OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Ride On Mowers Questions On Cox Ride On Mower Frames Cox Orion steering shft stuck

Hi, I'm new to this. I have a Cox Orion which has a very tight steering shaft. This developed quite suddenly and is about to seize I think. I dropped the cutter assembly and also the steering wheel and top part of the shaft down to and including the flexible fitting. I cannot see a way to remove the yoke at the top of the bottom section. Can anyone tell me how this part can be removed?
Thank you for your assistance. Aussie

Greetings Aussie, and welcome to the ODK Forums.

If your machine is an Orion X or XL, the user manual/IPL is a free download from http://www.coxmowers.com.au/operation-manuals/

For those models, the lower yoke and the locking ring beneath it are locked by 'set screws'.
These may have external heads, or be the flush type with a hex socket to accept an Allen key.

Thanks Gadge. The Cox manual doesn't detail how he lower section of the steering shaft is dismantled. I have had a closer look and under the lower section yoke I can seen a very small hole that is partly covered in paint. Perhaps this will prove to be a small allen key grub screw. I will try this in the morning and post the result. Crikey, you don't let the grass grow under your feet, do you? Just an hour for a reply, WOW! This is for me!

De nada Aussie, the timing was a bit 'luck o' the draw' really.

When you get that apart, you'll probably find that rust is the cause of the problems.

Sorry for the long wait to hear the result. My computer crashed badly and I had to start again. The little hole I saw was indeed a grub screw and with its removal it turned out to be a really hard job to knock it down and out. So little space to work in. I thought I was going to break out the bottom weld, but eventually i succeeded. The problem was the dust of ages had built up over time.[It is now 25 years old]. There was not a sign of rust. It now has a grease nipple installed so the job won't happen again.
Thank you again Gadge. Kind regards, Aussie