Quote:
Originally Posted by Rescue11
Have you ever used power steering? It is so friggen awesome. Would be worth your effor to put on. I love it so much I did it to my 1450, which is alot more involved than your 1811.  |
Rescue11, I realize your comment was not directed to me but I'm going to add another 2 cents for John to consider:
I have an 1811 and an 1864 (factory power steering) too. Yes, power steering is nice, especially if you are sitting still and need to turn the wheels. I would not want tilt steering , which the 1864 has, without power steering.
Each type has benefits. I just wouldn't go through too much to put it on an 1811 until I first tried lubing up the steering stem first. The difference is huge when the stem is lubed up good.
You can actually spin the steering wheel a lot faster without power steering. It is especially noticeable when spinning the steering wheel from stop to stop. I find I have to do that a lot when blowing snow.
I ran a 1512 (same as an 1811 but with a HEAVY 3-cylinder Kubota 600 Diesel) for the last 20 years. With a QA-42A on the 1512, steering was a one-handed affair with a spinner knob on the steering wheel and the tires aired up to about 15psi. Of course, as with any manual steering system, it is much much easier if the tractor is moving a little. I probably pulled the steering wheel and lubed the stem about every 100hrs. It was apparent when it needed to be done.
Also, my driveway is gravel and most of the winter it is covered with hard pack snow and ice which has a low drag coefficient which helps. If I lived in a slightly warmer climate and had textured cement under my front tires my opinion would be different.
Cheers!
PeterJ