Direct Steering Tech

I hear and see a lot of talk about direct steering I here, and I see a lot of setups that a WRONG. No disrespect intended, we all do our best, and being uninformed sometimes makes it hard to get it right.

I'm gonna show you how to set up a direct steering assy that will give you the proper tire angles to allow you better grip and steering with a locked rear end.

Frankly, a lot of the complaints about locked rears trying to make the mower go straight instead of turn are because the steering is relying on ONLY the inner tire to turn


Lemme 'splain

Some good stuff there, Lawren! And yet... Not ONCE did you mention Wilhelm Ackermann, the fine mathematician responsible for figuring all this out for us! LOL

Anyways- for those interested in further research, look up the Ackermann Principle. It's all about the fact that the inside front tire of a car going around a corner has to follow a tighter radius than the outside tire. And yes- it helps plenty.

There are several factors that affect how well your ride does or does not steer, and Ackermann is but one of them. Other factors like KPI (King Pin Inclination) camber, caster,toe, and scrub radius all play a big part.

Interesting. How would you do the tie rods though? Most direct steering in racing setups have vertical steering and a rod going from the shaft to a spindle. With that kind of distance, wouldnt it be be difficult to do it this way?

Nope, you would mount the triangle flat on the frame, with a vertical rod up a 90 degree box to the horizontal steering shaft

Need me to draw it?

What matters is the triangle pushing the rods... don't matter how it's oriented

I'd just like to point out here that the triangle can be COMPLETELY eliminated. A dead straight tie rod going from steering arm to steering arm will work just fine, IF the steering arms are on the correct angle.

Correct Doc, if you are building the spindle, and figure your angles correctly. This is a simple set up for converting the stock spindles. It doesn't matter WHERE the triangulation occurs (in your setup the triangulation action is moved to each wheel instead of being centralized)

I suggested this method as an easy way to set up and ADJUST a direct steering setup on a stock mower. By adjusting the length of the bar tying the two sides together, you can adjust the angle of the wheels till it's just right

Yup! That sounds about right!

I'd also like to point out to the masses another thing that might be overlooked. The practical application of direct steering. Two major points here-

1)Sensitive. You're looking at an average steering wheel rotation of 90°, lock to lock. Not 90° each way, TOTAL.

2)Stiff. At low speeds, that sucker's going to be a beotch to steer. You'd better have some serious biceps. Direct steer is best suited for higher speed applications, not manuevering in tight spots. Basically, I'd only suggest this for a racer or higher speed "rally" machine.

Even so, direct steering is a bit too twitchy for me. Get a little overzealous and you're right in the cabbage.

Also, direct steering gives way more feedback, so you feel EVERYTHING. This makes offroading a lot more tiring.

think I might just stick to articulating tractors after I get the massey done lol

Moose wrote:

think I might just stick to articulating tractors after I get the massey done lol

Also true on both counts. I've had a few "vehicles" with direct steer, and can attest to this stuff.

Doc Sprocket wrote:

Moose wrote:

think I might just stick to articulating tractors after I get the massey done lol

Also true on both counts. I've had a few "vehicles" with direct steer, and can attest to this stuff.

then all I need is 2 sprockets a big one and a little one lol

*Moved to the correct section,

and here, there are many ways to do Direct steering. - https://www.atltf.com/t1959-101-on-steering-caster-camber-toe-and-kip-and-what-it-does-old-video

showoff.... (grin)

I rest my case...

Lawren Wimberly wrote:

I rest my cane...

there fixed it for yah

he's just jealous of my hair

IIRC at the ARMA clinic one of the ways they mentioned to set the spindle arms was to tie string from the spindle to the center of the transaxle in a V.

Doug Fackler wrote:

IIRC at the ARMA clinic one of the ways they mentioned to set the spindle arms was to tie string from the spindle to the center of the transaxle in a V.

That's the basics of it. Run a string from the center of the kingpin to the center of the rear axle. As long as the rod end bolt hole (in the steering arm) falls on this line, you're good.

That is what current wisdom recommends. Keep in mind they are racing at high speeds. at low speeds the tractor tends to pivot on the inside wheel, rather than the center of the axle, which is why I tie my "string" from the rear hub to the opposite front hub. It works better for me at low speeds (below 20 mph)

doing this my way tends to make the outside tire toe in just a bit on a turn, increasing the "Bite" of that wheel but not enough to make it lose traction.

at higher speeds (like 20 +) the steering tends to be TOO responsive, so care must be taken not to jerk the wheel.


Just my observations. I've been playing with the troybuilt.

good explanation, but im having a hard time understanding, im a "gotta see and mess with it" learner. This just messes with my head lol, but the pics helped some.

I think for us offroaders it doesnt matter as much I think it is more for racers

No- having proper steering geometry can be of great benefit regardless of your machine's intended use. Been there, done that. Once the diff's locked, the symptoms of bad geometry are amplified.

kinda like when the axle on my truck locks up in the middle of a turn -.-