Floppy tilt steering wheel

[AndyG]

I know that I am not the first to have the little cylinder on my tilt fail. I have read several of the threads on fixing this problem. The local dealer wants $100 for an new cylinder. I will not pay that kind of money for something that is a bad design and will eventually fail again. Bottom line is that this is piss-poor design for such an expensive machine! The tilt feature is used very often on this machine so it is important to keep it functional. Has anyone designed a mechanical replacement for the hyd cylinder? or, am I headed down a new path?

 

[MadDogDriver]

Andy, are you saying that the friction block is not holding the steering column solid? Or is the problem when you release the friction, the small gas shock absorber isn't doing it's job?

I've attached the parts breakdown in pdf to help.
View attachment TC40D Tilt Steering Column.pdf

 

[AndyG]

MadDog... Thanks for posting the exploded view. The "block" 10F does not hold the column in place. The block serves as an upper mount for the shock and a pivot point for the handle. The "shock absorber" 10A is what holds the column in position. There is valving within the shock, that is actuated by the handle 10C, the causes a hydraulic lock between the rod end and cap end of the cylinder. This hyd lock makes it impossible for the rod to extend or retract. The seals have failed on my shock and the oil squirted out. Without the oil there can be no hydraulic lock. The same type of cylinder is used on many adjustable office chairs. I could adapt a less expensive shock but I feel that a mechanical adjustment will be much more reliable.

 

[MadDogDriver]

Thanks for the explanation Andy.

I haven't had the "pleasure" of dealing with that problem yet. I've only been using NH's parts catalog as a poor man's repair manual. My tractor is still under warranty and can't justify the mega bucks for a real repair manual (yet).

$100 does seam out of line for what should be a simple lilttle shock absorber, but that's the price online with Messick's as well.

Does it look like the shock absorber can be repaired? Maybe someone, like Jinman, can elaborate on that.

 

[AndyG]

I don't believe that the shock can be disassembled. I don't see any snap rings of threads. Looks like it was assembled and crimped together with a special machine.

 

[AndyG]

How do I search Ebay for one of those substitute tilt cylinders?

 

[dqdave1]

Take the CNH cylinder to a auto parts store like NAPA and they will be able to match up a cylinder, I think.

 

[AndyG]

Here are a couple of pics of the mechanical adjuster that I built to replace the leaky shock. It is just as handy to operate as the shock was and the oil will never leak out of it.

 

[jinman]

Here are a couple of pics of the mechanical adjuster that I built to replace the leaky shock. It is just as handy to operate as the shock was and the oil will never leak out of it.

Was your tractor laying on its side in the picture? . . .
If it works for you, it's good. Can you take a picture of it in different positions? Are you going to paint it blue or black?

 

[AndyG]

I haven't had the tractor on its side yet. I couldn't figure out how to ratate the pic when I uploaded it. There isn't much need to worry about paint as almost all of it is behind the cowling. Only the handle sticks out. I guess I could hit it with a little paint sometime.