560 Farmall power steering problems

michael1953 · Aug 7, 2014

I have purchased a 560 Farmall Diesel in the last week. The steering acted normall from the start, but on the way home from a show last Sunday, the tractor all of a sudden turned to the right all the way. Luckly my brother-in-law wasn't killed as it tried to climb an 8' embankment and ditch. I can turn the front wheels and steer the tractor when the motor is off, but when the motor starts it only takes a little while for (pressure to build?) the steering to shoot out of your hands hard enough to break your arms and back, all the way to the right and there is no way you can turn the wheels back to the left. You shut the tractor off and let the pressure back down and you can steer it again whith the motor off. Is there a check valve / valve that can be stuck or a plugged line that can cause this. Has anyone ever had this problem before or have a suggestion?

pete 23 · Aug 7, 2014

The first thing to look at is the external steering linkage that goes into the bolster. The universal joint is splined and input shaft is splined. The shaft is supposed to move in when turning in one direction and out when turning the other, moving back and forth on those splines. Any binding in the external parts, all the way back to the steering wheel that will prevent that movement can be your problem. Often the splines wear so bad that various methods of over coming the wear are applied. Some pin joint to shaft, some weld joint to shaft. Some slice joint and weld bolt to it to pull it tight onto shaft. Any one of these methods then require that the entire external shaft all the way to steering wheel move back and forth when turning.
If this checks out ok, then the problem is most likely the control valve bolted right under the input shaft. Often nut works loose, or washers break in valve. Next, it could be the mechanism in the worm itself that has stuck which will require pulling unit apart.

michael1953 · Aug 8, 2014

Thanks for the reply. Haven"t had time to fully check it out but the shafts do have some play in them. Can you plug the lines and not run the power steering until the problem is fixed if it"s not the shafts?

pete 23 · Aug 8, 2014

You cannot plug the lines. That would put the power steering pump on demand all the time and burn it out. What you would have to do is hook the pressure line coming from the pump back to the return line. Then also form a loop on the on the lines coming off the steering valve so oil could go back and forth in the cyl in bolster.

560 Farmall power steering problems

Our Phone System is Down!

Please use the Contact us Form

We are working to resolve the issue ASAP! Thanks for your patience!

michael1953

New User

pete 23

Well-known Member

michael1953

New User

pete 23

Well-known Member

Similar threads