

    But do you think this approach will work ie a straight bolt or should I be looking to replace the existing ball joint with a tapered type? If so, how do I match the taper when drilling the arm out. Finally, it'll be a pretty big old taper if it's got to be 18mm at the bottom. As you can tell, this is not my area of expertise so all comments welcome!

  • in reply to Grumpy

    Darn, there was one more . . .

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