Hello, I'm working on a John Deere 444c. The machine is very hard and slow to steer both directions. The wheel turns hard, and the machine very slowly turns, like its trying to catch up to how far I turned the wheel. I have plenty of pressure from the steering pump on the front of the engine, both steering cylinders have been recently replaced. I have a manual for a 544b I've been flipping through, but I haven't found anything that seems to help me. I have a limited knowledge on steering systems on loaders. I'm wondering if the system is air bound from when the cylinders were replaced. I see a bleeding procedure in the 544 manual but the pictures it shows don't quite match up to what I have on my 444. Does anyone know the correct way to bleed the steering system on this machine? Thanks for any help you can offer
Reply to JOHN DEER 444C- Hard Steering The hard steering is the sign of lack of hydraulic flow at first. Then you have to find about it. I look at it's catalogue. I found the piston pump support brake and steering. Then the steering unit has 5 ports: - Pump - Tank - to Left - to Right - LS When you start to rotate the steering wheel, the LS port send a signal to steering and brake pump to report that steering want FLOW. Then swash plate angle of pump increases and high quantity of flow is send to steering unit ( port P). Depending of steering to left or right, the oil flows to L or R port and then to cylinder. If you send me it's manual I could help you more accurate. Thanks.