John Deere 955 loss of steering

Shawna17 · May 2, 2017

I have a JD 955 that I last used a few weeks ago. Went to move it and see the steering wheel is all play and there is oil on the ground. I looked at the hoses and can't visibly see a leak. It will start(just tried briefly) but I am thinking maybe a hydraulic oil leak? The pictures below show where the oil on the ground was and I see oil to the right of the drive shaft in front of the round metal piece as you can see. I called my mower repair guy and he said to talk to the hydraulic people. I was hoping someone on this forum can educate me so I can get a basic understanding of what is happeing?

If their is no hydraulic oil, would the steering freely turn but not the wheels? Should I check oil and put more in and turn on and I would see it squirting out? I know very little about this stuff but would like to try and figure it out so I have an idea of what is going on if I have to hire it out to be fixed.

dallasfan458 · Jan 18, 2018

Check the seal on the cylinder, I had mine go slowly and they're a pain because its a welder cylinder and can't be resealed (about $360 from JD).

MORRISONSTEEL · Jan 18, 2018

The power steering is controlled by a metering pump and the end of the steering column, so yes you can still move the steering wheel but it may not be moving any oil if none is available. I would give it a good clean job, fill er back up, and try again to find the external leak. (being careful to not introduce water into the system)

joecdeere · Jan 18, 2018

"should I check oil and put more in and turn on and I would see it squirting out?" yes, I have a PDF of the tech manual for the 955 that you are welcome to, shoot me your email if wanted

Joe