The Ford 2600 I have been working on had some serious issues with the front axle.
the center picot was worn out which caused the control arms to be bent
The older smaller Ford tractors all used nearly the same front axle set up as the 8n's did actually many parts will interchange all the way through the mid 1980s The design is problematic though, because of the way they were designed to be adjusted in track width. The center beam of the axle would move a little forward or backwards depending on if the axle was set up to track narrow or wide to straddle the rows.
This tractor will never need to have the axle width changed to I opted to resolve the center pivot issue once and for all by welding a boss to both sides of the beam allowing me to use 2 center pivot bushings
I started out with a piece of turned drop that was near to the size already, it just needed boring out and parted in two.
Attachment 40720
A little grinding to clean off the rust for welding the bushings are pressed in for alignment before welding
Attachment 40721
Attachment 40722
installed now there is very little space between the beam and the front housing the bearing surface is now 3inches long instead of 1 1/2inches
it should outlast me and the owner alike
Attachment 40723
