MF135 Power Steering Kit

I've finally decided to bite the bullet and put a PS kit on my 135 with a Davis FEL.

Both kits sold on here (MF100 & S.60421) do not recommend with loader. Would you say that is because things get tight, not because it won't work? I am planning on taking the tractor and the kit to my local machine shop and having them do the full install, so they are capable of fabrication.

Do you have any opinions on which kit is better? From what I can tell, they pretty much look the same.

Can you confirm this is how the kit works? The left side steering arm has a rod that activates the power cylinder in each direction. Then there is a rod that goes from the left wheel to the right wheel. Right side tie rod stays connected as originally. Cylinder operates off same pump that is used for the original power assist. This all sound right?

Any other input, pictures, videos, etc that you guys are aware of that may help?

Thanks. I want to make sure I go about this in the right way.

I don't know of a aftermarket ps kit that will work a fel on the tractor because of the lack of clearance. You would have to find a factory type ps setup.

Have you looked at this one?
http://jacksonpowersteering.com/

(quoted from post at 08:31:17 06/06/18) I don't know of a aftermarket ps kit that will work a fel on the tractor because of the lack of clearance. You would have to find a factory type ps setup.

Click to expand...

Not what I wanted to hear.

(quoted from post at 09:35:32 06/06/18) Have you looked at this one?
http://jacksonpowersteering.com/

Click to expand...

Yes. He didn't have anything already worked up for the 135.

I have a 1965 MF135 diesel with a loader on which I installed an aftermarket PS kit. My kit was one of the ones from Turkey and uses a single large hydraulic cylinder ram operating off of the left steering arm. It required quite a bit of welding and modification to the kit parts to make it work. The ram replaces the left steering connecting rod and moves the left spindle (as viewed from the driver's seat). The right steering connecting rod is removed and the right spindle is moved via a new connection rod that is placed between the left and right spindles that is attached to the spindles via tie rods ends placed into connectors welded to the bottom of the spindles. The instructions are almost useless and you need to just figure it out. Literally, the instructions said, "connect ram, replace rods, connect to spindles, fill pump, adjust as necessary." They were a joke!
The pics attached show the connections that I made. The new connection rod between the spindles from the kit is very weak and broke within a few weeks after the right wheel got caught in a rut. I then had to weld weld heavy T bar to the rod and that cured that problem. The PS pump supplied is very good and works well. The ram is also heavy duty and works well. Even with a full bucket you can turn the wheels with one finger with the tractor sitting. Installing the kit can be done, but be prepared to spend some time welding on the new parts and adjusting all arms, connections and tie rod ends to make it work. Also, on my loader, I had to move the wheels in a bit to make the PS kit work without hitting the steering connection rods. Overall, the kit works well but it is not for the faint of heart. I can post more pics or give measurements if you need, but this is the limit for pics in one post.

Here are some more pics to show that this can be done. My loader is a Schwartz 1200, the same as a Ford 772B, with a 5' bucket, running off of the internal hydraulics. It is not fast, but it works ok so long as you keep the rpms above 1300. It is also double acting and has down pressure and has no leak down at all. You will need ballast off the back of the tractor. My tires are filled, I have about 300 lbs of wheel weights, and I still like to have my 750 lbs of concrete weight hanging off of the back if I am going to do any real work with it. I just took the loader off of it for the summer to use the tractor for finish mowing and to give my Ford 850 a rest. It only took 4 pins to remove and the two quick disconnect hoses. Took about 10 mins or so to remove the loader and arms. The frame stays on the tractor. Hope that this helps you decide what to do.

Robilmichael......can you please tell me where your tightest spots were? I assume it’s the cylinder that would make contact if not placed properly? Is it between the frame and clutch housing? Loader cylinder and engine? 2 very specific points if at all possible. And what is that measurement? What is the diameter of the cylinder and attached components at that spot? Thanks a lot.

The aftermarket kit from Turkey that I seen came with new steering arms, but they have the ackerman angle wrong. Their steering arms makes the tire that's is on the outside of the turn sharper than which is backwards of what it should be. The tire that is on the inside when turning is supposed to turn sharper because its making a tighter radius when making a turn.


