Thank you all, this is great information. I'm grateful for all the useful and practical advice for this specific application, but also for the education in general. I'm learning a lot about the workings of these trucks, and automotive engineering in general I guess, and I'm really enjoying it. I know you guys must be rolling your eyes at how basic my questions/issues are, but hey, we all have to start somewhere, right? Thank you for humoring me and not making me feel like a dumbass.

I guess the Mavis guy is right in some ways (it's an old machine that needs some work), and what I'm hearing from you guys is helping me understand that. But at the same time, I feel that maybe he doesn't know exactly what to do to make this right, but he's not being upfront about that. That's ok, I'm moving on (I might still try to get a refund, but that's beside the point...)

Anyway, I'll do some reading and familiarize myself with this area of the machine, and then take it to specialized shop and have them work on what needs attention.

In the meantime, is it ok to true the steering wheel and apply some white grease in between the parts to get rid of the squeaky noises when I turn it?