ehhh good point edwardt
i wasnt paying attention to the date on the post
DOH!

nice catch lol :)

hopefully they got it fixed before now...
{this was a 2013 posting...}

Prioity valve fault on orbitral...... Common fault

I think I would first get the steering end up off the ground and see if the binding goes away or is related to the position of the wheels and/or steering hand crank, then, as this is an electric [battery motive] forklift, I would be checking the power steering motor brushes as well as other failure points in the circuit to the power steering motor, like the PS/relay contacts and cables to the power steering motor.
If it has 2 hydraulic pump motors and one is smaller than the other, and the smaller one runs when the truck is in a driving mode, the smaller one will be the PS motor, and in that case, don't bother looking for a priority valve.
if the problem seems to be related to where the steering hand crank is but not in relation to where the steering wheels are pointed, you most likely have a defective/bad "orbitrol" (sometimes called the steering torque generator). If it seems related to where the steering wheels are pointed, you most likely have a mechanical failure in the steering axle.

most lifts today do incorporate the steering function into the hydraulic system. It operates off the auxillary ports of the hydraulic control valve and is controlled by what they call a priority valve that diverts pressure to the steering cylinder when it is called for when turning the orbitrol valve (steering wheel).

- i would first check the auxillary pressure on the hydraulic system, make sure it is at the correct pressure and also remove the relief valve and make sure it is in good working order.
- then find the priority valve and make sure it is not sticking (removal and dissassembly required for this part).
- also check the orbitrol valve there could be a problem there causing the hard steering, in some cases the orbitrol valve has a pressure relief valve on it, it can be removed and checked for broken springs etc.
- lastly you can check the steering cylinder and make sure it is not leaking or bypassing internally.

some of the most common issues with steering generally winds up being a faulty priority valve or some kind of issue with the orbitrol valve.

good luck

THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE.
YES THE STEERING IS HARD, IT DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. FLUID LEVELS ON HYDRA IS FULL. ANY ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO NEXT? MOTOR GOING OUT? DIRTY?

THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME.

have you looked under the floor?
I would expect it to use the same hydraulic oil as the lifting mechanism.
as long as it lifts fully you don't need to add oil, and only check it with the forks lowered all the way and tilted forward.
what makes you think it is low on oil?
is the steering hard? does the steering motor run? do you hear a contactor click when you turn on the key and have the seat switch closed?