Robinmichael, were those arms welded on the bottom of the spindles? I've never seen a ps kit that was setup like that.

Yes, they were welded on the bottom of
the spindles. My kit did not have the
two new steering arms and instead had
the two heavy brackets that had to be
welded to the spindles. I think my kit
was made for the later versions of the
135 that had the straight axles. I
never measured if the steering angles
changed with the kit installed, but it
would not surprise me if they did. You
do not need to remove the right side tie
rod and that way the right side steering
sector still control the right spindle.
If you di that then there is no
connection between the spindles. This
keeps the original steering angle, makes
the whole setup stronger, but you only
have about 50 percent of the steering
assist as the ram only assists on the
left side. I tried that and it works
well, feels stronger, but only about
half of the steering assist.

My recommendation is that if you really
want a loader to do some serious work
then buy a 4 wheel drive loader tractor
that is designed for that with true
power steering. Or, at least buy an
industrial version of a 135 like the 292
workbull or a Ford 1801. They had heavy
duty steering and axles and pumps.

I will get that for you later today.

Details on the tightest spots would be great. I can then try to do a "mock up" to see if it will move freely without contact. I have a pretty good understanding of this set up by now.

I really want to add the power steering to the tractor I have. I really like this 135 diesel. It amazes me how easily this thing fires up and how flawlessly it runs for being 52 years old. I have $5,000 total in this tractor and I've gone through everything and have it working like a top (for its age). I'm afraid with no PS at all that I would lose $1,000 if I tried to sell it so why not pay $1,000 and add the power steering kit like you have if I can. I understand it is not meant for heavy loader work but that is not what it will get used for a majority of the time. I'm guessing an average of 10-15 hours per year using the loader and probably only 40 total using the tractor. I've considered buying another tractor, but I've decided if I do that I'm buying new (which isn't worth it to me for the little I use it) because after the 2 tractors I've bought now I don't trust anybody selling a tractor. The first one I bought had a cracked head that didn't show up until I ran it hard and when taken apart it had obviously been that way for some time.

Hi, as I mentioned to PTfarmer, if you really want to do work with a loader then it is best to buy a 4 wheel drive loader
tractor with full power steering, a heavy axle and pump, shuttle shift, etc. If you are like me and like older equipment, then
the next best step would be to buy an industrial version of the MF135 that has the heavy front axle, pump and power steering,
like the MF202 workbull or the Ford 1801. Those were made to use and handle a loader. I had an old Case 480CK like that, with
a shuttle shift, and although it was 2 wheel drive it was a real loader tractor with a 3 pt. hitch that could lift a mountain.

Now, if you really want to do this, here are my recommendations. Keep in mind that I do not know if you have the swept back
axles or the MF135 with the later straight axle. The later version is probably stronger. I also do not know if the kit you are
looking at is the newer version that has two new steering arms that attach to the spindles (the left one being a dogleg version
onto which you attach the cross connector to have the left spindle turn the right spindle without any welding onto the spindles)
or my older version that required welding of the two heavy 1" thick connectors to the spindles. I also do not know the exact
dimensions of the Davis 102 loader, but I think it is a bit bigger and heavier than my Schwartz 1200 loader, which is the same
as the Ford 770 B. That is a light duty loader but it is strong enough to do routine chores, some digging, etc. without
overwhelming the tractor. Either way, here goes:

1. My loader inside width at the lower lift cylinders is 34" wide, and the pivot point pin for the lower cylinders is 25" from
the ground. My lift cylinders for the loader are 2" wide. I installed the kit on the tractor before I installed a loader
(about 8 years ago) and I had my front wheels spaced one hole further apart than you see them in the pics. When I went to
install the loader frame I could see that the loader lift cylinder on the left side would rub against the new hydraulic ram when
the front axle would lift up as you went over a bump. That is because the ram is attached to the left axle connector in the
rear and to the left spindle up front so that it moves up and down with the axle. I then had to move the front wheels in closer
together to stop any potential rubbing. I have them set now so that there are two holes showing on the front spindles. See the
pics. The hydraulic ram does not hit the lift cylinder now and there is plenty of clearance.

