Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Would this work?
How would you go fitting a hydro assist ram on a lux using tractor style clevis pins in both ends and quick connectors on the hydro lines.
So when at a comp or a good days wheeling you slip the ram on pin it and clip on the lines (5 mins) and when driving home on the highway you just remove the ram and thow it in the toolbox and cable tie the hydro lines out of the way.
Only problem I can see being possible is if you boost up the PS pump to suit the ram it might be working too hard with it disconnected.
What do you guys reckon?

im no hyrdo dude but . that sounds like it would work. just have a male and female connector like on bobcats . and when not in use just connect them together and the fluid would just curculat(sp) wouldnt it . cause ones a return and ones a feed i think.

I think they could just be left sealed as that is how the box is normally before the holes are drilled and tapped for the hdyro assist.
But yeah if they needed to be they could be hooked together easy enough.

at least it would stop the pressure build up u where worried about . it would give that hydro curcut constant flow instead of it still pumping in to a blank end with nowhere to go.

why would you want to remove it??

if you were to blow a hose on the highway you would just loose oil (still mechanically connected )

it could be easily done
BUT you could end up with issues bleeding your system every time you re install it.

just paint the ram matt black so its not so obvious then enjoy

You would have to leave the line disconnected, as thet would each go to a differant 'side 'in the ps box, connecting them would leave a 'hole' in the box and result in no power steering at all.

ricky1970 wrote:You would have to leave the line disconnected, as thet would each go to a differant 'side 'in the ps box, connecting them would leave a 'hole' in the box and result in no power steering at all.

x2

I though there was a post on here not long ago that resulted in that you could have hydro assist, just not full hydro.

Hydro assist aparantly can be had legally.
But I have also been told that you get bugger all feel in the steering and it can be slow to react ie shit loads of turning power but at a set speed.

Can't see why an engineer would not pass a hydro assist type setup if done corectly. Early model falcon/fairlane and early holdens had a power steer option which used a assist cylinder controled from the (special) steer box. Same with a lot of older trucks which use a assist cylinder clamped to the drag link (eg - Kenworth).
You still have a mechanical link with this system, so a component failure (pump, hose, etc) wont leave you with no steering.

run a 6 port diverter valve, then in pos1: the hydro is active adn nice easy steering. in pos2:(diverted) the steering ports are blocked giving std steering on the box , and the ram ports are diverted to tank alloing it to act as a steering dampner!!!

1MadEngineer wrote:run a 6 port diverter valve, then in pos1: the hydro is active adn nice easy steering. in pos2:(diverted) the steering ports are blocked giving std steering on the box , and the ram ports are diverted to tank alloing it to act as a steering dampner!!!

Now that sounds interesting!
I try to stick to the KISS method though and this is starting to complicate things a bit.
I like the idea though.

think "Bee Bee" ran somthing simular

1 mad is a half of bee bee (DGR dave and GREG (1 mad) racing)

All u need to do is drill the 2 holes in your steering pump and put in some -6 jic fittings. Hook up the hoses when u want the ram and when u dont, take off the hoses and fit the caps. U dont need to link the 2 together when the ram is not fitted.

ausyota wrote:Hydro assist aparantly can be had legally.
But I have also been told that you get bugger all feel in the steering and it can be slow to react ie shit loads of turning power but at a set speed.

IF you get a high performance pump you will have enough flow to compensate for the extra volume required to drive the assist cylinder.
using the correct size cylinder will also add to the road manners

if you get a good pump , and still arent happy with on road performance then you could cap the fittings on the box as in shanes pic BUT also hook the 2 lines from the cylinder together to allow fluid to flow from one side of the cyl. to the other freely without letting dirt in.

a cheap way to KISS at least
make sense

to fix the problem with the pump being used when not needed, why not put on a aircon magnetic clutch spool?

Switch it on when u need it, when u dont turn it off and let the hub freewheel.

I know its possible, just need to find the right spline/key to fit

Z()LTAN wrote:to fix the problem with the pump being used when not needed, why not put on a aircon magnetic clutch spool?

Switch it on when u need it, when u dont turn it off and let the hub freewheel.

I know its possible, just need to find the right spline/key to fit

this is actually way off.
you dont want to stop the pump from running
in a normal power steering box you turning the steering wheel allows the POWER to be applied to assist your steering.

when adding hydro assist cylinder the same thing happens BUT the holes drilled into the steering box also allow hydraulic POWER to also go to the hydro. cylinder which "assists" your power steering box

the common problem when doing this is not having enough hydraulic fluid output from the pump to supply both the power steering box and the hydro. assist cylinder . which creates the slow onroad response.

bigger pump = better steering

I have this.
Its not hard.
i dont have time to type all the info here send me a pm if you want and i will send you my number and we can talk about the set up them.