# Some 350 Utility questions



## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

I have a 1956 350 Utility tractor that I am in the process of rebuilding. I already had to replace the rear pivot ball for the front axle and have the axle hoop rebuilt and re-machined because the ball wore the hole out. Also ended up welding the steering arms to the spindles to eliminate the slop in the worn splines, and I patched and reshaped the oil pan from where the axle was rubbing on it from the bad pivot. Now, I am moving on to the wiring and Fast Hitch.

For the wiring, I had thought about getting a new wiring harness for the tractor, however we converted it to 12v and installed an alternator to eliminate the voltage regulator system that IH used. We had a lot of problems with it sticking and not charging the battery. I had to modify the wiring there to bypass it, and I'd hate to have to modify the new harness. I will probably build my own harness with automotive wire and an appropriate loom or conduit material. Is there anyone out there that could build a custom harness based on the stock one, or is building it myself the best option? There aren't a lot of wires on the tractor anyway, but if I can save myself a ton of time and have a more professional appearance, I'm all for it.

Next up is the Fast Hitch assembly. Ours is pretty much worn out. The pivot ball under the center of the tractor where the hitch attaches is about 1" smaller than the hole in the hitch were it's supposed to be seated. Every pivot point on the hitch is badly worn and sloppy, and its been welded more often than I can remember. The crank for adjusting the angle of the links is stripped and is holding only because we wrapped it in tin and screwed it back in. The draw bar attachment popped out on one side once and bent the heck out of the remaining prong, which required several hours of heating and bending with the press to get it back to the point where we could pound it in with a sledge hammer. I'd like to get that straightened better.

Is there anyone out there that specializes in rebuilding these things that I could get parts for it (or even a rebuilt assembly), or should I try to scour junkyards for a good used one? Anyone have experience with these hitches? I know that there are a few parts missing, a gauge that mounted to the dash to tell you the draw bar height, a stop rod that you could set to keep the drawbar from lowering too far, and the tool that you would use to pop the latches on the hitch to release whatever implement you were attached to.

Any ideas or help would be appreciated!


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