2. To start the process, move the front wheels into the narrowest pattern that will work for your loader. In my case, it
required a spacing of two holes showing on the axle. Yours may be different. Turn your steering wheel straight ahead and make
sure that your steering sectors are adjusted properly. Now, with the ram off of the tractor, fully extend and close it so that
you know the stroke of the ram. Set the ram so that it is half exposed (i.e., at half stroke), and set the tie rod ends half
in. This will ensure that when you turn the wheel and the ram either retracts or extends it has the maximum stroke to turn left
or right as needed, and the adjustments for the tie rods at the ends can be screwed in or out to fine tune the adjustments for
stroke, steering, etc.

3. Remove the left tie rod connector between the steering arm on the spindle and the other end attached to the steering sector.
Place the front tie rod of the ram in the front spindle and see where the back tie rod ends up against the left wishbone
connector to the front axle. This will tell you where to weld the plate to that connector into which the back tie rod of the
ram will sit. Weld that on and place the ram tie rods into the spindle at front, and the welded plate at the back. Make sure
that you have no clearance problems.

4. Attach the link in the kit that goes between the steering arm sector and the control valve at the front of the ram.

5. Attach the pump on the right side and attach the lines. Fill with 20W oil. Lift the front end of the tractor off the
ground and start it and move the wheel back and forth to get the oil into the ram and remove all air. You now have power assist
steering to the left spindle.

6. The weak, and very weak, link in the kit is the connection and connector between the left and right spindles. You do not
need to remove the right side tie rod connector. Instead, you can leave it on and just have the ram assist on the left side.
That assist will partially assist on the right side because the steering sectors are someone connected within the steering
housing. If you do this you will have about 50% power steering assist. The assist will help in both turning right and left,
but it is only about 50% assist. I tried this when my left to right spindle bent and broke and it works, but it is not true PS.
It is probably stronger that way.

7. If you want to take off the right side steering, like I did, then remove the right side tie rod and attach the left spindle
to the right spindle using the connector in the kit. This connector causes the left spindle to turn the right spindle. There
is tremendous force and tension/compression in that connector when you turn the wheel since one spindle is turning both wheels,
and if the right wheel is in a rut and you try to turn the wheel that left-to-right connector from the kit will bend and break.
I guarantee it. I had to weld heavy 2.5" T bar to the connector to beef it up. It works now and I have confidence in it. It
has been that way for years now. PS - I did all of my welding with a cheap Harbor Freight 90 amp 110v welder! It took long to
do so but with proper prep and angling the pieces to allow a full weld, it worked, even on the heavy 1" thick pieces welded to
the spindles which must be under tremendous forces. Nothing has broken.

8. Then once you have it together, use the tie rod ends to fine tune it so that the steering is straight.

9. PTfarmer correctly states that this system changes the so called Ackerman angle. However, that steering angle issue is very
critical for cars, etc., but since you are only going 3 to 6 mph, I doubt that it affects the tractor steering that much. I
have not noticed any issues.

See some pics attached again that I hope help.

Let me know if you have any other questions, and good luck! Keep us posted.

Yes, they are great tractors and the Perkins diesel is tops. It always starts, needs no either or glow plugs even getting down to
near zero degrees,and is very fuel efficient. My loader that I bought was near brand new but uses the internal hydraulic system.
The Davis unit I think requires a front mount pump and is a heavier unit. My PS kit was purchased from ebay and it cost around
$500 about 8 years ago. The pump and ram are very well built and solid. It is the connector between the spindles that is very
week and will bend and break. It needs to be beefed up substantially. Good luck and send some pics!

robilmichael..........thanks for the very detailed description of the install. You have been a great help. I'm going to nail you with a few more questions.

Almost seems like you could be steering me away from this with some of your comments. I do understand this is not the ideal loader setup, but I don't use it very hard/much and I really don't want to sell it and get another tractor. Based on your experience, would you do it again?

So just to confirm, the closest contact point in your setup would be the PS ram and the loader lift cylinder hitting?

What is the diameter of the PS ram?

