Well not a great day today. Put a new steering gearbox in yesterday and No it wasn't a redhead it was one from rockauto. Got it all installed and it seemed to drive ok not the wow moment like the redhead users claim but ok. Pulled into a parking lot today and turned the wheel to park in a spot and lost power steering for a second. I didn't think to much about it till we went to leave and lost it again, this time I could smell power steering fluid. So I get out to see what the problem is and proceed to see fluid pouring out of the shaft seal wear the pitman arm mounts.

In a matter of seconds all my powersteering fluid is now in the parking lot and I have no power steering. I called rock auto tonight and they asked If I wanted them to send out another one to which I replyed no way don't want to go thru this again. They are giving me a full refund so I guess I will be putting a redhead in now. Until the redhead gets here I guess I will reinstall my old box so I can drive the truck at least. I should add that I had a total of 28 miles on the new box..

 

did you put new hoses on?
and
did you put a new ps pump on?

Hoses are about $30, and the pump is $60 give/take some. It's good insurance

 

Nope just changed the fluid. Do you think that had anything to do with failure ??

 

Ouch, Bad luck...It's good that Rockauto worked with you.

 

I doubt the pump had anything to do with the failure it you put in clean fluid.

 

where is it leaking from? these rigs are 8yrs old at the newest...you disturb a joint and sometimes things break. I would take a good hard look at the supply and return lines

 

It is pouring out of the shaft that the pitman arm mounts to..

 

Holy crap, towing an F-250 on a flatbed bumper pull trailer with an F-150? I'd be scared to death. lol

 

Ha , I was , lucky we were only 15 miles from home , took the back roads and didn't go over 50. Power wise the f150 really didn't feel it but between the trailer sway and the truck sway my knuckles were white,,,

 

Shouldn't have been that bad...that F150 looks like one of the HD models with the 163" wheelbase. Just eyeballing it looks to have too little tongue weight though, and loaded that way it wouldn't have felt much better behind a Super Duty. Fifth wheels are much more forgiving, but conventional trailers absolutely require proper tongue weight to be safe.

You mentioned that it was purchased from Rockauto, but you didn't mention which brand the steering gear was. There are some folks who have had issues with Red Head as well, so I'm not sure that's a sure thing either.

 

The steering gear was a Lares rebuild which is done just about 20 miles from me in Cambridge mn, I had done some research on them and the facility looked nice and they have been doing it a long time. I was actually on my way to return them the core when this one failed. As far as the trailer I pull a fifth with the superduty and you are correct they are two completely different animals. The f150 is not the heavy duty one just has a 8 ft box so I have to be carefull not to get to much on the tongue.

 

I guess it wasn't all that bad driving it home just the whole process of driving it on the trailer and getting it home was nerve racking..

 

guess that would depend if your driving up and down the mountains or along a level costal road. truck weights about 6500, trailer probally 1500 and can probally carry a 7000lb load. so 8000lbs behind a f-150 is probally a couple hundred shy of the tag GWR.

I drove a 95 windstar with a 20ft uhaul trainer 1000 miles not knowing the combo was not rated for 25,000lbs. break assist either.