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hydro assist

NorCal_Chris

NorCal_Chris

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Am i missing anything here?

Updated from responses.

gonna run the cap that kurt sells. it has a 3/8npt hole in it. and im going to tap my top cap for 3/8npt

http://diy4x.com/cart/index.php?route=product/product&path=17&product_id=146

tryed to gather all the info from old hydro thread, but it is all kinda strewn in there. gonna order it on monday.


so ram

then 2 6m to 3/8npt for ports on ram

then 2 3/8npt 90degree swivels

then 2 3/8npt hoses at 36inches long


then one hose goes to swivel then top cap of box

then other hose gets a 3/8npt 90deg swivel and screws into the diy4x cap



yes? lol?

hydro.JPG
 
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That where I got mine. Accuatualy, Kert got it, Cut and turned then rewelded it. Then sent It to me. About same price as your paying.
 
I'm pretty sure Its the same ram. I also believe the eyes should be facing up and down. Here is mine.


IMAG0151.jpg
 
NorCal_Chris said:
Am i missing anything here?

gonna run the cap that kurt sells. it has a 3/8npt hole in it. and im going to tap my top cap for 1/4npt

http://diy4x.com/cart/index.php?route=product/product&path=17&product_id=146

tryed to gather all the info from old hydro thread, but it is all kinda strewn in there. gonna order it on monday.


so ram

then 2 6m to 1/4npt for ports on ram

then 2 1/4npt 90degree swivels

then 2 1/4npt hoses at 48inches long


then one hose goes to 1/4npt 90degree swivel then top cap of box

then other hose gets a 1/4npt to 3/8npt adapter and screws into the diy4x cap ( should i add another 90degree swivel for this one?)



yes? lol?
Click to expand...

that list should be stickied so everyone has exact part number for hydro assist
 
I would tap the sector cap for 3/8NPT. 3/8 fittings have some lag as it is, even with a high flow pump. 1/4 is going to be a hell of a pointless bottleneck.

Extra heat too.

I would highly suggest 3/8 hose also.

Also, the 4' hoses are way too long for me. I need to get some that are at least a foot shorter, even at full droop.
 
I've been drilling and tapping box's for years now with 1/4" NPT without any "lag" issues and I run 3/8" hose.
 
CherryK5 said:
that list should be stickied so everyone has exact part number for hydro assist
Click to expand...

Check out this thread

I'll give you my personal experience and I have a handful of posts here from before I worked for ORD outlining the same:

It works. Not perfectly, but you definitely gain a lot of steering power.

My .02:

Do something better for a reservoir than a piece of radiator hose. 4X4HIGH has a part number for a fitting that goes over the factory reservoir to make an easy connection to a remote reservoir, search for that.

The Surplus Center rams are super cheap but you have to source tabs and you have to cut, turn and re-weld them to work with hydro assist. Not sure the joints are rebuildable either. Mine has been holding up fine (1.5"x8") but it doesn't have joints on either end (bad) and the rod is super big (1" IIRC) which is good because it doesn't bend but the steering is noticeably weaker going right.

You will go through pumps. This is for several reasons, the first being that you have to run a small-ish cylinder to be street/snow friendly with a stock pump. A smaller (i.e. 1.5") cylinder gets worked pretty hard turning big tires, the pump ends up at max pressure most of the time. Working the pump at max pressure/flow for extended amounts of time will kill it quickly. A bigger cylinder is easier on the pump and has more power but can be dangerously slow on the street with a stock pump. I messed with my pump a lot and did not have good results, always ended up with too much (exploded steering box :eek1:) or too little pressure. I had the best results with a stock pump and even then I go through a couple a year. When you start really needing hydro assist, not having a pump that's 100% is a big deal.

Tapping the end cap and top cap are the last places that get pressure, your assist won't be as effective being tapped in those locations.

The cooler is a big deal, bigger the better. It's easy to make an aftermarket trans cooler work, make sure it's in front of a fan.

That's the best advice I have, I built my system in college on the cheap and it's been ok. It works, but not for long stretches, and it isn't quite as strong or as fast as I'd like. I'm switching to full hydro over the fall, but the line as I see it is: do it cheap and expect way more work and for parts to need replacing much more often or do it right and be done. Being a cheap college student I built my rig with lots of cheap do it yourself stuff and it's worked ok, I am enjoying getting to the point where I can just go out and wheel it and not have to fix something after every run.
 