PS Ram - Is it that "block with the nut/bolt" hanging off the side that would come into contact with the loader lift cylinder? If so, what is the diameter including that "block/nut/bolt"?

I bought a 1965 MF2135 industrial (same thing as the 135 for the most part) with a heavy duty front axle, it had the Continental Z134 gas engine which was ok, but really wanted one with a Perkins ad3.152 diesel. I found a 1967 135 diesel that had the swept back, so I swapped the whole front axle/axle support from the 2135 to the 135.

The 2135 the day I bought it


The 135 with the 2135 front axle swapped onto it.

Interesting. How hard of a swap was it? Any fabricating or did it all bolt right up?

(quoted from post at 06:30:34 06/07/18)
PTfarmer correctly states that this system changes the so called Ackerman angle. However, that steering angle issue is very
critical for cars, etc., but since you are only going 3 to 6 mph, I doubt that it affects the tractor steering that much. I
have not noticed any issues.

Click to expand...

With the ackerman angle backwards you have the front tires fighting each other. The tire on the inside of the turn wants to keep going straight since it doesn't turn as far as it needs to. The tire on the outside of the turn is turning way to sharp so that tire wants to plow (could be why you have to reinforce the rod going to the right side of the tractor). If you are on hard ground you will wear out front tires a lot faster. Plus with the ackerman angle being off you have turn the steering even more to make the same turn more than you would if the ackerman is correct. Also with the correct ackerman angle it will steer easier than it would with it the ackerman angle backwards.

I would probably do it again, but I would not pay $1000 for that setup. Mine was around $500 delivered. I had the time and I was
looking for a project. The "ram" is the large double acting hydraulic cylinder for the power steering. Yes, the closest point of
contact with my loader was the PS ram and the loader lift cylinder. The point of contact was the cylinder of the ram against the
lift cylinder for the loader. I saw a Youtube video from a fellow in Greece who installed it on his MF135 Orchard version. I
figured if he could do it, I could.

Good luck!

All correct. However, I do not notice any plowing of the tires on the lawn from turns, etc. I am sure that it is happening just as
you describe, but at slow speeds it does not seem to tear up the grass any more than my Ford 850 or Jubilee. I looked at it as a
project. Again, if I could have found a MF135 with PS 8 or 10 years ago I would have bought that one! The manual steering is not
bad or heavy on the MF135 without a loader.

This is a future project for my 135, hydrostatic steering. Going to be a tight fit, I may space the front axle support out a couple of inches, and make the hood/side panels a little longer. I also am working on a cab for my 135 with a air conditioner.

(quoted from post at 13:54:16 06/07/18) This is a future project for my 135, hydrostatic steering. Going to be a tight fit, I may space the front axle support out a couple of inches, and make the hood/side panels a little longer. I also am working on a cab for my 135 with a air conditioner.

Click to expand...

I think I saw this some time back and didn't really look into it too much. Looked a bit strange to me.

On another note, my loader appears to be 5" less in total width than robilmichael. I'm 29" inside to inside on the loader frame at the lower lift cylinder pins and my cylinder is .5" bigger. Meaning I have 3" less room to work with. Unlikely to fit.

I am also going to create a thread under Tractor Talk, but I am considering removing the loader arms when not using the loader. I think this would remove a ton of weight in the front and make it a lot easier to use. Like I said earlier, loader use is a small portion of what I use it for.

I can find the sweet spot to take all pressure off the bottom lift cylinder pins to remove.

Is it possible to install quick connect fitting to the fitting I have pictures of below? Assuming yes, I can then quick disconnect my hoses.

Make some type of overhead harness for each loader arm. Back out the loader arm bolt (pics below) and the arms, cylinders and bucket are separate.

Do you guys think this would work? I know it would obviously be more time consuming than your modern loaders, but I don't see the problem in it.

