I have an 1811 that had sloppy steering and went through all of the hoops before I realized that I needed a new steering box. I bought all new ball joints for the steering and then bought a re-build kit for the steering box all to no avail. We have the three turn steering box and although that is the easiest one to turn it is also one of the most expensive to replace. I found a rebuilt one for $275 on ebay and decided to go with power steering instead. It was about double the re-built box and a lengthy job but worth every minute and penny! The problem is the steering shaft worm gear drive. When it gets worn there is no short cut to fix it. It has to be replaced. If you turn the cam follower on the left side of the box into the box until it tightens the steering then back it out just a hair and lock the nut. If that doesn't cure the sloppy steering then you may have a worn worm gear. If the tractor has had as little maintenance as you describe then it probably has no grease in the box at all which means that there probably been a lot of wear on the gear. Don't give up. Once you get this thing sorted you will be happy with it.
