Steering Question on a Case-IH 895.

[Texasmark]

Tractor with unknown hours. Steering is said to be inoperable when tractor isn't in motion but once in motion steering works....didn't say how well. Very large loader and 6' bucket, fat front tires, don't remember dimensions. One would expect that the front end has been worked petty good with that big loader and a hay spear especially since this model was built in the '91-'94 time line.

Question is, it seems the steering is hydrostatic like my 395 and the hydrostatic (hydraulic) cylinder would be the problem, not something in the steering column....worn packing/seals in the cylinder. The cylinder or refurbishment internal parts are easily purchased. No idea as to what the problem would involve if in the steering column.
Comments appreciated,
Mark

 

[crsutton81]

Tractor with unknown hours. Steering is said to be inoperable when tractor isn't in motion but once in motion steering works....didn't say how well. Very large loader and 6' bucket, fat front tires, don't remember dimensions. One would expect that the front end has been worked petty good with that big loader and a hay spear especially since this model was built in the '91-'94 time line.

Question is, it seems the steering is hydrostatic like my 395 and the hydrostatic (hydraulic) cylinder would be the problem, not something in the steering column....worn packing/seals in the cylinder. The cylinder or refurbishment internal parts are easily purchased. No idea as to what the problem would involve if in the steering column.
Comments appreciated,
Mark

I may be wrong, but I want to think that the x95 series had the same power steering hydraulic cylinder on them as the x74 and x84 series tractors did. On the 674 that I have with a loader, the packing on the cylinder piston wore down enough that it would not steer while sitting still. Finally it gave up the ghost and blew the packing out which made it leak badly. I rebuilt it with a new seal kit from CNH with limited results. There are 5 different seals involved if my memory is correct, and they are made of a hard plastic material that is troublesome to stretch over the piston, yet get retracted enough to stuff it all back into the barrel. On the last overhaul I just replaced the whole cylinder unit with a new aftermarket one from Worthington Ag parts. That made a tremendous difference. Having a loader on a tractor is nice but is also an ongoing battle with front-end issues of the tractor if it's used much.

 

[caterpillar guy]

If it has the same cylinder as the 74 series the piston is pressed on the shaft in the middle and can slip on the shaft making it turn shorter one way than the other. Our 574 has a loader on it. We had that problem decades ago and I think we have the same problem now again it will turn one way sorter than the other then later will turn the same either way . when I don't have to lay out in the mud and water to get it off IO am going to pull it off and look into it. Unless the mounted the linkage different than the 74 series it is prone to sever wear easily from the pressure of the steering. There is a shaft that the whole business pivots on and the 2 plates that bolt to the cylinder pivots work loose or come out and then the bottom plate falls off or the bushings will work loose and fall out leaving the top one to do all the work. We had to put a strip on to cover them so it could not come out . Greasing is imperative to those front ends for survival. The short linkage to all the parts does it no service either. Probably one of the poorest front ends that could have been made with the swept back front axle. When working it will turn around on a dime and give you 5 cents change back.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Tractor with unknown hours. Steering is said to be inoperable when tractor isn't in motion but once in motion steering works....didn't say how well. Very large loader and 6' bucket, fat front tires, don't remember dimensions. One would expect that the front end has been worked petty good with that big loader and a hay spear especially since this model was built in the '91-'94 time line.

Question is, it seems the steering is hydrostatic like my 395 and the hydrostatic (hydraulic) cylinder would be the problem, not something in the steering column....worn packing/seals in the cylinder. The cylinder or refurbishment internal parts are easily purchased. No idea as to what the problem would involve if in the steering column.
Comments appreciated,

While the steering cylinder is a likely suspect, it is not a guaranteed fix unless we know what the actual system pressure is. This means removing a pressure line from the cylinder and plugging that port. Screw a gauge into the test port and turn the wheel and note the reading.
The reason for plugging the cylinder is to prevent a false reading… if the cylinder IS bypassing, the true test pressure will never be achieved. They may outline a different procedure in the manual, but that is basically the way I’ve done it for years.
One point: do the pressure test before taking anything apart to get an overview of the problem. High test pressure means there is probably nothing wrong with the hydraulic portion of the system… look for seized or broken parts on the axle. Low test pressure means now you have to start the process of elimination. Cylinder, stuck relief valve/ divider valve, or worn pump.
As far as the steering pump is concerned, even if it was leaking it it won’t affect steering pressure. No matter which end it’s leaking from, it’s low pressure oil outside of system pressure.
By steering pump, I refer to the orbitrol unit under the steering wheel.

 

[Texasmark]

Thanks for the replies. Seal kit is 40 bucks and a new cylinder is 160. Having replaced the seals on every hydraulic cylinder on a JD 95 combine I once bought, the 160 would be worth the extra bucks. The steering problem is on a tractor I am thinking about buying and I'm just figuring my things that need fixing if I buy it.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Your steering pressure should be around or close to the 1500Psi or a bit higher. Anything lower would point to issues with the valves or pump. though since they use the same pump for the remotes and 3pt if they seem to be working ok then I would suspect valves or bypassing in the cylinder piston. All goes back to the MCV pretty much or a dirty/plugged filter. IF they have not kept the oil changed and you get into some real cold weather the water in the filter can freeze and then oil can't pass through it.

 

[Texasmark]

Your steering pressure should be around or close to the 1500Psi or a bit higher. Anything lower would point to issues with the valves or pump. though since they use the same pump for the remotes and 3pt if they seem to be working ok then I would suspect valves or bypassing in the cylinder piston. All goes back to the MCV pretty much or a dirty/plugged filter. IF they have not kept the oil changed and you get into some real cold weather the water in the filter can freeze and then oil can't pass through it.

MCV.....something the .....control valve I am assuming you are saying. 1500 is a lot of pressure but I have no experience with a hydraulic cylinder and its pressure for steering. My Fords PS pumps put out something like 60 PSI. Thanks for your taking the time to help me with this.

 

[JimB2]

Cat Guy and Crsutton's advice are correct. Since it has a loader on it the first thing I would do is lift the front wheels off the ground with the loader and do a steering test from full right to left and back again to see if there is any mechanical binding. You can shut the engine off and do the same test to see if the hand pump is working. If with the engine running it turns easily one way but not the other that could be steering cylinder. The other test is to dead head the rear remote and see if it steers properly. As Cat guy says the MCV is suppose to split off 3 GPM at 1500 PSI of the 17 GPM pump at 2500 PSI for power steering. If the flow divider valve or power steering relief valve or oil cooler bypass valve are not working properly in the MCV then the power steering flow and pressure can be low.

 

[Texasmark]

I had a typo on the Ford pressure. Should have been 600ish, not 60. I made the seller an offer on the tractor.....its a can of worms but who knows what the future holds. I don't want or need the loader and that may solve some other problems. A lot of the older loaders make access to the engine compartment almost impossible with all their bracing....unlike new ones that once you raise the bucket the engine is totally accessible. I don't need the tractor but I would like to have a dedicated tractor to pull my baler so that once I coupled up the baler I could leave it and not have to fret with that coupling every time I have something else to do.

Thanks folks for the replies. Will keep the info handy in case the guy wants to accept my offer.