8N Steering gear box water question

Now it is about Zero degrees and I find that I can not turn the steering wheel, and have not forced it. Last night it sounded like cracking ice when I went to steer it to move it in my unheated shop.

I think there is no drain plug in that box, and I'm sure that the oil I added floated on top of the water. I put a heat lamp on it overnight and it hasn't thawed yet, but it will one way or another. Now the $64,000 question: How do I get the water out of there? This model has the 2 bolt side plates with the adjustment screw and lock nut in the center. Can I gain access to the bottom of the box to suction out the water by removing the side plate on the left side of the gear box? At one point I removed the bottom bolt from that plate, hoping that I could drain it, but I recall those bolts to have blind holes so no oil can seep out.

Any good answer will be truely appreciated.

Thanks

Paul in MN

Soundguy

Might be a good idea if it had water in it for that long... no telling how good the bottom race is.. or the top and bottom thrust bearings..

Soundguy

Yup, it is cold up here, expected about -5 tonight. The TV weather guy says low 20's for a high tomorrow, and that is a lot better for working in a shop w/o heat. Maybe that is what I should do is put heat in the shop and forget this tractor until I've got some heat. This particular 8N belongs to a neighbor, and I'm not about to freeze the important parts while working on his machine. I agree that I had come to the conclusion that I'd probably have to take the gear box off, disassemble, and do the job right. Thanks for the response.

Paul in MN

I had the same sort of problem. Didn't realize it was the spindles until I disconnected the tie rods. When I tried to move one of the wheels it wouldn't budge. I could force it to steer with the steering wheel because of the increased leverage. If it's the spindles you can likely remove them and clean everything up.

Good thought, I hadn't considered the spindles, but I steered the tractor easily into the shop just a few days ago. And when I tried to rotate the steering wheel yesterday, I heard a slight sound like cracking soft ice. With the zero temps, it became rock hard. I hope that the case does not split. I should have sensed this problem sooner! The heat lamp will stay on until I know for sure that I have no water in the gear box. If it is the spindles problem, they won't be harmed by not paying attention to them...ice won't hurt them.

Thanks for the reply!

Paul in MN