MF30 Ind. Just lost all steering

[Dan Schrader]

Was plowing snow and noticed the tractor had suddenly become directionally challenged. If I lift the front of the tractor with the loader, the wheels freely move from let to right as if they were no longer connected to anything. No fluids are leaking anywhere, and they were not under any great strain when it happened. Could it be a broken shaft in the steering box? Are there any known issues with these tractors for steering other than hydraulic problems? Please help, I need my tractor back...

 

[Anonymous-0]

An MF30 has similar steering to a 165. A pin may have broke on the steering cylinder behind the grill. There is information on 165 steering problems in the archives. Dave

 

[Don_G]

I don"t know if the steering on the MF 30 is exactly the same but when this happened to mine I found that the snap ring that holds the steering shaft at the top of the pedestal had broken off. This allowed the steering shaft to drop down far enough for the splines to disengage. I got a 1.5" external snap ring at NAPA to fix the problem. If this is your problem make sure the arm on the steering box is vertical and the wheels are straight ahead when you slide the steering shaft back up.