Excessive Kubota L2550 steering wheel play.

[SDavis]

My Kubota L2550 has 180 degrees of steering wheel play when the tractor is off. I recently replaced the Power Steering pump, 31391-76103. Everything seems to work fine, no play when the tractor is running and the power steering is pressured up, but 180 degrees of steering wheel play when the tractor is off.

Any ideas on what is causing this? If was a worn bushing or something similar, I would think the play would exist whether the tractor was running or not. The Kubota dealer wants big bucks to trouble shoot the problem in my 40 year old tractor, and if I don't have to spend the money, I would rather not.

Possibly what ever the problem is will eventually fail and I will have to have it fixed. The question is, if I cannot fine and fix the problem now, will continuing to use it as is cause a much more serious, costly fix later.

Thoughts, comments???

 

[GeoHorn]

Do you drive your tractor when it’s not running?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

That tractor has an extremely elaborate steering setup.
Steering wheel turns a shaft with a joint that goes to a bevel case then down another shaft with mutiple joints to a complicated steering box.
you will need a helper and you will need to chase the shaft all the way down.
It could be mutiple joints that are failing or the bevel box has and issue or it could simply be the steering box needs rebuilt.

Why did you change the hydraulic pump?

 

[SDavis]

That tractor has an extremely elaborate steering setup.
Steering wheel turns a shaft with a joint that goes to a bevel case then down another shaft with mutiple joints to a complicated steering box.
you will need a helper and you will need to chase the shaft all the way down.
It could be mutiple joints that are failing or the bevel box has and issue or it could simply be the steering box needs rebuilt.

Why did you change the hydraulic pump?

Because the power steering stopped working while the PTO and front bucket continued to function. On line videos indicated it was the combo steering hydraulic pump which was the case

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Because the power steering stopped working while the PTO and front bucket continued to function. On line videos indicated it was the combo steering hydraulic pump which was the case

So did changing the pump fix the issue or did the issue just change to what you have now?

 

[SDavis]

Because the power steering stopped working while the PTO and front bucket continued to function. On line videos indicated it was the combo steering hydraulic pump which was the case

So did changing the pump fix the issue or did the issue just change to what you have now?

The power steering now works, but the play in the steering is much greater than before the power steering died requiring the pump to be replaced. Since the power steering is now working, Kubota suggests just operating it until something dies. My concern is that approach, continuing to operate the tractor with the play, could cause much greater damage in the future than biting the bullet now, finding out what the problem is and fixing it now. I have owned the tractor since new, 40 years ago, and I want it to continue to operate for sometime without costing me more money than it is worth!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Did you operate it with the power steering out?

 

[SDavis]

The power steering now works, but the play in the steering is much greater than before the power steering died requiring the pump to be replaced. Since the power steering is now working, Kubota suggests just operating it until something dies. My concern is that approach, continuing to operate the tractor with the play, could cause much greater damage in the future than biting the bullet now, finding out what the problem is and fixing it now. I have owned the tractor since new, 40 years ago, and I want it to continue to operate for sometime without costing me more money than it is worth!

Do you drive your tractor when it’s not running?

Just long enough to get in back to my garage.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Start by chasing the linkage and look at that.
I think you're probably looking at a steering box rebuild.