Feguson TO30

[bford]

Just recently purchased a 1950 something TO30 that is in great condition. The only issue is that the 3pt won't lift weight. It works just fine without an attachement. Suggestions??

 

[Jerry/MT]

Just recently purchased a 1950 something TO30 that is in great condition. The only issue is that the 3pt won't lift weight. It works just fine without an attachement. Suggestions??

I'm assuming that you know that the pto must be connected (lever at the left side near the runnning board) to make the pump run.

The usual cause of not lifting is a leaky lift cylinder, a leak at the standpipe that leads to the lift cylinder, a stuck open relief valve, a stuck control valve or a blown side gasket on the pump. Occasionally the control fork comes off the hydraulic control vealve so thaere is no control action. Pull the right hand side access plate off the hydraulic compartment, start the engine and make sure the pto is engaged.(UNDERNO CIRCUMSTACES PUT YOUR HAND INTO THE COMPARTMENT WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING!) Move the control lever to the full up position and observe the control fork( H shaped device hanging down from lift cover) the lower end should move forward. Now look up toward the underside of the liftcover an see if there is any leakage from the lift cylinder. Any thing more than a few drops is a leak. The using a flashlight and a mirror try to look into the right front corner of the hydraulic compartment. You shoud see a tube running vertically. Look for fluid streaming down that tube. Look at the pump sides. Is there fluid comming out of the pump side plates? Look at the back of the pump.Is there a lot of turbulence and noise. That's where the relief valve is at. It could be stucK open due to some debris.
Now shut off the engine and reach into the fluid along the H shapped control fork. Ther should be a "T" shaped metal piece attached to the control fork. If it's there pull back on it and see if the control valve opens. Then push it forward. It should move back and forth easily.

Go do these things and report back on what you found.

 

[bford]

I will do what you have suggested and report back. Thank you for the info!!

 

[beenthere]

bford
:welcome:

Also, along with the good comments by Jerry, get the I&T manual as it will be very helpful to understand the workings of the TO30.

Had one, and it was a great tractor....'cept for the left brake location and the fact the 3ph didn't have position control.

 

[Jerry/MT]

bford
:welcome:

Also, along with the good comments by Jerry, get the I&T manual as it will be very helpful to understand the workings of the TO30.

Had one, and it was a great tractor....'cept for the left brake location and the fact the 3ph didn't have position control.

You are right. A manual is a necessity.

However, I would not recommendthe IT manual for an obvious beginner. TO-20/TE-20 and TO-30 Ferguson Shop Manual is availabale for ~$20 on ebay and elsewhere. It has a lot of pictures( not the best quality because these are reprints, but still useful) and system descriptions that tell you how things are supposed to work. I'd also recommend the TO-30 owners manual and the Parts Manual. Lots of useful info and how to. The IT manual is useful to someone who knows their way around tractors and their maintenance and repair, in my opinion.

 

[bford]

Jerry, I believe that I have found the culprit. With the PTO shaft cover removed, I am leaking fluid from the PTO shaft. There are NO other visible leaks on the tractor whatsoever. The transmission fluid is not even registering on the dipstick.

The research that I have done indicates that PTO oil seal is bad and should be replaced and that this fix should take care of the 3pt operation. Do you concur with this assessment?

Thank you.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Jerry, I believe that I have found the culprit. With the PTO shaft cover removed, I am leaking fluid from the PTO shaft. There are NO other visible leaks on the tractor whatsoever. The transmission fluid is not even registering on the dipstick.

The research that I have done indicates that PTO oil seal is bad and should be replaced and that this fix should take care of the 3pt operation. Do you concur with this assessment?

Thank you.

Unfortunately, that wil lnot fix a failure to lift unless it has leaked most of the fluid out of the hydraulic compartment (6 gallons).

 

[bford]

Maybe I should rephrase that..............it is not just a leak, but a steady stream coming out of the rear end around the PTO shaft. The guy that I bought the tractor from claimed that he filled it too full. My assumption is that the fluid level is WAY low, not even registering on the dipstick.

I have read several posts about how to park the tractor with the front lower than the rear to preserve as much fluid as possible and pull the PTO to replace the seals. I did what you had suggested in an earlier post and did not see any leaks, turbulence in the pump, etc. My thought was to replace the seal and bearings, fill to the correct level and give it a shot.

Yes, I am a newb to the tractor world, but consider myself fairly mechanically inclined and I feel confident that I can tackle this issue. Thoughts??

 

[beenthere]

Can you post a pic of the schematic and point out where that leak is that you mention?

For the 3 pt to work, the fluids need to show on the dipstick.
I think bringing the fluid level up would be my first attempt at a fix.

 

[bford]

That is kind of what I thought about the fluid levels....................there is a steady flow of fluid around the pto shaft. It is NOT leaking from behind the pto housing. That tells me that the seal is bad. Once I get it apart, my plan was to replace the seal, gasket, and bearings................