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Clark it40b

Materhash

Plastic
Joined
Feb 17, 2023
I have recently relocated a forklift that my late father had and was able to purchase it from the last owners estate however the steering from gearbox to axle is no longer there it was removed for repair and was either lost or stolen after owners passing i have had no luck currently finding a drawing or anything involving the parts if anyone has any ideas im open bc I got it running but can't get its not steering self moved like it is
 
Quite common for forklift steering boxes to be stuffed by water corrosion.........they usually have a small truck steering box with a valved steering hydraulic ram .........or sometimes the steering box has a hydraulic valve under the worm shaft ,and operates the power steering ram directly........either way ,forklifts are difficult to work on ,and fitting a different box will not be easy.
 
I have recently relocated a forklift that my late father had and was able to purchase it from the last owners estate however the steering from gearbox to axle is no longer there it was removed for repair and was either lost or stolen after owners passing i have had no luck currently finding a drawing or anything involving the parts if anyone has any ideas im open bc I got it running but can't get its not steering self moved like it is
Got any forklift junkyards out where you live in Virginia? You might be able to adapt a different manufacturer's gearbox vs trying to source the exact same box.

My buddy has an old York off road forklift and the gearbox was full of rust. Long story short, we adapted a gearbox off a different brand that had the same general shape and mounting style to his forklift. Just had to machine the nose diameter of the gearbox .030" smaller and lengthen the steering rod and guide tubes.
 
Does your machine have hydraulic steering with an orbital valve?

If that’s what they took there are calculators online that will tell you exactly what you need. Don’t forget to hit the tractor bone yards too. Any 80’s industrial machine will have the parts you’re looking for.
 
Just reread the OP ...and it does seem to me that the hydraulic steering booster unit is missing........this is a common failure as it lives in the dirt under the forklift ,and the seals leak oil.
 
The way I read this, you are missing the linkage from the steering gear box to the axle? That is not a hart part to make if that is the case?
Yeah from what I have learned it was a rod with a valve actuated cylinder attached that was kinda power assisted steering but I would love to have a idea on what it was sourced from to possibly find a usable replacement bc from my knowledge they used common available parts to put these Clark's together
 
Yeah from what I have learned it was a rod with a valve actuated cylinder attached that was kinda power assisted steering but I would love to have a idea on what it was sourced from to possibly find a usable replacement bc from my knowledge they used common available parts to put these Clark's together
I am not sure the steering link is an off the shelf item. Most of these are simply a rod that goes from the steering gear to the axle in a strait line with ball and socket ends. The assist cylinder is mounted to the frame by a tab and to the steering like by a tab

Take some pictures of the underside of the lift at the steering gear, axle and the line between them.
 
Id think it would be very difficult to substitute due to the in- accessibility of the steering.........the only practical solution is the correct assembly..............Incidentally,before the 1960s ,most forklifts did not have power steering....and they were pigs to drive......Armstrong steering wasnt in it .....so I wouldnt simply connect the steering box to the axle.
 








 
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