Is anyone running ez steer on an 8000 Deere.  I have been for a couple of years.  I don't like the way the Trimble mounting bracket clamps onto the black square plastic on the steering column.  It's not very sturdy and if you tighten it enough to stay put, it crushes the plastic down onto the steering shaft which makes it steer harder and also is wearing out the plastic (little pile of black dust inside the brown cover).
We have been trying to brainstorm a better way of mounting the steering motor, but it seems with every idea there is something that is undersireable.  Our latest idea that seems the most workable is to fabricate a steel bracket using 3"x.250 wall square tube that would bolt to the aluminum fixture at the lower column (where the black plastic collar is bolted now), shorten the square black plastic tube which will slip inside the 3" steel tube.  The motor bracket would then be clamped or welded to the steel tube, which is in turn bolted to the main aluminum casting so it would be more solid and the shaft would not be affected at all. 
I'm not sure I want to butcher the black plastic thing in case this doesn't work out.  It costs $320.
Thought maybe someone else had come up with a better way or possibly Trimble has come up with a different bracket.
Thanks for any help!