Hello everyone: I picked up an antique Goble/Massey-Ferguson disc the other day.
One of the spools/ axle shafts has a little bit of play in it, and it is annoying me. I want to repair it, and make it 100%.
I do not know if it uses tapered roller bearings on each end of the shaft, or just thrust washers internally? It’s somewhat similar to the Killefer 1100 series disc that I restored awhile back.

Would any of you nice folks have a schematic or diagram of one to share? Looks very easy to fix, but I don’t want to open up a bucket of worms if I can help it.
As usual, TIA, JM.

Hi, juiceman.
Did your mother often chew you out for bringing home stray cats and dogs when you were a kid?.

Doesn't look to be too battered from what I can see in your 'interstate' photos. Sorry, I can't help you with the bearings - never ran across one of them in my brief farming career.

Just my 0.02.

They were made both ways, need a better picture to tell what you have. Have friend running the type with bearing on the outside. He is very creative and has used some non original parts. Some times because he cannot find original and some times because something close (wink,wink) is in over supply in his "inventory". lol I have not had the misfortune to work on a Goble disc, the old IH and Killefer tube axles cured me of wanting more of that type. But if your Goble has overhead frame it is the latter type. But with more thought there could be a third type that is a hybrid with one internal and one external bearing (why or who had that idea I will never figure out) .

and still on emogies

Deas wrote:

Hi, juiceman.
Did your mother often chew you out for bringing home stray cats and dogs when you were a kid?.

Doesn't look to be too battered from what I can see in your 'interstate' photos. Sorry, I can't help you with the bearings - never ran across one of them in my brief farming career.

Just my 0.02.

Deas:
I only got berated when I was bringing strange women home when I got older...
It isn't beat up at all. Has the original blades from what I can see, still uses square headed bolts, etc.,and I don't think it has ever had a wrench ever touch it.
As mentioned, one of the four gangs has about 3/8" to 1/2" slop in it. I don't operate comfortably knowing that it should be snugged up.
I will fire up the shop heater and take the suspect gang apart. Spools and blades shouldn't have to be split, as the axle shaft runs thru its length. Blades are worn evenly and will remain on the disc. After I am done, I will hot wash and chemically clean off the paint. Many of the original decals are still visible.
This should be the least expensive projects I have had.
Maybe if Ray54 is out there lurking, he could chime in. I think he and some of his locals are familiar with this type of disc.
No worries folks, I am NOT going to buy a M-F crawler to pull it with!

I got everything buttoned up ( as far as I can tell). The shaft running thru the tube was interesting. Two pieces, joined by a threaded stud bored to allow grease to flow.
Glad I took it apart, the passage closest to the button head was plugged up, and it was bone dry. I did what any good farmer from Paso Robles area would do. I used whatever I had laying around the shop!
The threaded shaft could be adjusted by the number of turns, or at least how I did it.
As a kid, I remember seeing quite a few of these discs around the area. Lightweight, but effective for the orchards.

I have a M F disc about that size. Mine was a 10'-6", a little much for the D4 in the hills. I cut the outside discs off making it a 9'-0. It is a uni-beam and not as robust as yours. Now the fronts are worn too bad to use. I have always been intimidated by the big nut. We always called those an oil bath disc. Over my lifetime I have found the old open spool type worked better if they were in good shape.

8C wrote:

I have a M F disc about that size. Mine was a 10'-6", a little much for the D4 in the hills. I cut the outside discs off making it a 9'-0. It is a uni-beam and not as robust as yours. Now the fronts are worn too bad to use. I have always been intimidated by the big nut. We always called those an oil bath disc. Over my lifetime I have found the old open spool type worked better if they were in good shape.

This is a pretty light disc compared to much modern ones used here. Yes, oil bath it is. Ray54 probably chuckling about now, wondering why I take these things on!
This one is 10', and cuts 11' with the rear gang offset; this eliminates any "bar pit" and makes a smooth pass. Amazingly,many times a new disc would come from a dealer, they would never offer to set up a new disc to the owner's liking. Some guys in the orchards will just re-size the blade on the front right, so it does not throw so much dirt.
Judging from everything I have seen so far, this disc has never been molested. It makes me wonder if the previous owner ever greased it either! When I disassembled the gang, the only grease I noticed was the fresh stuff I had pumped into it prior to its test run. Maybe THAT is why I did not see any dried up grease or leaky seals anywhere!!!
A bath is next, and until springtime, it gets to sit in the corner awaiting its turn at my mother's little property in town. JM

The MF looks to be in really good condition. I am not familiar with the term "oil bath". Below is a picture of a 1950 vintage Miller Disc that was popular on the plains. It is the smallest Miller I have ever seen as most were about 20 ft or longer and it had a solid shaft. Bearings were grease type and the secret was to force enough grease in to force the dirt and muck out of the bearing. To adjust this one it is simply how long the chain was set between the gangs. Your MF has a much more sophisticated adjustment.


What a major improvement when they put wheels under the critters.

No laughing from from me, maybe a little crying if I thought I had to work on it. All the old oil bath disc did the job. My family was into the IH varient. All was good until you hit a rock with to much speed. Then the work started with the big nuts. I have seen many homemade wrenches, some of them a little to custom made. LOL Only worked on the warren nuts on the one disc. So the nieghbor want my wrench and help.

At least working on the concrete you should not of had the little pins fall into a adobe crack. LOL In my days of getting parts from Myers-Ward tractor in Fresno they said the Goble must have been the most popular disc in California. They always had several waiting to be parted out.

Since 90% of my soils are clay and non abrasive the even older discs with the boxed cast iron bearing where preffered by me. I still have 2 of those I use every few years.

I hope you grow some weeds so you can use that disc latter this spring.