I am taking a $50 Massey-Harris Ferguson 36 hay rake that was destined for scrap and dumping too much time and money into it. I have heard these were decent rakes and this one is a 6 bar to boot. One of the main things it needs is attention to the axle shaft bushings to the main frame. There was a lot of play, some of which is from wear on the shaft and some is from wear in the bushings.
I have never seen bushings like these before. They have a metal casing (which is worn very oblong) much like the original oil seals common on our tractors, which is pressed into the hub casting. The bushing material inside that casing is some kind of woven... nylon, cotton, or something similar. It reminds me of the webbing around gas tank mounting on some of these old tractors, except much thicker. At first I thought it was a farmer fix until I found a picture of a NOS bushing on eBay that has this exact design (recently sold).
Anyone seen bushings like this before? Any ideas for replacement material I could cut and put in there? Or, would you just remove them completely and replace with an Oilite bushing or similar? There is a grease zerk to lubricate them.
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