troy bilt bronco hard to steer

Mower cuts great but is hard to steer

There really isn't a lot involved in that steering mechanism, I don't think. There are two grease fittings on the front of my Horse XP, not sure about the Bronco, and I always keep a little grease on the steering gears (shaft gear and fan gear under the fuel tank on the right side) which (I tell myself) makes the steering feel a bit more fluid.

But after taking my XP to the shop three times in three years with the same steering problem, the shop finally told me that dirt and clippings were getting packed in under the fan gear, eventually with enough mass to push the gear out of alignment, which boogered up the shaft gear and the fan gear. The shop said I should use an air compressor or leaf blower to clean under that gear frequently to keep junk from building up, so you might want to give that a look. If you've accumulated a bunch of packed-in dirt and stuff under the fan gear, the steering could be binding there. I don't think I'd use water to try and clean under there since that just seems to pack stuff more tightly. If you don't have a compressor, try to just work the area with a piece of wire or something to break up and clear away anything you find under the gear.

If you search YouTube for "Troybilt Horse XP Don't waste your money," you can see the fan gear at around 1:16 in that guy's video. I'd post the link for you, but I don't have enough forum posts yet to post links!

Good luck, and hopefully someone with more experience than me will offer some useful advice.

The steering shaft is supposed to be oiled every week which on one does because it is impossible to get at.
People spray it with WD 40 that makes the nylon bush soft & sticky.
Spay the bush and the fan gear with white lithium grease . after first cleaning it really well.
The grease dries to a dry lubricant so does not pick up dust & clippings.
In fact everything that moves should get a shot of it.
The wheels should have a slight toe in.
While you have the tie rod ends off clean the grime off and add a few drops of oil to the ball joint under the rubber boot ( if it has survived )
Check the condition of the bush where the steering shaft passes through the chassis.
If it is flogged oval that will make it hard to steer.
The other thing to watch is the tyre presure, a pound or two in the front wheels will make a massive difference to the steering effort.