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Recently on my 2008 Legacy 4WD, the pwer steering is not working and the mower lift and 3pt is very slow with no attachment on it. I changed the hydraulic filter and oil, but still did not make a difference. Any one with past experience or same issues?

simp2008 said:

Recently on my 2008 Legacy 4WD, the pwer steering is not working and the mower lift and 3pt is very slow with no attachment on it. I changed the hydraulic filter and oil, but still did not make a difference. Any one with past experience or same issues?

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How many hours are on it?

Mower manic said:

How many hours are on it?

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560 hours. Worked fine when parked. would not work next day

Had the same problem last week. Found two possible causes. First it was low on hydro fluid. Sounds like you did this. Second, the tensioner arm for the transmission belt (it has two pulleys attached to it) was worn and dropped down, not allowing the belt to travel fully tight. Once I solved these two items the steering and lift worked properly. The hydro drive powers both the steering and lift. Check valve is located in the power steering controller. If the two solutions don't work I would look at that controller, but I have to warn you, it costs $800 plus labor to replace. Forgot, you should clean and check all lines for leaks first.

Rivets said:

Had the same problem last week. Found two possible causes. First it was low on hydro fluid. Sounds like you did this. Second, the tensioner arm for the transmission belt (it has two pulleys attached to it) was worn and dropped down, not allowing the belt to travel fully tight. Once I solved these two items the steering and lift worked properly. The hydro drive powers both the steering and lift. Check valve is located in the power steering controller. If the two solutions don't work I would look at that controller, but I have to warn you, it costs $800 plus labor to replace. Forgot, you should clean and check all lines for leaks first.

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I didn't see any belts or pulleys. Mine is all shaft driven I believe. Am I missing these somewhere?

Please post the model numbers for your unit. Starts with 169. Unit I had, had a belt driven hydro.

Rivets said:

Please post the model numbers for your unit. Starts with 169. Unit I had, had a belt driven hydro.

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My model # is 2690289. I have see where a lot of guys have had to replace the power steering unit. Also seen where some of the recent legacy's have additonal modules with check valves in them instead of in the power steering.

Please go to this website and type in your model number. By the info you have posted so far I can't figure out which 169 model you have.

Simplicity User Manuals and Instructions

I was just wondering if you ever fixed the problem and what was it. Because mine did the exact same thing.

Has anyone posted a solution to this?

My Legacy XL 2690352 ()759 hrs, recently serviced at 715 hrs by seller)

...Suddenly lost Power Steering and Hydraulic control (Front End Loader will not raise, However bucket will 'dump' and return very slowly).
(Suddenly meaning... I drove tractor into barn, set parking brake, got off to attach chain, got back on.. NO PS NO FEL)

Shaft driven, no fluid leaks.. no whining noises, tractor drives fwd and reverse (w/o steering).

Any ideas or recommendations appreciated..... Steve

https://www.mowersatjacks.com/Images/simplicity/simplicity-manuals/1694643-manual.pdf

read page 29 carefully, no do not change oil & filter again. use jackstands to get tractor off ground, sit in seat & start engine, operate steering etc. all controls, start at idle & work up to full throttle, be patient & perform this procedure several times, yes you may need a helper to bleed air from system by cracking lines with wrench then tighten back up. let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the reply Mechanic Mark... are you suggesting that I change oil and filter? Service was done at 715 hrs ... currently at 759 hrs... could some dirt or debris be clogging ?

Could there be air in the system? Not sure how to bleed if that is the case....

Thanks again!

Steve

Re: steering and hydraulic problems 2008 Legacy XL - Resolved

I wanted to hopefully close this thread with an update.

The sudden hydraulic pressure and P/S loss occurring in Simplicity Legacy XL’s has been documented and researched for years. I had the same symptoms and to make a VERY long story short, the issue was resolved. As has been posted previously by swapping out the Power Steering unit (1725288SM) located near the steering column.

Simplicity Customer Service was unsympathetic and not much help. Their Tech Support was aware of this issue and provided good info to my repairman.

Lesson learned, don’t bother with most repair shops. The problem I ran into was a backlog of snowblower repairs and service in prep for winter. I got the runaround from some and ones that tried to help were out of their element. I spoke to a farmer neighbor of mine and was referred to a local tractor dealership (run out of a working farm). They were Massey Ferguson dealers and immediately recognized the Simplicity line was an associated unit. It was here where my Legacy was FINALLY repaired and I got it back this afternoon...

This has been a frustrating and long journey to resolution.

THANKS TO ALL who made suggestions and offered advice... hope this helps when the next unit fails...as I expect it will....

Steve