Go BottomPower Steering Q 039s
 | Mike Holtkamp
Join Date: Posts: 1 
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2001-05-05 27780
I am still trying to decide between a used B7200 and a new B7500. Both would be with a loader, but the 7200 does not have power steering or 4wd. I drove both the 7200 and a 7500DT at the dealer today and the 7200 needed quite a bit of effort to turn even without a load in the bucket. THe 7500 was pretty much effortless. Now, on to my question. Is there anybody who has converted their tractor to power steering or is this more of a problem than it is worth. Since price is a major concern in my case, it would be nice to get the 7200 for about $6500 rather than pay about $12000 for the new 7500 if both would do the job.
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| Bird Senter
Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 962 
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2001-05-05 27781
Mike, I know there were some aftermarket power steering conversions done to some of the older, bigger tractors; I don't know about the 7200. However, you also say it does not have 4WD. Now you can do a lot of work with almost any tractor, but I hate to see anyone buy something they're disappointed in, so be careful. I wouldn't want a compact tractor without 4WD with a loader on it. In my opinion, that's even more important than the power steering. ....
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| Roger L.
Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 0
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2001-05-07 27860
I'll second what Bird is saying. If there is anyway you can swing it, you will want to get 4wd and power steering. Both sure do make a difference if you are doing loader work. ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley 
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2001-05-08 27873
Yes. If you don't have PS and do loader work, you'll want to keep a bunch of ballast on the rear to lighten up the steering. And, then the ballast is only needed when the bucket is full. The rest of the time, the front end is too light, and the tractor is dragging around a bunch of extra weight. The PS wasn't working very well when I first got my Ford 1710. It wasn't unknown for me to have to use down pressure on the bucket (while stopped of course) to lighten the steering enough to get the wheels out of a sharp turn. A lot of effort was required, and I always had an implement on the 3ph since the rear tires aren't loaded. However, the problem may not be as extreme as I experienced it. For all I know the steering ratios may be different between the PS and manual steering sectors. The steering of a PS tractor may be harder than a manual steering tractor when the PS isn't working, but I sort of doubt it. ....
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| Mike Holtkamp
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-05-08 27898
Since the dealer would not budge off his $7000 asking price I have deceided to pass on this tractor. I also got a quote from him on the new B7500DT(gear model) w/ loader for $13,800 which is much more than I expected. I think it's time I looked for a differend dealer! Thanks for all you input. ....
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| Tom Bower
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2002-09-14 42394
Mike,
My B7300 had no power stearing when I bought it but I got a power assist unit from a 1980 ford granada and with some homade parts it works perfect for over 600 hrs now. A lot better setup would be using the ford car cylinder and a stearing valve like the one the northern hydraulics catalog part #201650.That is the proper way to do it. Ive done a lot of them now. no problems yet. tom ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2002-09-15 42407
Tom: My old Ford 1710 has PS so I guess my interest is academic, but I am curious about how the actuating system on your conversion works. The factory system on my Ford uses end thrust of the steering wheel shaft to actuate pressure on one side of the sector gear or the other. If I understand, the way it works is that the PS keeps working as long as you keep turning the steering wheel. I don't know if a converted system works the same way. ....
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2002-09-16 42463
When with a loader power steering is considered a near must, maybe we need to look at other used tractors. For the $1000. savings to buy with out I as a dealer when seeing a tractor that is altered to have one as much as it is a benifit to the tractor I would rather not see that tractor modification or one of that type and would futher discount it's value at trade in time. ....
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| Tom Bower
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2002-09-17 42549
Tom;
The ford unit is not a so-called power stearing unit like most rigs have on them now but rather a power assist unit. It has what is called a servo valve that mounts in line with the drag link. The factory stearing box is retained in the tractor and a hydraulic cylinder is added from the frame to either the drag link or the tie rod. As far as reducing the value of the tractor it just depends on the quality of the installation. I have installed several of these units on the B7300 and increased the resale value on them from $950 on one tractor to $1800 on another. One criteria I have for the mods I have done on these tractors is to make it appear factory and absolutly perfect. One of these tractors is used in an orchard in washington and has about 8000 hrs. on the installation and no failure. ....
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 | Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2002-09-17 42551
Sounds interesting although I drove my brother in-laws Monarch after the power assist failed. It certainly had less than 8000 hrs on it. ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2002-09-18 42563
Thanks TomB. If I've got it, the movement of the steering arms themselves from turning the steering wheel actuate the servo. Sounds like an interesting conversion.
Actually my dealer calls my 1710 PS a power assist, but I know he doesn't mean assist in your sense. He means that it really isn't that powerful compared to newer compacts. Or maybe he means than anything that runs off a priority valve rather than its own pump should be considered an assist. I guess the 1710 came before people came to believe that big loaders really are natural and essential parts of a compact tractor.
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