Magikal
1/2 ton status
I have had it with the gearbox and frame setup. Gonna go to full hydraulic steering. Who has the best kit for the price?
CK5
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Best hydraulic steering kit
- Thread starter Magikal
- Start date
Psc
CrpMag122
1/2 ton status
I have heard PSC is the best. I went with the Redneck Ram, I will post a thread after I get it installed.
Redneck Ram is good but I don't think they off full hydraulic steering, only assist.
PSC is the best but you'd better prep your wallet, they are expensive.
PSC is the best but you'd better prep your wallet, they are expensive.
CrpMag122
1/2 ton status
Nope, you are correct; they only offer hydro assist.
Another vote for PSC. Spend the money once. Not sure what you need....Call them, they know their 
Agr is another
I think universally PSC is going to be the best.
There are a lot of other good companies, but they are always compared against PSC in terms of cost or effectiveness as to whether or not they're worth the money.
Usually if something is always a baseline of comparo, it's a sign that it's the top of the heap
There are a lot of other good companies, but they are always compared against PSC in terms of cost or effectiveness as to whether or not they're worth the money.
Usually if something is always a baseline of comparo, it's a sign that it's the top of the heap
Magikal
1/2 ton status
I checked out agr steering systems and the ones I saw were running a 3/4" shaft in the ram compared to 2"+ with psc....quite obvious which one is gonna hold up to abuse.....
Magikal
1/2 ton status
I have heard that the steering rams off of a combine is an 8" double throw ram. Does anyone have any experience with those? Just a thought.....course by the time you buy the orbital valve, hoses, etc you might as well have bought the kit......lol
Here's what helped me figure things out...... http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-Hydro_Steering/index.html
Though PSC is nice (not gonna bag on the quality of their kits), I think they are insanely overpriced, IMHO. I have hydro assist and my brother has full hydro, but we both used the same exact single ended ram from surpluscenter.com. Just a simple 2" bore by 8" stroke...I think the ram was only $60 or so. Then I bought the hydro lines and all the fittings from surpluscenter.com as well (they are really cheap and easy...so much so I picked up a full extra hydro hose to have as a spare in the truck). So for you, just pick up the ram and hoses/fittings, that hydro mount from DIY, an orbital valve, and do the west texas offroad pump upgrade to your stock pump with a little summit racing cooler (bought mine for $35) and a radiator hose extension on the pump (for more fluid) and you are done. Oh, I guess a way to mount to ram to your tie rod, but that's a given and will depend on your overall setup with that how you do it.
Both my brother and I did our steering setups about the same time 4 years ago or so....and neither one of us have ever had a single issue with our steering on the trails. I can't remember what my brother said his overall price was for his steering setup....but it was a fraction of the cost of what PCS wants for their gold...just an option I guess
PSC. Or better yet with a howe pump
I was going almost 90mph with full hydro and my steering felt tight and responsive. My buddy with his throw together budget steering is like driving a trainwreck. Sure its expensive but steering is an important part of what we do. Not being able to turn when you want to, or having issues with steering is something i have zero tolerance for.
I was going almost 90mph with full hydro and my steering felt tight and responsive. My buddy with his throw together budget steering is like driving a trainwreck. Sure its expensive but steering is an important part of what we do. Not being able to turn when you want to, or having issues with steering is something i have zero tolerance for.
I think the important distinction is best not cheapest. There are a bunch of ways to do budget or homebrew fixes. Or piece together a system.
The best way is none of those.
If it's best per dollar spent, i think the answer would. Be different.
The best way is none of those.
If it's best per dollar spent, i think the answer would. Be different.
Are you talking about on your jeep? Was your buddies on the same type of vehicle? Many other factors can cause those type of feelings from the wheel...not just how much money was spent on steering system.
Also, one has to determine what the overall use of the vehicle is going to be. If you plan to drive it on the road a lot, then that affects the route you want to go. If you are more going to trailer it (which if we are discussing full hydro, then odds are the rig is more of a wheeler than a pavement runner since we all know full hydro is technically illegal to run on the roads) then this will make you go a different route. It's kinda a pet-peeve of mine when people just throw out the most expensive answer and say, "Do it right the first time" and begin to rattle off thousands of dollars worth of parts (you know, cause it aint our wallet that's gonna suffer from the purchase, so what do we care, haha) when in all reality, a different option will get the person just as happy overall for half the price.
Once again, I'm not knocking on PSC's stuff...it is top of the line and very nice stuff, but IMO, way too expensive and lends more to the new JK crowd that don't even work on their rigs in the first place. The home-brewed setups work really well and have proved themselves, and there is a ton of info out there on different setups too
I guess I should have clarified.
Both Chevy v8 both basically buggies. Both double ended rams. His is trail gear and mixed with factory parts. Works decent going slow. Anything over 20mph on a dirt road and it's darting all over. Feels like zero feedback in wheel.
Other Friend has a single ended surplus ram and orbital and stock p pump. Can definitely feel less power turning the one way, steering feels sloppy as well.
I'm as cheap as the other guy. Only way I got into my Psc setup was that it was used. I realize not everyone wants to go over 20mph. But depending on where you wheel. (Moab, jv, dunes, desert) you are going to be seeing some speeds over a slow crawl.
Hydro assist I'm all about cheap. Set up about 10 surplus center kits for people and they work great. But sometimes translating that into full hydro doesn't always work.
Realistically you can run a stock pump and be happy. Many do. Most stock reservoirs lend to cavitation and problems. But a cheap reservoir can work. The cost savings on a surplus ram vs Psc isn't huge. But you lose rod end quality, and overall ram quality. Orbitals are a semi wash on price. You are basically stuck with paying $400 for one. My friends got their Psc orbitals scratch and dent for $300
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I tried to go the home brewed way first...Wasted a lot of money and time only to have a sub par system. Never seemed to work as good as I thought it should. The more I researched, the more it lead to Psc. I called them and explained what I had and what I expected the system to do. They recommended which of their components to use....This was 8 years ago, other than hoses ( Only because I moved the orbital valve ) I've had zero issues. Keep in mind I'm turning 19-1/2" wide Boggers on 14" wide rims at 4psi in the rocks. I can move loose boulders the size of my tires out of my way when needed.
I know their parts cost more than most places.....But your paying for their knowledge too. I'm all for trying to save money, but in my case that route ended up costing me more.
I guess there's reason why you see Psc systems on most KOH rigs?
I know their parts cost more than most places.....But your paying for their knowledge too. I'm all for trying to save money, but in my case that route ended up costing me more.
I guess there's reason why you see Psc systems on most KOH rigs?
Magikal
1/2 ton status
Yeah, thinking the tech support and research that PSC has invested in their product is priceless. Seems to be the route to go.
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