This is expensive, won't help contain leaks and may not deflect pinhole leaks but may help avoid impact damage. It may also cause wear damage when the hose moves with the flexing though, you may want to consider if the cost of protecting it outweighs the cost of simply replacing the hose more often.
Looks like there's also "hydraulic hose wrap" which may cause less scuffing to the paint.
I suppose the ultimate would be a swiveled hydraulic coupler mounted directly over the axis of articulation, then you could use a hard line?
It really needs the hose. There is a lot going on as not only it steers left/right, but it also pivots/tilts left and right, just like a front axle on a conventional tractor, but in this case, the entire front half twists in relation to the back half. So the hose ends up having to move quite a bit. They do made so it runs as little hose as possible, the rest is hard lines.
This is a terrible thread; it cost me most of the day. I should have been working on my tractor, and instead I was reading 19 pages, gooning out on pictures and video...
I thought my tractor had been badly treated (never greased, repair attempts that caused damage, etc.), but whoever perpetrated those crimes on that poor Agria really should be reported for cruelty to machines.
Great coverage of an amazing save, bringing the dead back to life.
I hope you can come up with a way to live with the steering, it seems a terrible shame to let all that work walk away for one little problem.
Ok, maybe not so little.
Sorry Mark!!!
This poor thing has had indeed a very rough life. I mean, it was literally about to be broken in half. I don't even understand how they managed to use it that way. Must be so frustrating having to turn at least 1 full turn before it actually started steering, plus the front half just flopping around like crazy.
I'm just glad it didn't have any broken gears or damaged/stripped splined shafts. Having to buy or have those made would just blow the budget in every way possible.
As I've been getting the feel for the tractor, I'm doing better with the steering situation. I now know work with it, instead against it. As you start turning the steering wheel, there is this sweet spot as it starts turning that will help you steer and not being too hard on the arms.
I think I'll still put the steering wheel from my backhoe on the Agria and move the one from the Agria to the backhoe. It bigger, so it should make it easier.
Not gonna say I won't send it down the road if another good project pops up at a good price, specially something with power steering, but for now, I'm keeping it.
I want to make some handrails for it as well.
Just curious if any of Antonio Carraro, Goldoni, Pasquali or Ferrari etc. same style tractor models have power steering and if those ideas or parts could be adapted?
They all have different parts made for their own models. Could be adapted for sure but it's also big money just to get the parts. Even Agria had the same model with power steering coming a couple years after mine.
It's the Agria 8900DE instead of just the "D" like mine. Had a tandem pump mounted on the engine, so the steering has its dedicated pump, a steering valve instead a steering box and a cylinder mounted just below it.
Main reason for me to not do anything about it so far, is cost. I really don't want to throw big money at it as it's not my main tractor. I only use occasionally, I can live with it as is.
How does the steering work?
On mine, there is this really big and heavy duty steering box (pic #1) mounted in the front half of the tractor. Inside, it's a worm drive and a big gear (pic #2). Then, out the output shaft where the pitman arm mounts. Two steering ball joints, welded back to back, connect the pitman arm to the rear half of the tractor. Hopefully the picture #3 makes it more clear than my explanation.
