ZTR mower & hydraulics?

[middle.road]

Need to find a forum similar to H-M for repairing the new-to-us Everride Warrior.
The few that I hit this morning were, shall we say, not at all like the atmosphere here at H-M.
I appreciate any suggestions, since I'm feeling lazy and not up to searching & searching.
-=--=-
It's going to need some attention. It's (14) years old and a bit rough here and there. But it spent those years in a heated garage and only mowed <2 acres.
Most of it I feel I can handle but there is one problem I need to educate myself on.
The steering is 'twitchy' as a spooked horse. No 'fine' control at all. Kind of full off or full power.
Neighbor let me stash it in his barn yesterday, until this rain passes and I can figure out how/where to house it, 'tis a rather big brute.
You'd swear I was inebriated driving it over there. I couldn't feather it or get a good feel controlling it. Couldn't keep it 'straight'.
My thinking is that the hydraulics need a good going over, rather like a skid steer, but just want to make sure - I don't want to mess up.

***Edit*** forgot to list the make/model.
Everride Warrior 60" model # ZKW2560

Thanks for reading through this.

 

[C-Bag]

I had an Ariens 30" for several years and loved it. You don't mention whether you're used to hydro static steer or not. I spent a lot of time on Cat's and hydro static equipment so felt right at home. It was the first time since I was a kid that I actually smiled when I mowed the 3/4ac we had to mow. We moved over to where we have no grass and almost nobody else does as water is gold and priced appropriately. I ended up donating it to a kids camp

Have the front castors been greased and are the tires up to pressure? If the castors are stiff it causes all kinda squirrlyness. I never did have mine long enough to get into servicing the hydro stats. Also are the belts that run the stat tight and in good shape? Are they leaking? I can't remember the procedure on checking fluid and levels, sorry.

I usually had both arms all the way fwd and used the one on the side I was turning to to pull back leaving the other alone if that makes sense.

 

[middle.road]

I had an Ariens 30" for several years and loved it. You don't mention whether you're used to hydro static steer or not. I spent a lot of time on Cat's and hydro static equipment so felt right at home. It was the first time since I was a kid that I actually smiled when I mowed the 3/4ac we had to mow. We moved over to where we have no grass and almost nobody else does as water is gold and priced appropriately. I ended up donating it to a kids camp

Have the front castors been greased and are the tires up to pressure? If the castors are stiff it causes all kinda squirrlyness. I never did have mine long enough to get into servicing the hydro stats. Also are the belts that run the stat tight and in good shape? Are they leaking? I can't remember the procedure on checking fluid and levels, sorry.

I usually had both arms all the way fwd and used the one on the side I was turning to to pull back leaving the other alone if that makes sense.

The list begins. Front wheels look to be moving OK. Haven't really gotten into it at all yet. Does need a good lube up.
There's the word I was looking for - "squirrlyness".
Yeah, it's not handling like any others I've ever been on. More like a beat up old skidsteer with a touch of ancient Cat D4 thrown in.
Going over the manual after I made the post, there's a filter on the hydraulic system, manual calls out 25 micron, but a quick search returns 10 micron replacement. Used on a bunch of different equipment.
Also in the manual it is showing two pumps for the rear wheel motors. So perhaps the hydraulic system needs a good going over, new fluid and filter.
Maybe that will straighten it out.

The last two seasons have been a PiTA with mowing equipment breaking down and needing repair.
I'm hoping to get ahead of it this year so when the lawn needs mowing I won't be doing repairs under duress.

 

[C-Bag]

"I'm hoping to get ahead of it this year so when the lawn needs mowing I won't be doing repairs under duress."

Good luck with that and I mean that. I don't miss having a lawn for one second.

 

[C-Bag]

The two small mower hyrostats, Ariens and a JD I worked on we're self contained units. That's why I asked about the belt. The JD a single stat on a regular small tractor and the Ariens had one for each rear wheel. Both sealed units. Bigger ones, sorry, dunno.

 

[middle.road]

I could go for 'Arizona' landscaping. Rocks, Gravel, and Cactus.
Just a 'few' lines to go over...

 

[westerner]

I ran across a similar problem, in a COMPLETELY different application years ago. Saginaw integral power steering gearbox, standard issue on millions of Detroit vehicles, for decades. The valve (spool) that controls flow to one side of the box, (turn left) or the other (turn right), has a coiled spring that centers the valve, for zero flow if you provide no input from the steering wheel. This spring was broken, and provided nearly zero force against your input. The result was POWER STEERING, of the quick and dangerous style. It almost felt like it took your input, and ADDED to it!
I cannot say your problem has any similarity, but it smells of some similar issue. Hydraulics are just high pressure plumbing. Pumps make flow, and restrictions to the flow make pressure.

 

[Cadillac]

Did you mention the brand of mower? I deal with a bunch of hydraulic in the turf industry. Couple things to check are the rpms up enough, belt slipping which isn’t spinning the pumps enough, center springs or dampeners ok, Proper oil and level. Those pumps are a squash plate/piston type. If the pistons are scored from contamination or improper oil it will not produce the volume needed which would be twitchy.

 

[middle.road]

-hehe, no I didn't, kind of missed the boat there didn't I?

Everride Warrior 60" model # ZKW2560

'Twitchy' - there's another phrase to use.
I doubt that the fluids have ever been changed...

Something tells me that I will end up 'under'/'over' this puppy checking and doing maintenance on it.
Well, this one big plus is the initial cost. I just keep telling myself that . . . .

Did you mention the brand of mower? I deal with a bunch of hydraulic in the turf industry. Couple things to check are the rpms up enough, belt slipping which isn’t spinning the pumps enough, center springs or dampeners ok, Proper oil and level. Those pumps are a squash plate/piston type. If the pistons are scored from contamination or improper oil it will not produce the volume needed which would be twitchy.

 

[westerner]

I will poke around in the schematics. In the meantime, I would suggest a hydraulic
oil and filter change (more than once) and the aforementioned service on the casters and wheels. Heck, a sticky wheel bearing could cause a "pull" that would be easy to feel in your old Jeep, but not so easy to feel in a hydrostatic steered SHORT COUPLED lawn mower. Twitchy, indeed.