TC35A Steering Failure

[kruchoda]

Steering failed suddenly. The steering wheel spins freely, but front wheels do not respond. Power steering fluid is topped off. Would appreciate help troubleshooting problem.

 

[jinman]

The steering control unit at the base of the steering column contains a pump so even with the engine off, you should be able to steer your tractor, but with additional effort. I think your pump shaft has come loose from the steering column or perhaps the pump drive shaft has broken. This is the pump in the control head, not the hydraulic power steering pump. If your power steering pump was not operating, you would simply have to work really hard to steer. Since yours spins freely, it sounds like a broken control valve pump drive shaft or something similar. I have never taken the control head apart, so I don't know how big a job it is.

 

[kruchoda]

Jinman,

Thanks for your reply. I feared that the steering control unit might be malfunctioning, however I could hear it indexing inside the unit as I turned the steering wheel. With a friend's help I was able to check for hydraulic pressure at each fitting in the system and narrowed the problem down to the steering cylinder. Upon disassembling it I found the rod had been bent and the nut-end had actually broken off. No wonder it wasn't responding. I have a new rod on order and should be up and running again in a few days.

David

 

[jinman]

Well, that's something I never suspected. The steering fluid had no backpressure, so your steering wheel felt completely unloaded. Glad you found the problem. Even so, did it have slightly more pressure when the engine was off?

It's actually probably the most inexpensive fix. The PS pump or control box could have been a much more expensive repair.:thumbsup: