I'm having an issue with my hydraulic steering for the second time. The hydraulic ram pushes through a SS tube below he motor to swing it left and right. After a few bumps of submerged (and not submerged) logs, and the motor slams down on the tube, eventually crimping it causing difficult steering. The first time it happened, GT replaced the tube for free, this time it's $120. They're aware of this issue, seen it before and didn't offer any ideas for a solution (other than replace in-kind). This time when it happened, it reduced my right steering to maybe 50% in that direction so I could see how this could possibly leave you stranded.

Has anyone else with console steering run into this issue? Any ideas for a work around?

Put a seastar hydro steering front mount and get that POS side mount off there! Put mine on and the only problem was I didn't tighten a fitting. No issues since then!!

thanks for the suggestion, I have been looking in that direction. Were you able to use the existing steering wheel/hoses or did you have to replace everything?

I run Seastar hydraulic system. Worked good on my last one and got the same thing for the one I'm building now.


Sent from my beeper

Took my side mount off because with the unequal turns it was really hard to run straight across an open bay in the dark. Have had the center sea star for a few years now, really like it

I have never had hydraulic steering on a mud motor. But, from years pf experience in setting up outboards, I can tell you there is no comparison between a side mount push pull style cylinder and a centered push push cylinder.
The push pull will always take more effort and wheel travel to pull. They also tend to produce more "feedback" through the steerig wheel.

Seastar is the way to go and can be easily adapted to anything...