Yes. I am sure that you can rig up some quick disconnects. Your loader frame appears to be a lot heavier the mine. Yours has a front mount pump and a heavy front guard and is full of fluid. If your frame is only 29 inches wide at the lift pins it will be a tight fit. You may need to move your front wheels in another few inches than mine. On mine, it is lighter and it only takes removal of 4 pins and two quick disconnect lines on my frame to remove the loader. The frame is rather unobtrusive and light. Here are some pics that show the wheel angles at full turns that ptfarmer was talking about. I welded up the front guard as my frame did not have one.Since the spindles are locked in parallel they stay parallel in turns. However you will notice that there is no plowing on the grass. I cut in 5th gear at about 6 mph. Good luck if you decide to do it.

One other thing, I looked at both of those kits that you cited and they appear to be exactly like the one I purchased years ago and
both require welding of the heavy brackets to the spindles. Both use that weak adjustable link in the spindle to spindle connector.
I have seen kits now that do not require that welding onto the spindles and instead use the drop down dog leg steering arms
attached to the spindles. See here: http://www.powersteeringkit.com/135.html

If I were to do it again, I would get one of those. I installed one of those kits on a Ford 3000 that I once had and it worked
great, once you beefed up the spindle to spindle connector.

Again, good luck and keep us posted!

Thanks again. That kit does look a little better. Without being able to see it in person, I'm afraid I don't have enough room for it. I already have my front axles in as far as they go to accommodate the loader.

(quoted from post at 04:20:29 06/08/18) One other thing, I looked at both of those kits that you cited and they appear to be exactly like the one I purchased years ago and
both require welding of the heavy brackets to the spindles. Both use that weak adjustable link in the spindle to spindle connector.
I have seen kits now that do not require that welding onto the spindles and instead use the drop down dog leg steering arms
attached to the spindles. See here: http://www.powersteeringkit.com/135.html

If I were to do it again, I would get one of those. I installed one of those kits on a Ford 3000 that I once had and it worked
great, once you beefed up the spindle to spindle connector.

Again, good luck and keep us posted!

Click to expand...

I looked at the guys facebook page, and that kit is from Turkey also. I wouldn't be surprised if its the same guy who built the other ps kit from Turkey.

Your loader is narrow and will not allow
enough room to install the PS kit. I
have about 2 1/3 inches between the ram
and the loader pins. I could get
another few inches more if I moved my
axles closer together. Looks like you
will need to either get a PS from
another tractor if you want to do the
project.

Good luck.

(quoted from post at 03:45:25 06/08/18) Yes. I am sure that you can rig up some quick disconnects. Your loader frame appears to be a lot heavier the mine. Yours has a front mount pump and a heavy front guard and is full of fluid. If your frame is only 29 inches wide at the lift pins it will be a tight fit. You may need to move your front wheels in another few inches than mine. On mine, it is lighter and it only takes removal of 4 pins and two quick disconnect lines on my frame to remove the loader. The frame is rather unobtrusive and light. Here are some pics that show the wheel angles at full turns that ptfarmer was talking about. I welded up the front guard as my frame did not have one.Since the spindles are locked in parallel they stay parallel in turns. However you will notice that there is no plowing on the grass. I cut in 5th gear at about 6 mph. Good luck if you decide to do it.

Click to expand...

Looks like you have the ackerman angle right on your tractor, or at least it looks correct in the pictures.

(quoted from post at 13:54:16 06/07/18) This is a future project for my 135, hydrostatic steering. Going to be a tight fit, I may space the front axle support out a couple of inches, and make the hood/side panels a little longer. I also am working on a cab for my 135 with a air conditioner.

Click to expand...

If this is also tight, what is the reasoning for using this type of power steering rather than one of the kits? What is the benefit of this setup?

How hard was it putting the 2135 axle on your 135? Was it just a simple swap or was there fabrication needed?

Putting the industrial front axle/front support was a bolt on deal. On my 135 I want to eliminate the both the sector gears in the steering box, and eliminate both of the tie rods.

I am looking at the possibility of installing this on my MF35 with the Perkins diesel and swept back axle.

I found the instructions on the A&I parts web page. The question i have for you is regarding the brackets to be welded to the spindles.
Here is what the instructions say:
9. Tie rod arms (7) provided with the kit must be welded to the bottom of each
spindle. The distance from the center of the hub to the center of the tie rod hole
must be 43/4 inches.

I am not following this as to where the bracket is to bed located. Can you provide some better insight on this?