How many bearings in steering gear? No one knows… we may never know.

[UTREDROK]

I’m still working on the steering gear autopsy from this post… Driver Side Steering Tough - Redhead Box and new OEM Pump - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/driver-side-steering-tough-redhead-box-and-new-oem-pump.1340130/page-2#post-15662031
How many bearings in the worm drive?
I counted 39 in mine. I’ve only found 2 other posts that give a count or a pic, and both show 44 bearings.
Is it possible that a rebuild with 5 too few bearings would cause the steering to bind repeatedly in the same way?
Is there an official number of bearings that need to go in the gear? Anyone

 

[Shipwreck]

44 in mine.
A cookie sheet and magnetic parts tray are your friend when rebuilding these.
Looks like someone "dropped the ball" when you had it rebuilt.

 

[UTREDROK]

I do want to rebuild the gear…
Anyone have a donor? Looks like I need 5 bearing to bring in to spec…
Thanks.

 

[Shipwreck]

Caliper spec the existing balls, then:
McMaster-Carr - https://www.mcmaster.com/products/ball-bearings/steel~/

 

[Malleus]

I'm not 100% sure I'd do this. The steering gearbox is a critical safety system and the balls aren't just something in there to take up space.

You need to know what the design load on the balls is, what the material is and what the tolerances are, for starters.

McMasterCarr may be OK for buying hose clamps and piano hinges, but I wouldn't trust them any more than I would WalMart to supply critical safety related components. But that's just me.

 

[Malleus]

I do want to rebuild the gear…
Anyone have a donor? Looks like I need 5 bearing to bring in to spec…
Thanks.

check the wanted/for sale section?

 

[Shipwreck]

I'm not 100% sure I'd do this. The steering gearbox is a critical safety system and the balls aren't just something in there to take up space.

You need to know what the design load on the balls is, what the material is and what the tolerances are, for starters.

McMasterCarr may be OK for buying hose clamps and piano hinges, but I wouldn't trust them any more than I would WalMart to supply critical safety related components. But that's just me.

Yes, finding someone who's parting out a steering box would be best, but good luck finding that.
The OP has already bought a new OEM replacement box. He's just trying to resurrect his old one.

Tight-Tolerance Hard Wear-Resistant 52100 Alloy Steel Balls​

• Yield Strength: 295,000 psi
• Hardness: Rockwell C60 (Very Hard)
• Specifications Met: ASTM A295

5 balls out of 44 in a trail-spare steering box. I'd give it a shot, but I have been called a risk-taker.