[Brad135]

Posts: 2
F 915 Steering Issue
Hi,

I am brand net to MTF. I first posted this question on the lawn and garden tractor board - many people read it but I received no replies so I thought maybe this forum was more appropriate for it.

I recently purchased a JD F915 with 4000+ hours on it. I have fixed/serviced quite a few things on it and repainted the tractor and the deck.

The steering on it is very erratic and all over the place. It is impossible to hold a straight line at anything other than crawling speed. The service manual has a troubleshooting section and I am replacing various bushings etc. The PS valve is tight and no leaks.

My question is (and the service manual gives no answer to) is:

The steering axle has about a 1/4" fore to aft play in it at each spindle end. Is this normal or should there be no fore to aft movement at all?

Thank you in advance for any help!

Brad

 

[steddy]

Welcome to MTF!
I was brand new to the front deck rear steer myself a couple years back. They're a different animal learning how to control, that's for sure. If there's an issue with sloppy steering that can make it all that much harder. Mine was pretty tight, and I still felt like I couldn't hold a line. Once you figure them out, they offer benefits beyond any other mowing arrangement. You can really sneak into those corners and under the low pine trees without scratching up your legs. Super menueverable with a snowblower, too!

1/4" play sounds like a lot to me, but I've never really torn in to one, and I'm not sure it would cause the control issues you're experiencing. But again, steering from the rear can make a big difference if that truly is too much play. How are the wheel bearings, tie rod ends and other linkages, and pivot pin/bushing in the axle center? I might suggest posting in the "front deck rear steer" forum; the guys over there are pretty knowledgeable.

 

[Brad135]

Thanks for the help[. I did not realize there was a rear steer forum (there are a lot of specific ones here!!!)

Brad

 

[MacLawn]

Welcome Brad! I got a used Ariens Zoom 1634 couple years ago. Took a bit of time to figure out how to steer the thing, almost took out a few of Ethyl's plants! That would have made for one of my BAD days. Anyway, mine started steering wrong and I can't figure out how to fix it either. The left handle seems loose. I've checked everything I can find, no luck. Just came inside from putting new starter solenoid on it. Whew, they put those things in a hard place to access! Makes me wish I were King of all engineer schools. I'd make them design boys make everything easy to work on. Course we'd still be driving flathead 6 trucks, but at least I could fix it!