L3560HSTC steering wheel seems like it's spinning freely

[JerkyChew]

This can't be a good thing - I noticed while driving my tractor that, in order to keep my front wheels straight, I had to have the wheel turned off center. A few minutes later the wheel needed to be rotated 90 degrees to stay straight. Shortly afterwords the wheel was back at top dead center to keep the wheels straight but I thought hey, that can't be good. So I shut it off and it looks like I can spin the steering wheel all the way around and the front wheels don't turn. I'm assuming that this is a problem, right? I haven't gotten under the tractor yet to poke around; since it's under a service contract I'll probably call my dealer tomorrow rather than mess with anything, unless you guys tell me that this is some fancy Kubota feature

Video here.

 

[Rustyiron]

Your tractor is not "mechanically" steered. More like your steering wheel is connected to an ?orbital? valve and on the axle, to a cylinder that's controlled by this valve.
That crude explanation is as far as I can "go" before I start talking chit!
It's a hydraulic problem that is probably pretty simple vs worrying about a mechanical steering box.
Checking your hyd (transmission) fluid level and looking for leakage in what would be considered the steering "column" and any hydraulic lines (rubber or steel) that may go between the transmission and these 2 components.
Hopefully someone will hop on that really knows.

 

[ptsg]

Hydraulic steering on tractors is quite different from a regular vehicle as there is no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the actual wheels. It's all relying on the fluid.

As with anything hydraulic, there are always losses and leak down in the system as the valves rely on very close tolerances to work. Some fluid bypasses through these close tolerances and eventually you have to correct the steering wheel. Some brands are worse than others.

As far as steering valves, some still allow you to steer even with the engine off, albeit with obviously more force needed. If I recall correctly from similar discussions on older threads, Kubota doesn't have this feature in their steering valves, that's why you can just steer without moving the wheels.

They're also notorious to have way too much leak down in their valves, be it steering or remotes in the back. Honestly way too much for what they charge. This results on have to do a lot of corrections on that steering wheel just to go straight.

On my tractor, I can go miles and miles with minor corrections to the steering wheel and can turn the wheels even with the engine off.

 

[JerkyChew]

Interesting! Thanks for that info, I wasn't aware of how this worked. I don't think I need to panic as much as I initially thought.

One issue I've had since day 1 is that when the front bucket is loaded, steering is very difficult. Increasing the RPMs obviously helps but I noticed yesterday that it seemed more difficult than normal when my bucket was loaded with dirt. I brought this up at my last service and they just shrugged and called it normal. Maybe I was just at my weight limit and it's an "it is what it is" situation.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Interesting! Thanks for that info, I wasn't aware of how this worked. I don't think I need to panic as much as I initially thought.

One issue I've had since day 1 is that when the front bucket is loaded, steering is very difficult. Increasing the RPMs obviously helps but I noticed yesterday that it seemed more difficult than normal when my bucket was loaded with dirt. I brought this up at my last service and they just shrugged and called it normal. Maybe I was just at my weight limit and it's an "it is what it is" situation.

Also be sure that your front tires have maximum air pressure, this will also ease the steering issue when having a loaded bucket.

 

[dicktill]

Explanation on the "orbitrol" valve: how does an orbitrol valve work? - Search Videos

 

[jonsstihl]

always move forwards or backwards as you steer makes it easier and less tearing up the grass. My kubota can steer with the engine off but it is hard.

 

[Fallon]

always move forwards or backwards as you steer makes it easier and less tearing up the grass. My kubota can steer with the engine off but it is hard.

Also make sure you have proper ballast on the 3pt. That unloads the front axle. Moving a milling machine with my L4060 recently, I didn't put on an implement on the back. Steering was noticably harder & I regretted not bringing an implement with me. Steered much easier unloading after I put an implement on.

As others noted hydraulics leak internally a bit. Driving straight down a crowned road I'll have to steer a quarter turn over a minute or so to stay straight. Disconcerting comparing it to a normal road vehicle, but normal. If you turn the wheel all the way to the stops, you can keep turning it a bit as well. Probably not good for it to force the internal leakage though.