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Thread: Hydro Steer upgrade... and ALLLL the stuff to go with it!

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    XJ4IV's Avatar
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    Hydro Steer upgrade... and ALLLL the stuff to go with it!

    Soooo a few months ago I was out wheelin and a VERY unfortunate mishap occured... I literally BUMPED a rock on the side of the trail and it sheared the bolts from my gearbox and my drag link and gear box dropped right to the ground while out at Hidden Falls

    break down spot was back beyond the bend in this picture

    had to winch with NO steering all the way to this spot and then turn 90* and cut my way out off the trail and get loaded up on to my trailer

    Anyhow Long story short I made three attempts at fixing the problem which proved to be LESS than it was before so I scrapped the whole idea of conventional steering and opted to go for full hydro steering.
    after several months of parts gathering and fixing other problems such as overheating and weak lighting I have gathered everything I need to install the full setup!
    I ONLY have pictures from what I did today so just bare with me!~
    for those of you that have wheeled with me over the past 6 months or so youve seen my weak point as being the trans cooler I have mounted to the lower side of my bumper... well I decided to go ahead and leave it there and clone it on the other side for a steering cooler as well
    here is the pic with the new brackets I made and placed the new cooler in position

    I know I know!!! "idiot you STILL have a very vulnerable situation there" Well I decided to FINALLY go ahead and protect it all since I am finished with the real estate under the bumper and I went the cheap route and covered it with expanded metal...

    I couldnt leave it raw so I decided to also frame the edges so I don't catch it on little children Tops framed the sides I will do in 2 inch thin plate and just fade it back with a flap disc to a uniform look!
    Here is a look under the hood at the improvements I made to the power steering reservoir and pump!

    I know what your thinking... the pump is gravity feed BUT the whole reservoir will be filled to nearly the top so it will still be ample enough fluid to feed the thirsty pump and send it allll through the system!
    basically allllll that I lack to finish doing the hydro setup ... is a 3/4 drill bit... yes a SINGLE drill bit! I had one but it went dull after doing the initial steering a few months back. I need to drill out the new knuckles I built and I need to drill out the tierod ends to allow the 3/4 bolt

  2. #2
    texasfrog's Avatar
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    Do you have a vent on the tank? A filter and cooler on the return will help the pump live. The rest look good so far.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    "Just because someone goes fast doesn't mean you should do whatever you think they did.
    This path assumes they knew what they were doing, which isn't necessarily the case. Take this path and you will be guaranteed second place."

    Originally Posted by PondSkum
    I'm just a floater.

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    XJ4IV's Avatar
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    filter is not necessary as its a closed system and the reservoir will have a relief valve on top to allow over pressurized air to escape

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    texasfrog's Avatar
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    The filter is to keep the pump trash out of the relief valve,if you use your steering the pump will make trash from heat and wear.I ran a vent tube away from the engine compartment,had a few fires from overheating the fluid in tight spots then burping fluid on the exhaust. Not saying yours wont work,just passing stuff I learned building a few rigs to you.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    "Just because someone goes fast doesn't mean you should do whatever you think they did.
    This path assumes they knew what they were doing, which isn't necessarily the case. Take this path and you will be guaranteed second place."

    Originally Posted by PondSkum
    I'm just a floater.

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    XJ4IV's Avatar
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    well I got a good portion done today. I fabbed a bracket for the orbital and mounted that

    plumbed all the lines... only to find out I need some sort of extension for the two lines for the ram cause I cannot angle them enough to make it work on the same plane
    either way here is under the hood!

    Orbital mounted

    Blurry pic but all I have left downstairs is to install my double shear knuckles

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    XJ4IV's Avatar
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    ok so I burned the drivers side high steer arms on today... turned out pretty good, for those of you wondering I was able to burn plug welds through the knuckle
    for added strength!

    I was able to swing this by a good friend of mine who owns a 4x4 fab shop and he said that this will hold up just fine! unless Im trying out for the KOH... which im not!

    so lets check it all out, I MIGHT have to extend these tierods out but I like having them wound in for added strength so I might make another pair that are a tad longer!

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    Hydro Steer upgrade... and ALLLL the stuff to go with it!

    How did you weld the arms on the knuckles? Mig or arc? Did you preheat and control cooling? Not to be a dick, but that honestly scares the hell out of me.. Do you know the forces that hydro steering creates? I can seriously see those arms ripping off the knuckles in no time.

  8. #8
    texasfrog's Avatar
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    Those tractor heim joints are junk.how did you set up your Ackerman?
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    "Just because someone goes fast doesn't mean you should do whatever you think they did.
    This path assumes they knew what they were doing, which isn't necessarily the case. Take this path and you will be guaranteed second place."

    Originally Posted by PondSkum
    I'm just a floater.

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    I have viewed this from my phone up till now,and am now on my PC where I can see pics much better. First let me say, I am giving my opinion based on what I have seen, done, researched, not trying to play know it all at all. Steering is one of the most critical parts to a rig, equal to brakes, these are 2 areas you want things set up properly and in a manner that you have no worries. Both of these can cause serious catastrophic failure if they fail at wrong time, regardless of if you are on the road, on ranch road, on a trail on a climb, or at KOH. There are multiple things that concern me about your setup/design.

    First, as I mentioned above, the arms welded onto the knuckles, thats a no no, seen that fail just loading a rig on a trailer when that type setup was built just to make a rig moveable temporarily. It appears you are running a late model balljoint/ unit bearing 60 based on the pics, I know its a lil pricey but they do make arms for this application, and for added strength they machine a notch into the knuckle to help locate the arm.

    Secondly, the geometry of ram/tie rods is wrong. The tierods should angle inward some towards the center of axle, what you are looking for is a ram and both tierods to be in a straight line when turned to full lock in either direction. The way you have it you are putting alot more stress on the tierod when you turn in and get in a bind, enough that it could bend easily (if the steering arms dont rip off first).

    Third the positioning of the resovoir, if you stand that thing up on a climb, now your resovoir is behind/below the pump completly, and feeding your pump absolutely nothing.. No fluid = no steering. The system needs to be vented, and at a minimum use a cooler, and for good measure go ahead and add a filter in (I personally do not have a filter on mine, but its getting added in with my motor swap)

    Lastly, just a couple of pointers, the tight 90's like you have on your lines do cause the pressure to lower, if possible try and use full flow fittings. The tractor heim joints SUCK, they wear out quick and will become very loose, which will really have a negative effect on steering. One last question, is that line from the resovoir to the pump rated for PS fluid?? Looks like regular ol water line.

    Please don't take anything the wrong way, just trying to help you out.

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    texasfrog's Avatar
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    I guess the criticism was to much to handle. I was hoping that he would want to make sure his "recovery rig" was not the one being recovered.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    "Just because someone goes fast doesn't mean you should do whatever you think they did.
    This path assumes they knew what they were doing, which isn't necessarily the case. Take this path and you will be guaranteed second place."

    Originally Posted by PondSkum
    I'm just a floater.

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