Power Steering Added to 1989 Belarus 2 Tractor

Power Steering Added to 1989 Belarus 2 Tractor TRACTORS Accessories 33-3-37 Gary Combs, Concord, Ohio: "My 1989 Belarus 25 hp tractor used to steer like an old steel-wheeled Fordson. Now it steers so easy I feel like the King of Siam when I'm driving it. I added power steering to my 1989 Belarus 25 hp tractor, using parts I bought at a forklift truck company. "My total cost was less than $400. "The tilt steering wheel, column and servo valve came off a forklift truck, while the hydraulic pump and hoses are off a 1988 Toyota pickup. I mounted the pump on an angle iron bracket bolted on top of the engine. I bought a new hydraulic cylinder and bolted it to one of the tractor's front spindles. There was limited space for a hydraulic reservoir, so I had my friend Alvin Zinz build a small 2-quart reservoir out of two 1-lb. propane tanks. Zinz cut the bottoms out of the tanks and soldered them together in the middle. "I replaced the tractor's two 6-volt batteries with one 12-volt battery, which left more room for the hydraulic reservoir. "When I added power steering I also completely restored the tractor. Now it's like I have a whole new tractor. I paid $100 for the servo valve, and my friend Tom Latchaw gave me the pump. A new servo valve would have cost about $500 and Belarus sells an add-on power steering kit for $3,000, so I saved a lot of money. The only part I bought new was the hydraulic cylinder. I paid $89 for it at Tractor Supply Company. The steering wheel that I bought was cracked so I replaced it with one off an old MG car. "I think the same idea would work on any tractor that doesn't have power steering but is equipped with a steering arm. My thanks to Tom and Alvin for their help and ideas. It made this project much easier to do."

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.