Steering is stiff when cold

[matthewfrillman]

Hello everyone. I live in Ontario Canada,I have a Massey Ferguson 1085 that I use for blowing snow on my farm. I have owned it for about 10 years and has always had stiff hard steering when temperatures get down to 0 degrees Celsius. In summer it functions fine. A week ago I did change the fine wire mesh screen in the power steering pump. I also turned the set screw in a bit on the pressure valve in the pump,that was just a guess to do by the way. I do need to add fluid to the pump about 3 times per year. The larger steering box in the front of tractor was covered in old dried oil. I completely cleaned it off so it looks new and after running it for 10 minutes I began to see a small leak from top of steering box, it was leaking from around a metal seal . This could be many things and I am not versed well on this unit. Could this be a improper hydraulic oil issue or improper steering pump oil? Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks so much Much

 

[cglaser104]

So long as you used the recommended oils and filters and are seeing the leak then it's likely a tired seal than needs replaced. This isn't uncommon on aging equipment to have to replace various oil seals all around a piece of machinery. Sadly, nothing lasts forever.

 

[matthewfrillman]

Thanks for reply, one thing I’m not sure of is does this tractor have proper steering pump guild in it and if not how does one drain it totally so it can be replaced. The other thing I’m not sure of is the hydraulic fluid , I assume the tractor hydraulics function the steering box, can unit have wrong hydraulic fluid? And is it possible to drain all hydraulic fluid from tractor and replace with new fresh fluid. This is one tough tractor and it never fails me! She may need some attention I thing

 

[Bavarian]

I do agree with age related failure on seals. The increased pressure for the steering might not be the best for the already leaking seal. It can put more load on it. Be prepared for more leaks.
An oil change could improve the operation of any hydraulic system. To empty out the entire system and get rid of ALL old oil is a tough job. There will always be some residue left.
Low viscosity oil is your best friend if you operate in cold weather. Check your manual for the required specifications or contact your dealer.
I'm running John Deere low viscosity. It has a pouring point of -51F. It makes things a lot smoother in cold temps.