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By the way this is a 312-8. Upon investigating how the thing is put together, seems somebody in the past got the steering wheel shaft to sector off a toof or two. I was able to rectify this by dropping the steering shaft bearing mount forward of the engine, and removing the mounting bolts from the sector below the steering wheel shaft. This gave me enough slop to skip the teef back into proper alignment.

This has bothered me since we’ve had this tractor. Steering wheel off center. Wife’s mower for in town yard, used about 1/2 hour a week. Working on it since muffler broke (see thread in engines if interested) and deck belt shredded. Had 3 big trees fall in recent storms, blew siding off of 2 houses, rodents chewed wiring off of dishwasher, and… this seemed paramount today. Oh well, I’ve never been great at life choices.

Sadly the steering on these machines is the most likely part to be ignored during any maintenance. What you are repairing is what most of us have had to do as well.

Sounds like you need to check the tie rod ends for excessive play. Do the wheels turn at the same angles at left lock and right lock? The pinion on the steering fan gear might have skipped a tooth or two, causing the steering wheel to be off center. Also, check the bearings blocks on the steering shaft that runs front to back under the engine for damage and wear.

Upon driving it around the block for ops check after the muffler repair, in addition to the annoying wheel misalignment, I noticed a tendency for it to wander at highway speed. Seemed to oversteer a bit on initial turn in by the mailbox, and was wallowy as hell on the switchback between the swingset & the fire pit. Needs attention.

This might look like a bit of a mess but hopefully that's because my shop is so small. Some progress...engine back together and bolted down. All wiring tidied up and ready to finish. Throttle and choke cables robbed from donors. Battery box and belt guard repaired but I won't brag about my welding Most of the long block components are back in place. Shout out to my wife for appreciating how enjoyable this is for me to get in the shop and work We did manage to get steaks on the grill and share a bottle of wine in spite of the weather .

Hey guys, You might not recognize this profile (mostly because as of writing this it was started 5 min ago) but you have definitely seen me all over the @PeacemakerJack page. Not only is Peacemaker my dad but @Coulter Caleb is my oldest brother. I’ve been watching the Forum through my dad’s phone for many years. I am very excited for all this forum has to offer, and to watch what all my buddy’s are posting. Recognizing a few of my friends… @Pullstart @Achto @WHX?? @19richie66 Thank you guys for giving me great advice and help at all the plow days. I hope you guys have a great day.

Cleaning up around the yard today, cut some dead trees and cutting vines, when i heard some squeaking and out she came, started following me, then she saw the wheel horse and climbed under, she wouldn't leave me alone. She lad back down , hope mom found here, she moved on.

We use 2" or 1 1/4" ridged PVC pipe but dig a quick trench so it sits deeper and doesn't create a tripping hazard if it's a floor. Crawl space is a bit easier since no one is going to be walking on it.

And...the oil pan gasket made it safely and fit in the mail box without getting bent . Got the pan on so things should move along now. I tidied up some wiring on the brake switch and verified its operation. Drained the lift cylinder since I'm changing from ATF and got it back in place. If the weather allows I'll get the welder out to do some repairs on the battery box and belt guard. Things should move along quickly if that happens. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

The oil pan gasket finally shipped this morning but...USPS I suspect it will be creased right between the "O" and "T" in "DO NOT BEND" but we'll see. Installed in-line fuses for the clutch and ammeter. Not much else to do until I get the block bolted down.

Forgot the pics I swear...I haven't weighed them but they're heavy.

6-8 days delivery for the oil pan gasket so I've caught up on some chores around the house and painted the front wheel weights...but this is a good time (pun) to set the timing...I'll attach the ground wire with a new grommet and dialectric grease when it's ready to brrrrrrr.

Waiting on an oil pan gasket to start much reassembly but the head bolts came today so I thought I would go ahead and start on some of that. Blocked the head on granite with some 320 grit. Nice and flat . Chased the threads in the block, adjusted the valves and reassembled the breather. I'll wait to torque the head until it's back on the frame. It's just easier when it's not sliding around on the bench.

Yeah, I think between that and timing being off a little can take away from performance. I might be overthinking it a bit but we'll see.

What's the spec? Around .008 & .018. ?