See I have a little different experience than Chris.

I haven't needed a pump since putting the ram on, my pump is going strong onto 3 years now. Without hydro assist I was burning up fluid thereby burning up pumps.

I agree the hose is chintzy at best. I actually cut apart an old Ford power steering pump and used the long neck on it along with a rad hose. Works fine but it is chintzy

I do think the ram slowed down my steering a bit, but it didn't take much more than a day to get used to.

Mine turns great both directions. My recent problems with steering have been traced to a broken locker in the front end. Surplus center ram still going strong.

I have seen probably a dozen PSC rams bend, never seen one of the big surplus center rams bend.

But then again like was said the ends on the SC rams are not rebuild able

One thing I do hate about mine is the fact there are tabs on the tie rod. If you can afford it try to get one of the clamps for the tie rod connection or make your own. Just makes it easier to adjust the tie rod
 
CherryK5 said:
On a side note. Would that be a big enough ram for full hydro?
Click to expand...

No, plus the stock Chevy steering box will not work as the valve for full hydro. It relies on resistance to divert pressure so if the draglink wasn't hooked up you'd get nothing until the box was at full lock, then it would turn with everything it's got. Doesn't work really at all.
 
38377k5 said:
No, plus the stock Chevy steering box will not work as the valve for full hydro. It relies on resistance to divert pressure so if the draglink wasn't hooked up you'd get nothing until the box was at full lock, then it would turn with everything it's got. Doesn't work really at all.
Click to expand...

I've always wondered why you couldnt use the chevy steering box for full hydro. This makes more sense than the other answers Ive got.
 
I started with a 1.5" ram and then went to a 1.75". Both were used on the street with no problems. I ran a stock pump with no issues and when I went up in ram size I got a PSC pump and it has been going for 4 years. I would go to a big block style pump with a seperate reservoir over modding a stock reservoir. Like mentioned, go with a big cooler and also use full flow fittings.
 
38377k5 said:
No, plus the stock Chevy steering box will not work as the valve for full hydro. It relies on resistance to divert pressure so if the draglink wasn't hooked up you'd get nothing until the box was at full lock, then it would turn with everything it's got. Doesn't work really at all.
Click to expand...


Now that gives me a thought.
I wonder if this would work.
It would be totally undrive-able on the street, and hardly practical even at low speed rock crawling, but if it worked, it would be freaky cool to drive.

The steering box puts out pressure as the spool valve moves due to the deflecting of the spring caused by the resistance to the output arm.

Supposing you went full hydro, and locked the output arm so it could not move.
With no steering input, there would be no pressure. As you begin to try to turn the wheel, it would output pressure with the flow rate proportional to how hard you tried to turn the wheel.
The steering wheel would only turn a tiny amount, but the wheels would steer, with the response speed determined by your input.

When you released pressure on the wheel, it would center, driven by the internal spring, and the steering would stay where it was headed.
There would be no self centering of the actual steering. You would have torque the wheel back the other way to go straight.

It would be a lot like playing a video game with a solid state, force sensitive, joystick.
The wheel would not move, but the steering would.

I'll bet, with practice, it could be driven on the street. But I doubt safely.

Or you could bypass the wheel entirely, and go with a spring loaded double acting hydraulic valve mounted like a helicopter collective.
 
But, for all the trouble that would be. you could just buy a Charlynne(Spelling?) orbital steering valve and be done with it, right. They range from 250- 450 bucks depending an what size you get. From Surplus center.
 
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I went with the 1.5 ram and had hoses made, still works great with the stock pump 5 years later.
I did add a large cooler to it which does double duty as a cooler and a fluid reservoir when you consider the lines and everything.
 
BoondocK5 said:
But, for all the trouble that would be. you could just by a Charlynne(Spelling?) orbital steering valve and be done with it, right. They range from 250- 450 bucks depending an what size you get. From Surplus center.
Click to expand...


But, that would be practical......Where is the fun in that?

I was not advocating actually doing it, just thought it would be neat.
 
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