122 tie rods

[gravest]

I'm fairly new to this site and figured I might as well ask for assistance with my old beauty. I found my IH 122 sitting behind a local church 2 years ago, love at first sight, I only paid $50 dollars for it. I got it running in a day with a new muffler and sediment bowl. Since then I've added spring assist, three point, I just picked up a snow thrower for it today. That church just didn't know this tractors potential. She just needed love.

Anyway now my question:

My tie rod ball joints were cobbled together with fence wire so I went to tractor supply and bought a new pair, put them on and now the front wheels are "wall eyed". Unscrewing them to there maximum length the tie rod appears to be too short. It appears to be the correct rod for this tractor but, just too short. I thought about buying a double ended nut to make up the difference in length but, really wanna keep it original.

Any suggestions? Is it the tie rod or are the newer ball joints shorter. Stupid me threw the old ones away.

More questions as I go along slowly restoring her.

[Yosemite Sam]

Curious, did it seem "wall eyed" before you changed them? New ends should be the same as the old ones, otherwise there would be a lot of angry people looking for longer rods...

If it is too short it must be from a different tractor.

If you want to keep it original, check with our sponsors I'm sure they should all have one as the rods were all the same from 1963 till 1971.

We are talking about the rod between the front spindles aren't we and not the one from the left spindle to the gear box?

[Merk]

Is the new joint shorter than the old joint?

Did you just change the tie rod (between the front spindles) or did you change drag link and tie rod joints?

You may have the drag link and tie rod on the opposite area if you did both.

[67hydro]

My manual, he he he, says toe in is suposed to be one thirty second to one eigth. Not farmilliar with walleyed
Jason

[gravest]

1\32" more like 1 1\2" I only replaced the ball joint and yes this is the one between the spindles, not the drag link. I called it walled eye because it looks kind of like this I / or \ I. That's dramatic though. I don't think it was this bad before I changed them, but they were in bad shape.

[67hydro]

Sir, on my 123 the tie rod measures 16 1/4 from nut to nut, the drag link measures 14 inches from nut to nut. Merk said maybe you have the drag. And tie rods reversed but you say you only changed the. Tie rod joints, maybe the previous owner switched up the two rods by accident, that would explain the walleyed condition BEFORE you changed the joints like sam mentioned, if it wasn't walleryed BEFORE rhe change ??????? Lol but the diffrent lengths sound like the rods are switched up if that's possible, that woukd give you the about 2 inches walleyed
Good luck
Jason

[67hydro]

I'm bad at punctuation but not this bad. I'm on a cell phone and for some reason my browser will only give me the first line of text then its blank. So no proof reading, lol, I see I got periods all over and backwards lettering
Again sorry lol, can't even see this one lol

Jason

[gravest]

ok the drag link and tie rod are definately in spec and are not switched. I think the problem is more toe-out not toe in. The nuts are to there max outer position and still give me toe- out. This tractor never has turned properly to the right either. It turns sharply left but not right. I can try to post a picture of what I'm talking about.

[Yosemite Sam]

If it turns "sharper" one way than the other, the drag link needs to be adjusted or the steering gear needs some attention.

Pictures would be great.

[67hydro]

I've never adressed my steering issues on my 123, and would like to hear about this centering also. As mine turns on a dime goin right but barly turns left lol, been usin it like that for a couple years. Even got a new steering gear that I never put on