1020 - 3 point lift is jerky

[jjaaam]

Hello all - looking for some advice...

I was looking at picking up a 1020. All seemed good for the price until I checked the three point. It was very jerky when going up. Smooth going down, however.

Power steering and wet brakes worked great. I am going off the assumption that the same hydraulic pump drives everything. So what could it be? A bad cylinder for the lift?

The seller put a heavy bucket on the hitch and it lifted the weight with no problems. He had a bar going across the bottom two links (do not know what that is called...I am a tractor newbie) and I stood on it. Lifted my fat rear end just fine but I could feel the jerkiness.

We checked the fluid level and it seemed to be ok. It was so clean it was kind of hard to tell!

One thing I did notice was that if I goosed up the throttle the lift was a lot smoother...not perfect, but definitely smoother.

How big of a deal is this? I would hate to spend the $$$ then have something bad go out soon afterwards.

Thanks in advance for any insight anyone may have. I really wanted this as it seemed light years better than the old MF50 I had.

Should I run away?

Thanks!

Jerry

 

[oosik]

I had that happen on my Ford 1710 when I changed the hydraulic oil. Somehow it got air trapped in the system. I put my rear blade on the 3-point and for half an hour - - up/down - up/down. FINALLY - worked the trapped air out and it was smooth thereafter. I had the 3-point lift control knob set at max flow.

Check the 3-point lift control knob setting. Sometimes if its set too slow - it can cause the jitters.

 

[beenthere]

I'm doubting it is air trapped. Not aware of a "control knob setting" on the JD 1020.

See if you can get the hyd. oil pump pressure checked. And be certain that the oil level is correct.. even if it is so clean it is hard to tell.

Ask about transmission oil filter change too.

Others will likely chime in that know the 60's era tractor..

 

[jjaaam]

I'm doubting it is air trapped. Not aware of a "control knob setting" on the JD 1020.

See if you can get the hyd. oil pump pressure checked. And be certain that the oil level is correct.. even if it is so clean it is hard to tell.

Ask about transmission oil filter change too.

Others will likely chime in that know the 60's era tractor..

I was wondering if the hydraulic filter could be the problem. Is it possible that the filter is allowing enough flow for the power steering and brakes to work properly but just not enough for the lift?

The seller wants $3800 and the rest of it seems pretty solid...I'd hate to let a good deal slip away if this is a minor issue. He seemed like a straight-up guy...said he got the tractor as part of a package deal and he was flipping it after he fixed up some cosmetic things. He said he understood me passing on it (I told him I was a newbie and that I didn't want to subject myself to some potentially expensive repairs) but he did say that he had run a 6' brush hog with it once and he didn't notice anything wrong...and that his opinion was that it wasn't that big of a deal.

To clarify - all I plan on using this for is a rear blade for plowing snow, a box blade for grading my driveway, and a finish mower so my son can have a path to his deer blind

I know it sounds like I'm trying to talk myself into something sub-standard but everything else I have looked at in that price range is just a rusted piece of junk. This one is in fairly decent shape. Not perfect...but good enough. This hitch issue bugs me though.

Am I over-reacting? Is this really a deal breaker?

 

[Tx Jim]

Depending on tractor serial number(<-45199) tractor could have open center power steering with a PS pump mounted on RH frt of engine. Brakes are supplied oil by trans pump not frt high pressure pump. For starters I'll suggest to check/change hyd filter & check/clean trans sump screen. Also check hyd stand-by pressure which should be 2250 psi. The only easy accessible adjustable hyd flow control is the rate of drop screw under the seat which only controls how fast 3 pt goes down.

 

[jjaaam]

Depending on tractor serial number(<-45199) tractor could have open center power steering with a PS pump mounted on RH frt of engine. Brakes are supplied oil by trans pump not frt high pressure pump. For starters I'll suggest to check/change hyd filter & check/clean trans sump screen. Also check hyd stand-by pressure which should be 2250 psi. The only easy accessible adjustable hyd flow control is the rate of drop screw under the seat which only controls how fast 3 pt goes down.

Thank you for the input. The SN is 050223. Personally I'd love to do what you suggest as it sounds simple enough...but I don't own the tractor. I'm looking at buying it. Not sure if the seller would want to check all of that out.

I was looking for an opinion from a "risk" standpoint - if I DO buy it then it sounds like the troubleshooting steps you mentioned are relatively simple. But do I even WANT to buy it then find out it's a lot more involved than a simple filter change?

 

[Tx Jim]

If I was thinking about buying a tractor with hyd problems & current owner wouldn't agree to some simple hyd diagnostics I'd RUN NOT walk away from the tractor.

 

[beenthere]

IMO, Leave the decision up to the seller as a contingency on buying.. to give you satisfaction that "Tx Jim" suggestions are ok or at least known in advance.

 

[jjaaam]

IMO, Leave the decision up to the seller as a contingency on buying.. to give you satisfaction that "Tx Jim" suggestions are ok or at least known in advance.

I agree.

OR......would it make sense to offer $500 - $600 less than asking price because I'm taking the risk? If it DOES end up being a simple filter change then I'm free and clear. If it's something more then I would at least have the $$$ saved to cover the repair. Would $500-$600 cover a repair on something like that?

 

[beenthere]

The answer to that question is not in our crystal ball.. sorry.

But would you do the work yourself? whatever it might be?