Patent ID: 7160163

Claim:
A hydraulic steering device for marine outboard engines, which outboard engines have a clamping and/or gripping end for fastening them to the transom of a watercraft on which the motor and propeller assembly is mounted in such a manner as to rotate about a substantially vertical steering axis, and which steering device includes a closed hydraulic circuit having at least one pump driven by steering means, and at least one double-acting cylinder which is slideably fitted on at least one coaxial rod, which rod sealingly projects out of a cylinder head and carries a separating piston which divides the cylinder into two variable volume chambers, each of which chambers has a hydraulic fluid inlet/outlet, each being connected to one of two inlets/outlets of the pump and with sealing heads for the mutually sliding cylinder and rod which are made of one piece with the cylinder, to at least one plate or bracket for securing the cylinder and rod assembly to the transom and/or to the end for fastening the motor to the transom, the bracket being non-slideably attached to the at least one rod, at least one idler arm between the cylinder and outboard motor steering connection means which are integral with the motor, wherein: at least one of the inlets/outlets of at least one of the two cylinder chambers is formed by the at least one rod which has an axial hole extending from its outer end to one or more ports for communication with the corresponding chamber of the cylinder, which ports are arranged to be adjacent to the piston side turned toward the cylinder head wherefrom said rod projects.