rear steer control valve?

rockcity

rockcity

everyday is a chance to get better
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
Location
Greenville, NC
I'm researching some rear steer control valves for the buggy. Poly Performance has a couple, one is a PSC and the other is a Parker. I called to get the specifications on it and the only thing they can tell me is they get it from PSC and how much it weighs...:shaking: the sales guy keeps telling me its a PSC and you can see right on the picture that the label has a Parker decal on it...

They can't even tell me a Parker part number, port size, PSI rating, flow rate, style/configuration, seal type, spool type, etc. etc. etc. All of this is necessary for a properly designed system. I mean, cmmon, they sell the part and can't tell me anything, absoutley NOTHING. Poly used to be top notch but now they can't even tell me ANYTHING about the part they are selling? :shaking: To their defense, they did tell me how much it weighed... :lol: (like that helps me)

Anyway, has anyone purchaed one of these (PSC or Parker) from Poly or another 4x4 vendor? I'd like to get some of the specifications (or factory part #) for it so I can research it more and design it into my system.
 
Rear steer valves aren't as important to size as the front valve, so that's probably why they couldn't tell you what you were wanting.

Suffice to say, it'll most likely work with any automotive based pump and typical bore & stroke rams you may be installing..
 
Correct and I have a few in mind that I am looking at.

However, I'm looking into getting one that is cheaper than the $400 price tag they are wanting... So, I guess I'm looking for a few specs of what Poly is selling or what everyone else is using so I can look for a comparable one. I'd hate to spend $400 on one that I can find elsewhere for $100.
 
No, I'm not asking for them to do the homework. All I'm asking are for specifications for what I'm buying. Simple. As I said earlier, I want specs so I can design it into my system...

Its common practice to get the specifications of what you are buying before you purchase, unless you're an idiot...

I'd have no problem buying from them if they could provide ANY information about the valve. Only after I found out they can't tell me anything about the valve that I decided to look elsewhere. If someone can't tell me anything about what they are selling, theres no point in me buying it. What about customer service after the sale? Can't get it before the sale, whos to say I'd get it after the sale?

When you purchase, say, a steering cylinder, you ask the stroke, bore size, port size, pressure rating, etc. don't you? You don't just take their word that it'll work do you? I hope not.

Anyway, I haven't talked to PSC or Parker yet as it may be as simple as just asking on here and someone would have a simple and easy answer. Trying to talk to someone at Parker and have them understand this stuff I'm doing with it may be more trouble than its worth, right now anyway. Its all preliminary as I'm starting to look for this valve. I'm not purchasing tomorrow, so I'm in no real hurry, just hopefully by the summer time.
 
i get what your saying. have you tried sean from pos? contact info should be on the diagram i mailed you. unless its changed- i know he was redoing his website and it may not be up yet. ive been real happy with his set ups.
there are 2 types of rear steer valves- series and parallel. i know you can pick up what those terms mean. a series valve will let fluid flow thru the rear steer valve to the front scu(or vice versa, depending on how you plumb it). will work great most of the time, only things to keep in mind are that your front steering speed and power will change if your using the rear at the same time, since youve essentially cut the flow and pressure in half. a parrallel rear valve will not, since its plumbed in parrallel. but is more involved to plumb, especcially if youve already got full hydro in front. i think series is fine in most cases.
anyway, call sean, hell tell you the specs you are wondering about, plus his series start at about $180. hope this helps, rob
 
hey thanks. I haven't even thought about POS. Last I checked the website was down.

I don't have a front steering setup yet. The buggy is starting to take shape more and more each day and the steering is coming up on the list.
 
i have got a friend who just used a valve from tractor supply. push and pull to go left and right works great for him he just mounted it right beside the seat. It does not return to center though which sometimes leaves you with alot to do when the rig starts moving quickly up something
 
I was looking at one of those cheap valves, but for a few more $$$ I can get the one I am wanting. I don't know what I'm getting yet. I may just go with the cheapest one I find and roll with it until I decide what I like/don't like...
 
another thing with the series, is that if your rear steer is bound up between rocks, if u cant move it, it will not allow fluid flow to travel to the front, meaning NO steering! what are the odds of that happening, but it could happen.
ive thought of doing two seperate circuits for front and rear, including pumps. that way, your front steering "feel" remains the same, and if one goes down, you still have some type of steering on the trail. may be overkill, though.
sean gave me flow rate, pressures, and even shot me a email with scenarios on pressure and flow drops when using both front and rear steer at same time, with both types of valves.
if u can, get the 12 volt joystick. spring loaded believe it returns to center, keeps the high pressure lines safley away, too. allows u to put rear valve anywhere you like.
 
Hit Jeff B up on this board, he knows that stuff.
 
iirc, if you are using a 5 port orbital (control) valve, and you hook the rear steer control up to the auxilary port, it should work independant of the front, so if your rear got hung up, then itd be like your not using it?

also on that elec valve, i wonder if my self-centering, if it returns the valve to center, or if it returns the ram to center? if the ram, thatd be cool, but if only the valve, it wouldnt seem to be much different then many other hydro valves...
 
I've been looking on Pirate at some of the threads about rear control valves. There are a lot of people using that electric control valve with good success.

I'm thinking I will go with the cheapest valve possible then change later if necessary.

Yes, I'm looking for the orbital with the 5th port (power beyond) to control the rear steer valve.
 
olejunky said:
It does not return to center though which sometimes leaves you with alot to do when the rig starts moving quickly up something
Click to expand...

Neither do 99.5% of the rear-steer setups I've seen, in person or on the interweb.

bigjeeprob said:
another thing with the series, is that if your rear steer is bound up between rocks, if u cant move it, it will not allow fluid flow to travel to the front, meaning NO steering! what are the odds of that happening, but it could happen.
if u can, get the 12 volt joystick. spring loaded believe it returns to center, keeps the high pressure lines safley away, too. allows u to put rear valve anywhere you like.
Click to expand...

If you release the handle on the valve, you can then steer. I've been in that exact scenario.

The 12v setup is nice, I think pheery is running it, but the handle on mine returns to center too, but neither mine nor pheery's returns the tires to center.

paradisePWoffrd said:
iirc, if you are using a 5 port orbital (control) valve, and you hook the rear steer control up to the auxilary port, it should work independant of the front, so if your rear got hung up, then itd be like your not using it?.
Click to expand...

The Power beyond 'orbitals' from what I was told by PSC will cut off all flow to the 5th port if any steering is requested from the front. That would get annoying real quick.. I can steer both ends at once, albeit more slowly at idle, and I have the bigger 2.5" bore rams F&R.

It's worth noting that there's been just as many times that I wished for return to center on the ram as I have wanted the ram to stay where I put it. That, and the idea of having to put electrical position switches and the like on the rear axle just wouldn't seem to lend themselves to longevity around here with the water and mud that we have to go through.

If you did setup a true ram return to center, it should have a lockout in the circuit to select if you want it to stay where you put it, or to return back to the center.
 
Rich said:
That, and the idea of having to put electrical position switches and the like on the rear axle just wouldn't seem to lend themselves to longevity around here with the water and mud that we have to go through.
Click to expand...

FWIW, you could use DC proximity switches. McMaster has dozens... not exactly cheap ($50+ each), but they're sealed and only read sense metal in the 'beam" path. Should be unaffected by water/mud/crud & just the ticket for what you want to do...
 
Back
Top