electric power steering

have been doing some research and studying into retrofitting electric powersteering unit out of a car onto a tractor. sure looks cheap and easy compared to the alternative. I was not aware cars had been using it for 10 years. Looked like ideal setup for a wd or 45, or perhaps garden tractor. has anybody done this yet?

They even have electric power steering on ATV's now because they keep making them bigger and bigger.

With most folks converting over to 12V's and an Alternator, most of the Alts used in the swap are 35 amp or better, so retrofitting an electric P/S setup on the Tractor probably wouldn't be to tough a task for the charging system. Most of the time during the day the Headlights aren't used, and if the Tractor is equipped with a Battery ignition, that really doesn't take a lot of current to sustain anyway, so the electric P/S would probably work quite well on the early Tractors especially equipped with a loader up front. The Alts on these swaps for what they have to power don't even need the fan because they're not working hard at all.  On a later model Tractor with cab and extra stuff like an Automobile, then a larger Alt would fit the bill. I would say from a D14-up the larger Alt would work quite well. I have electric P/S in my 06' Malibu. Works quite well so far...
Steve@B&B

 Hey Marion,,,I sure hope you have better luck than I did on lookin into a possible 12 VDC conversion power steering for your tractor.
 I have a weak PS pump on my D14 W/ loader and is an absolute bear to turn with just half a load of dirt in bucket. From what I read,,those PS units are mostly placed in the lighter cars. Ford experimented with them on the F150 and had lots of issues with them on first models as they take a whole lot of amps to generate the torque for a 1/2 ton trk,,let alone an industrial tractor,,,Several people with ford trks were adament it would NOT work,,,???
 I'm in your corner,  if you figure it out,,and seems like a great project for some dedicated AC guy to pursue,,,,,??
  I been closely followin "CogginOBrien's D15 SeriesIII) thread on designing an additional hydraulic pump on his D15, and looks real promising to use the newer style pump, along with maybe a Char-Lynne steering assist would possibly get the issue addressed,,,????
   Dave Kamp also has a great application for tractor steering,,,all it takes is some hard work some shop time and some dollars,,,,,


Edited by desertjoe - 14 Mar 2017 at 12:47pm

An electric P/S system from a car probably wouldn't be a good choice for a loader tractor. On a hot day doing lots of turning in a parking lot is enough to put many systems in reduced assist to protect the motor. For something like plowing or haying I'll bet it would work well.