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JDMihalko

522xi Steering Problem

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JDMihalko

I have a 522xi (model 73561) and have been having a problem with the steering for the last couple years.  It started off not too bad but has progressively gotten worse.  While the tractor is running I am able to turn the wheel easily, however when the wheel turn stops the steering wheel (and column) continue to turn.  If this was the only issue it would be fine but while I am trying to mow the front wheels wander and I have to continually correct the steering to keep the tractor going straight.  I thought there was potentially a coupler on the column that had loosened but when I inspected the column I couldn't find anything.  Any suggestions?

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WVHillbilly520H

If you don't already have the owner's manual it's for download here and at Toro's site as well, but  with the hydrostatic/hydraulic cylinder and steering there is an inline filter/screen to the steering cylinder that needs to be pulled periodically and cleaned with solvent (Brake Clean) and reinstalled which could be causing the hard no steer issues, also the "smart turn" linkage could be out of adjustment or loose or worn causing the "wandering", Jeff.

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shallowwatersailor

Is it a 1998 tractor? The first year that Toro produced the 5xi, the tierods would sometimes be overstressed by owners by this age and break. The replacement was a bit beefier. Also the tires should be run at 20 psi, not the 12 psi in the original owners manual. It was corrected in 1999.

 

There isn't a physical connection in the steering system. It is a hydraulic system with a valve turned by the steering wheel and essentially a piston to turn the sector. It is not as true running as the maniual steering.

Edited by shallowwatersailor
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gwest_ca

A few manuals that may help

Don't know what year you have so did not post a link to an operator manual.

 

Garry

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WVHillbilly520H
9 hours ago, gwest_ca said:

A few manuals that may help

Don't know what year you have so did not post a link to an operator manual.

 

Garry

From the model # (73561) partstree says year 2000, that should help there, Jeff.

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WVHillbilly520H

Gary, you ARE the man finding all these manuals for us, and I thank you for everything you do, but I just wanted to clarify what I got when I Googled "Toro model 73561" without the serial # and hit partstree's site, Jeff.

Screenshot_20170429-211017.png

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JDMihalko

Thanks for the links to the manuals, they definitely helped.  Also, sorry about not posting the year, it's a 2000.  So far I have found 3 issues which I think may be causing the majority of the problem.  First the bolt holding the rear of the power steering cylinder had the bottom portion sheared off which was causing the steering to have quite a bit of play in it.  Secondly the filter did have some debris on the screen which I cleaned off.  Finally I had some work done on the tractor last year and one of the steering rods was replaced.  However when I looked under the tractor I noticed the steering plate (where the rear of the tie rods connects) was not centered when the tires were straight.  This also led me to look at the tire alignment which had actually been adjusted so the tires were slightly toe'd out.  I have re-centered the plate as well as aligned the tires.  The last thing I have to check is the smart turn assembly which hopefully I can get to tomorrow.  Thanks for all the input so far, I'll keep you posted.

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Dennys502

I've had the same issue with mine for the last couple of years but haven't had time to dig into it yet so I have refrained from posting.

I'm thinking my charge pump is going or my cylinder is leaking. I have both so I will have to do some swapping out to see. I thought about checking the pressure on the charge pump but it will be easier to just swap out parts.

You will notice it slips more turning in one direction vs the other. That is due to the different displacement on each side of the piston in the cylinder. This also results in more power for one direction of steering.

On the commercial units most of them had a double ended cylinder so the displacements were the same.

Mine is a 523dxi with a 60" deck and bagger that I have put a lot of hours on over the last 18 years so it has served me well.

Your issue is in the hydraulics if you can turn the steering wheel and the wheels don't turn while you are driving. If I remember correctly if I turn left while moving it will slip.

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JDMihalko

I checked out the smart turn assembly and everything is working correctly.  Tested the steering yesterday and after I re-adjusted the toe in/toe out (had it a little too far toe'd in after my first adjustment) everything is working great.  Turns easily, tracks straight.  Looks like the primarily culprit for the wandering was the toe in/toe out and the play in the steering was caused by the broken bolt.  Thanks everyone for the input!

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DennisThornton

Toe-out can make a good front end wonder all over and some extra toe-in can cover the sins of many worn parts (for awhile...)

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Burt B

I just successfully worked on this, yesterday and wanted to fully describe it for the all the good folks that took time to point me in the right direction.  For the Toro 5xi and New Holland GT Series that are all the same with different paint :), the mechanism that folks are referring to with a loose bolt is NOT the the power steering pump.  That is a $1200 part now, and not really subject to a lot of wear and tear from my observations.  You are looking for a PISTON that looks very much like a small automobile shock absorber laying horizontal at the floor of the frame, just above where the two tie-rods out to the front wheels come back underneath and engage.  Repair has to be done with the mower deck or any other accessory underneath removed so you can easily crawl under for a quick wrench turning action.  Access is pretty straight-forward to tighten the single bolt at the rear of the piston housing.  The loose bolt is allowing the entire piston to move and that is what is causing the wandering and constant diddling with the steering wheel to keep a straight line while driving. Open the hood, stand on the left side of the tractor and look straight down near the steering column.  At the the bottom right where the column bottoms out you will clearly see the bright stainless or nickel shininess of the piston arm you are interested in.  It goes into the black piston housing toward the driver's station.  If this is your problem, under power and while turning the steering wheel, this piston housing will move.  Even if it moves a MILLIMETER, you are having trouble - the power steering tolerances are that sensitive.  If you find no bolt, I assume you will know how to look up the schematic and modify these instructions.  Now for the REPAIR:  Remove the access panel below the driver's seat that has the two Torx screws and have a friend hold a 9/16" box wrench on the top of that single loose bolt at the end of the piston toward the driver's station - tell them to just rest the open end of the wrench on the drive shaft, don't mess around,  hold tight, and be ready for some torque.  Don't have the motor running, you don't need it, everyone will be nervous, and your wife/former friend won't hear you when they lose contact with the bolt head and you are turning air and start screaming at them.  Turn the steering wheel left and observe the piston housing moving through through the open hood until it stops moving. Put on some full wrap-around safety glasses (it is a mess down there and you will be looking straight into it looking up into falling debris) and take a 9/16" OPEN-END wrench and scoot under on your back.  Not enough room for your Jeepers and it is not worth it for the three minutes it takes to flip back and forth with  the open-end wrench to tighten back up to bother to jack it up for the clearance. Tighten the nut up as well as you can (I was at 500 hours and it was less than a full 306 degrees).  Put your access panel back on and lower the hood and see if the constant swerving is gone.  I noticed I still have a very small bit of play on a perfect asphalt surface, so I am going to to now check all other connectors, tie-rods, proper inflation, toe-in angles, etc.  There is no doubt about it though, if you are having a constant "steering" correction issue and you see that black housing move, this is 99 & 44/100% of getting you to smile again.  I guess a permanent fix would be to replace that nut you will tighten with a locknut, but you cannot easily get a ratchet in either way top or bottom, the thrill of just tightening it and driving it vs. crawling under again for an hour to fight with a locknut and a wrench, and seriously, the Toro engineers must have wanted it standard for some reason with the hydraulics.  Good Luck!

 

For all those military folks out there (this is Memorial Day 2018) reading this, thank you for your Service.  For those that did not get home and for those that did, but who are gone now, thank you for sacrifices and your Service, and for protecting us and our Nation so all of us can do fun simple things like this together. 

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