[Duane G]

while doing some final tear down today I found a break in the steering colum. Will this have to be replaced? Could it be welded? Are these part impossible to find? I don't know if I will ever get this thing back together and running.

 

[johndeereelfman]

The tube is steel, so after you remove the internals, you could take it to a welder and have him weld it for you. Grind the welds smooth and you're good to go. Just make sure you have the tube good and straight before starting the weld.

If however, you decide you don't want to go this route, you should be able to find good replacements on eBay. 

 

[Duane G]

A welder at work saw the broken steering column in my truck and said I can fix that. Came back at the end of the day to find he braised(sp) for me. Hope it holds for a while. Pics are a little hard to see.

 

[johndeereelfman]

He did a nice job for you Duane. A little grinding, some paint, and you'd never know it was cracked. Did you remove the inner shaft before he welded it? There are internal ball bearing keepers in there that use plastic cups to hold them in place. Just curious to see if that was thought about before applying the heat. How well does it operate?

 

[Kster526]

Repair looks good but the internals may be an issue depending on the heat that was used. Metal does not look over heated, hope for the best.

 

[Duane G]

I put the wheel on and held the shaft with the vise and it seemed to turn freely. I didn't have time to take it apart. Thy guy just fixed it on his on. I was not even around when he did it.