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How to Rebuild an IH 1066 Axle and Steering

02.21.2021 by simplysustainablefamily //

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For Warren, perfecting how to rebuild this IH 1066 axle and steering has been a fun winter project. He has many memories with this family tractor. This was the first full-size farm tractor his grandfather ever purchased. It spent many years running a silage chopper for dairy and beef cattle. And, he spent many hours riding on the fender while his grandfather operated it. After about 50 years of farming, his grandfather recently retired. We had the privilege of buying two of his tractors, including this old workhorse. Warren’s latest project has been to restore it to a fully functional and dependable haying tractor. Follow along as he rebuilds the front axle, upgrades the steering, installs safety lights, and replaces some of the original electrical.

IH 1066 in a barn with the hood side panel removed while it is undergoing a functional restoration.
Warren has the hood side panel removed here. He has turned part of our old dairy barn into a repair shop for his tractors and machinery.

IH 1066 Axle Rebuild

While haying last year, traveling between farms with this tractor was exciting to say the least. The front tires wobbled so badly that the steering arms and tires were moving in opposite directions after hitting even the slightest bump. So, our priority this winter was to make this tractor road-worthy for summer haying.

Tearing it Apart and Assessing the Damage

Initially, Warren thought he would be replacing a couple bushings and possibly the steering cylinder. But, like most farm machinery repairs, it ended up being way more involved. The final assessment showed the following damaged areas:

  • main pivot pin
  • steering cylinder yoke pin
  • steering arm splines and snap ring
  • spindle thrust bearings
  • wheel bearings
  • steering cylinder and attachment points
  • sway pivot ball housings
  • bolts in the axle tube on one side

Also, he ended up not replacing the Bushings at all since the wear was concentrated on the pins themselves. At least there was a little good news mixed in.

To see the videos detailing these repairs click here.

Tips, Tricks, and Trivia for Rebuilding an IH 1066 Axle and Steering Column

JB Weld Trick for the Loose Steering Arms:

steering arm and nut of a 66 series IH front axle with new washer and nut installed after JB weld application.

A steering arm and spindle assembly typically costs close to $300 per side. But, you can get around purchasing this by using the JB Weld trick. It is discussed on several of the tractor forums, and involves the following steps:

  • First, replace any worn out spindle bushings.
  • Second, replace the spindle thrust bearings. The bearings on our tractor were so worn out that the balls were entirely missing from the bearings.
  • Third, replace the snap ring if missing. The snap ring holds the JB weld into the splines once everything is re-assembled. So, this is a vital component that cannot be overlooked.
  • Fourth, clean everything with brake cleaner. All oil residue must be removed so the JB Weld can cure.
  • Fifth, test to make sure the steering arm will fit over the snap ring. Ours were so worn that they did not fit. To fix this, Warren had to grind the arm down with a Dremel.
  • Sixth, do a final and full test fit of everything before adding the JB Weld. Otherwise, the resistance of the JB Weld can hide a loose fit that has not been properly positioned.
  • Seventh, apply the JB Weld above the snap ring on the splines of the spindle. It is very important to line up the steering arm and spindle without wiggling the JB Weld. Otherwise, you risk making voids in the JB Weld.
  • Eighth, re-torque at 24 hours.

So, instead of a $600 cost, the cost of the JB Weld and snap rings was less than $10.

How to Rebuild an IH 1066 Axle: The Sway Ball Pivot

housings for the sway pivot ball on a 66 series IH tractor

The photo above shows 3 bolts that hold the Sway Pivot Ball Housings together. Between the two housings, there usually is a series of thin spacers. Depending on the amount of wear that your tractor has, you may only have to remove one or two of these spacers. Removing the spacers helps to compensate for wear from the Pivot Ball on the Housings. With our tractor, there was too much wear for this to be effective. So, Warren replaced both housings. This eliminated a 3/4 inch front-to-back axle sway that was present before the rebuild.

Tips:

  • We did our rebuild when the temperature was below 20 degrees. So, a heat gun helped significantly with the curing process.
  • The bushings are often hard enough that the pins are the only wear point. So, you can often get away with replacing the pins and using the original bushings in the main axle and steering cylinder yoke.
  • Front to back movement of the axle is controlled by the pivot ball. This is made from hardened steel, and its housing is cast iron. Again, the ball can often be re-used if you replace the housing.

Trivia:

the upgraded 86 steering cylinder end installed after the reaming process was finished.
66 Series IH Front Axle Updated to an 86 Series Tapered Steering Cylinder End

The 66 series IH tractors primarily used a pin and block assembly at the end of the steering cylinder. This will usually wear out and increase the play of the axle and steering. The 86 series IH tractors used a ball joint instead of the pin and block. This has a tapered fitting absorbs some of the wear and prevents that extra play from occurring. It turns out that the 66 series can be upgraded to match the 86 series. Two things are required for this upgrade:

  • 86 series steering cylinder with the ball joint
  • tapered ball joint reamer

The reamer can be used in several ways. You can use a heavy duty drill. But, Warren found this to be hard on his arms and hands because of the constant torque. Instead, the reamer can be modified into a bridge reamer. To do this, find a large nut that fits onto the reamer’s shaft and weld the nut to the shaft. This will allow you to use an impact driver instead.

It is not necessary to take the axle off the tractor for this project. Instead, you can remove the tire on the side you are working on. Or, you can jack up the other side.

IH 1066 tractor with canopy and loader and ROPS parked in a homestead field.
The guys are very excited to try out their new toy with its freshly completed Functional Rebuild.

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Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain our own. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my full disclosure here.

Ball Joint Taper Reamer

DEWALT 20V MAX Cordless Impact Wrench Kit, 1/2 inch

TapMagic

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Meet the family!

Hi, our names are Ruth and Warren, and we live on our family homestead with our 3 sidekicks. We are committed to a sustainable and healthy farm family lifestyle, and we want to take you on that journey with us every single week. We are just crazy enough to find it enjoyable, and we think you may too! You can read more about us here.

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