JD LT180 STEERS HARD

[BWH]

Has any one experienced hard steering on a LT series John Deere? It seems to get harder to turn when you get 3/4 left or 3/4 right. I have lubricated the gears at the end of the steering shaft and have jacked the mower up and can turn stop to stop with no friction. I appreciate any one with a LT series that has had this problem and a solution.

 

[mjb8fj]

Has any one experienced hard steering on a LT series John Deere? It seems to get harder to turn when you get 3/4 left or 3/4 right. I have lubricated the gears at the end of the steering shaft and have jacked the mower up and can turn stop to stop with no friction. I appreciate any one with a LT series that has had this problem and a solution.

have you greased the front end? there are two grease zerks up by the inside of the front tires, if you havent done it, or its been awhile, the grease stiffens up and absorbs dirt and creates a mess inside there. Sometimes just greasing them works, other times you have to remove the tie rod, undo the snap clip, drop the steering spindle and remove the sludge and buff out the shaft.

 

[BWH]

have you greased the front end? there are two grease zerks up by the inside of the front tires, if you havent done it, or its been awhile, the grease stiffens up and absorbs dirt and creates a mess inside there. Sometimes just greasing them works, other times you have to remove the tie rod, undo the snap clip, drop the steering spindle and remove the sludge and buff out the shaft.

Thanks for the reply, yes I have greased those two zerks normally a few times a year. I picked the tractor straight up with a hoist and tried the steering I could actually turn it stop to stop just by grabbing the front wheels with no effort at all. I figure it has to be something with the weight on it. I also lubricated the pinion gear and the tie rod gear which may have helped some. I've thought about thrust washers on the front spindles but that seems extreme and not the root problem, I still think it is in the pinion gear and tie rod gear but they are so tucked in its hard to see how they at meshing? I was just hoping someone had experienced this and could verify or disprove my thoughts on the pinion gear.

Thanks Again!