Not sure if this is better here, in under the implement section, but here it is anyways.
My little Orange Tractor is a 1988 B8200 HST equipped with a factory FEL. So far it has been a great little tractor. I’m always looking for ways to tinker with it, so adding power steering was a good choice for a project, as I was getting a little tired of the old armstrong power steering unit. I checked with several dealers on getting a factory power steering kit, as it was an option listed in my owners’ manual. They all told me that Kubota used to make one, but they hadn’t seen one available for many years, and one mechanic told me he wasn’t all that impressed with the one that was available through Kubota. As they recalled, the unit sold for about $1200 bucks, and they didn’t think it was worth the extra money. So I resorted to hunting down parts on the internet. There are very few options when looking for a kit for this tractor! What a pain. My hydraulic knowledge is fair, but I do not know enough to build a PS unit from scratch. Fortunately I ran into a kit put together by www.tractorpowersteering.com for a reasonable price. They have kits specifically for the B8200 and the B9200 series Kubota tractors, as well as kits for other tractors, including generic kits you can adapt for just about any type of compact tractor, providing you have a little hydraulic and fabricating knowledge. The kits do take 3-6 weeks for delivery, so do not expect to order one and get started on it right away.
The kit arrived well packaged, which is nice, because the goonies at UPS aren’t too kind when it comes to the heavy stuff. Here is what you get.
Since this isn’t stock Kubota stuff, I broke out the ol rattle can and painted the parts to match the Kubota colors.
There was a very nice set of instructions, with color pictures and easy to follow directions. After reading them I figured this would be a 2-3 hour project. No biggie. Boy was I wrong there!
Getting the foot rest off was no big deal. No excess rust, and no stripped out bolts or broken off bolt heads! Score one for me. I think things are moving along nicely until I get to that stinking drag link! Man I hate those evil tie rod ends!
The one connecting the drag link to the front pitman arm (that’s what you call it on a car) wasn’t so bad, but when I tried getting it off the steering box linkage…lots of angry words.
I finally went and bought a pickle fork and had at it! It makes fairly quick work of those parts, but ruins the grease boots in exchange for making your life easier. If you are going to do this to your tractor, go buy a pickle fork before you begin!
Next up, install the new steering system. This is going well until I put on the supplied mounting bracket. The holes are just a little off, so out comes the dremel tool. Got that little problem solved, no biggie. Next problem, the original bolts are not long enough to hold the mounting bracket on the tractor…off to Lowe’s. There is also a discrepancy in that there is no flat surface as there is a thicker piece of metal towards the back hole. Solved that problem by stacking 3 fender washers to equalize the height, so the bracket will sit flush with the tractor. Finally get to the point to mounting the bracket, when I notice the foot rest front mount will not go back on with this bracket in place...grrr. Out comes the grinder.
As you can see this removes a decent portion of the mounting bracket. I’m a little worried that this will weaken the bracket, but I’m going with it anyways.
Gonna have to try this in 2 parts, as the site won't let me upload any more photos....sorry.
My little Orange Tractor is a 1988 B8200 HST equipped with a factory FEL. So far it has been a great little tractor. I’m always looking for ways to tinker with it, so adding power steering was a good choice for a project, as I was getting a little tired of the old armstrong power steering unit. I checked with several dealers on getting a factory power steering kit, as it was an option listed in my owners’ manual. They all told me that Kubota used to make one, but they hadn’t seen one available for many years, and one mechanic told me he wasn’t all that impressed with the one that was available through Kubota. As they recalled, the unit sold for about $1200 bucks, and they didn’t think it was worth the extra money. So I resorted to hunting down parts on the internet. There are very few options when looking for a kit for this tractor! What a pain. My hydraulic knowledge is fair, but I do not know enough to build a PS unit from scratch. Fortunately I ran into a kit put together by www.tractorpowersteering.com for a reasonable price. They have kits specifically for the B8200 and the B9200 series Kubota tractors, as well as kits for other tractors, including generic kits you can adapt for just about any type of compact tractor, providing you have a little hydraulic and fabricating knowledge. The kits do take 3-6 weeks for delivery, so do not expect to order one and get started on it right away.
The kit arrived well packaged, which is nice, because the goonies at UPS aren’t too kind when it comes to the heavy stuff. Here is what you get.
Since this isn’t stock Kubota stuff, I broke out the ol rattle can and painted the parts to match the Kubota colors.
There was a very nice set of instructions, with color pictures and easy to follow directions. After reading them I figured this would be a 2-3 hour project. No biggie. Boy was I wrong there!
Getting the foot rest off was no big deal. No excess rust, and no stripped out bolts or broken off bolt heads! Score one for me. I think things are moving along nicely until I get to that stinking drag link! Man I hate those evil tie rod ends!
The one connecting the drag link to the front pitman arm (that’s what you call it on a car) wasn’t so bad, but when I tried getting it off the steering box linkage…lots of angry words.
I finally went and bought a pickle fork and had at it! It makes fairly quick work of those parts, but ruins the grease boots in exchange for making your life easier. If you are going to do this to your tractor, go buy a pickle fork before you begin!
Next up, install the new steering system. This is going well until I put on the supplied mounting bracket. The holes are just a little off, so out comes the dremel tool. Got that little problem solved, no biggie. Next problem, the original bolts are not long enough to hold the mounting bracket on the tractor…off to Lowe’s. There is also a discrepancy in that there is no flat surface as there is a thicker piece of metal towards the back hole. Solved that problem by stacking 3 fender washers to equalize the height, so the bracket will sit flush with the tractor. Finally get to the point to mounting the bracket, when I notice the foot rest front mount will not go back on with this bracket in place...grrr. Out comes the grinder.
As you can see this removes a decent portion of the mounting bracket. I’m a little worried that this will weaken the bracket, but I’m going with it anyways.
Gonna have to try this in 2 parts, as the site won't let me upload any more photos....sorry.
