Power steering on a 1641?
 

Does anyone know if it is possible to add power steering to a 1641 using the stock hydro transmission? Can I tap into the lines much like the 1864 model to supply fluid to the hydraulic steering unit? Will the hydro produce enough flow to make this work? :bigthink:

I ask these questions because for some reason, the second 1641 that I restored does not steer as easy as My Dad's 1641. I tried adding thrust bearings to the bottom of the turning spindle shafts and of course plenty of lube but no luck. What would be the cause of hard steering? I replaced the old ball joint connectors with heim joints to increase steering ease as well. Steering works great when I jack up the front end and lift it off the ground, however when making turns with the wheels on the ground, it steers hard. :angry:

Would tires with shallow rib treads make for better steering? Your thoughts are welcome! :biggrin2:

Gary, what tire pressure are you running? Adding power steering can be expensive. The hydro pump in that tractor is a Hydro Gear which may not have the necessary ports and/or the flow to allow the steering to respond quickly enough. The cheapest and easiest route would be to add tri rib tires filled to about 20psi.

Power steering on a 1641?
 

Beth, thanks for your input! I am using nearly worn out turf tires (on purpose) at 15 psi to reduce friction. I will look into the tri-rib tires...

One question about those...do the ribs put grooves in the turf? I want to keep the lawn as smooth as possible. I overseeded this fall and things are looking pretty good. Pictures are attached at bottom.

At the moment, I am removing the engine from my 1864 to replace the coils. Hope to be up and running very soon. This is my favorite mower!

FYI...I started working the deck I purchased from you last spring, documenting things as I have gone along. Have been pressure blasting the small parts and repainting them as well as deck pieces that fit in my sandblaster. I haven't cleaned up the deck shell as of yet.

Not sure why some of my pictures are small?? Plan to do sequential step posts to show the process in the near future.

Hope you enjoy my efforts thus far! :biggrin2:

Gary your lawn looks absolutely stunning! The tri ribs can make indentations if the lawn is somewhat soft. If that style of tire is too aggressive, you may consider a turf tire with a very rounded shoulder.

Your deck is coming along very nicely! I'm looking forward to the final result. Sure are lots of parts to that deck....no wonder the damn thing was so heavy!
Anyways, glad your are making progress. Good luck and have fun with all of your Cub endeavors.

Beth:beerchug:

Awesome job Gary! The house and yard look amazing too.

I'm not 100% sure, maybe others will chime in but I don't see why you couldn't tee into the lines and have power steering.

Too bad you aren't closer to me. I'm in the process now of pulling the rear assembly out of an 1862 roller to put into my 882 that failed. I won't scrap the power steering, SS axle and other usable goodies but pretty much everything else will end up in the scrap yard. I'd give that setup to you free of charge.

Have you thought about checking the steering sector? Plenty of things to go bad with that.

Power steering on a 1641?
 

Unit was redone and is working well. I think the problem is the turf tires scrubbing the ground. Looking into other tire options and perhaps upgrading to power steering in the near future.

How is the little bushing #8 on top where the tilt steering control is, lube it up!! Those tires in front are rated for 40 psi max, pump them up!

Power steering on a 1641?
 

Good suggestion...I will lube that bushing and pump up those tires from 15 psi to whatever it takes (up to 40 psi) to see if it helps! :angry:

Wednesday looks like a good day to mow this week. Things are almost dry now... going to be breezy tomorrow so Wednesday should be fine for mowing and picking up leaves.

Thanks for your input! :biggrin2:

Power steering on a 1641>
 

Well...I pumped my front tires up to 30 psi (35 psi is max for my tires) and got better steering results. The ride is a little harder, so I went a little slower. Still not like power steering, but certainly better.

That was a good suggestion to try...thanks for the help! :biggrin2: