I am in the process of re-assembling my back cover on my 13 A. I am doing the adjusting procedure as the servicemans reference says and I can not get it right. When I pull the steering lever back it only moves about 8 inches and then won't return back on it's own. I have taken shems out of the dampening cups and added shems, I have adjusted the clutch tight and loose. I can not get a good feel in the lever including the 3 inches of free play. I have tried tighting the spring and loosening it and it just doesn't seem right. Any suggestions or tricks?
Thanks,
Jim Gangle

I don't have any tricks to offer but worn parts, shafts, pivots, holes and bushings will cancel out the over center action that is required to make the linkage work properly.

The pivot wear point is a good one. Many a time I've had to rebuild pedal and lever pivot points, as wear in these areas causes sticking, jamming, and generally faulty operation. The later needle roller equipped pivots have no great advantage in life, over earlier bushings .. they only reduce the effort required.
I've found that the needle rollers pound on the shafts and cause indentations in the relatively soft shafts .. making for rough operation .. then when dust gets through the seals, as it always does .. the controls stick and seize up.

I've found that for ALL control levers .. blade and ripper controls as well .. a rebuilt shaft, a new bronze bushing .. and pivots DRILLED and tapped for a grease nipple .. with a couple of shots of grease applied per week .. makes all levers and controls perform better than the day they left the factory.
The grease buildup on the ends, effectively becomes a seal to prevent dirt entry into the pivot.

The worst controls for dirt ingress and poor performance, are the ones above the rear housing, or along the chassis .. where dirt can build up, and work its way into the pivot rapidly .. or where the dirt buildup itself can interfere with control lever operation.

Dis-assemble every part of the steering linkage and levers, and check every pivot point carefully, for wear, and stiff operation.
Recondition to minimal clearances to enable free movement without binding or sloppiness .. install grease nipples .. and your controls will perform beautifully.