Deere Mower Has No Steering Wheel

Deere Mower has no Steering Wheel FARM HOME Lawn Mowers (31h,38) 15-3-28 "Getting rid of the steering wheel makes it a lot easier to get on and off," says Jeff Vackiner, Mullen, Neb., who came up with a new way to steer his Deere 317 mower tractor when the original steering wore out. "The steering gearbox and linkage started to fail. For about $30, I installed a 1 3/4 by 8-in. hydraulic cylinder which plugs into the tractor's existing hydraulic outlets. I steer the tractor with one of the tractor's hydraulic control levers," says Vackiner, noting that the tractor has two hydraulic control levers on the left side. One is used to raise and lower the mower deck and the other, which controls two outlets at the front of the tractor, he now uses to steer the tractor. The add-on cylinder is anchored to the frame with a piece of channel iron just above the mower deck on the left side of the tractor. The piston end of the cylinder bolts directly to the left front wheel spindle flange with a special bolt Vackiner made. "The cylinder replaces a threaded rod that connected the steering 'gearbox to the spindle flange. I could quickly convert back to manual steering, if needed" says Vackiner. "The conversion was just as simple as it sounds." It took a while to get used to controlling the tractor with a lever but Vackiner says mowing is now easier than ever before because the tractor's hydraulics make steering quicker and more responsive. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jeff Vackiner, Star Rt., Box 14, Mullen, Neb. 69152 (ph 308 546-2878).

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