Patent ID: 8272471

Claim:
A method for enabling a load-reaction feature of a steering system, the method comprising: providing a first steering circuit in selective fluid communication with a fluid actuator; providing a second steering circuit in selective fluid communication with the fluid actuator, the second steering circuit being in parallel to the first steering circuit, wherein the second steering circuit includes a fluid meter and a proportional valve having a load-reaction feature; providing an isolation valve between the proportional valve of the second steering circuit and the fluid actuator, the isolation valve being actuatable between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position enables the load-reaction feature of the proportional valve wherein the load-reaction feature places the fluid actuator in fluid communication with opposite sides of the fluid meter and the second position disables the load-reaction feature wherein the fluid meter is isolated from the fluid actuator, the isolation valve being piloted by an outlet of a shuttle valve disposed in the second steering circuit, the shuttle valve having a first inlet and second inlet in fluid communication with the proportional valve; and piloting the isolation valve to the first position with fluid communicated from the second steering circuit.