Winter and freezing FEL joystick

[dengar256]

I love my CK 20S but one thing that gets on my nerves is the fact that the FEL joystick freezes in winter. Most of the time I can let it run and warm up and apply slight pressure to the joystick and everything works. But I never like forcing anything and every time I need to do it I can hear my dad's voice telling me "bad idea". So I am hear to ask what do other people do to help avoid this issue?

 

[pedalstomper78]

Stored inside or out? I would suggest giving any moving parts a coating of WD40 to the joints etc. This should help to keep water out....which keeps it from freezing up.

 

[mguitas]

That's what i do also, take the boot off an spray it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Maybe a can of lock deicer kept handy would allow you to slip the tube under the boot and spray a shot into it to melt the ice. Liberally spraying the joystick joints afterward with white lithium grease should be better than WD 40. The deicer should dry out any water and then the grease should keep water out. WD 40 evaporates rather quickly and is no good for water protection.

You should also look to see if there is a way to seal up the area to prevent snow and water from entering in the first place.

 

[dengar256]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately my tractor is not lucky enough to have a garage yet. I do have a 3-sided shed I built for it but some snow / rain does get in.

 

[pedalstomper78]

Even simpler.....plastic bag over the joystick. Just bungee it down. Almost too simple. LOL

 

[Coyote machine]

You could hang a 5 gallon pail, or smaller, over the joystick and easily remove it before each use. I'd use Fluid Film brand lubricant to lube the joystick mechanism too. FF stays tacky and deters liquids from getting past it to any metal parts. WD-40 is designed to leave a film after the aerosol component evaporates, but many find it is not enough to repel water over time.
I'd also pull the joystick's boot to see what the condition of the components is underneath. You may have some rust there which depending on severity may need to be dealt with before something breaks from lack of lubrication.

 

[seacap04]

I have not given this much thought until I read this thread. But I have glanced at the cables down there and though this could be an issue. I have used spray lithium gease in the past on simular parts. But I know the exhausted research that CM does and I am going to try Fluid Film.

 

[VictorW]

My actual joystick itself hasn't frozen but it would stick until I did a clean/lube/fix to the valve control block under the right floor board. If you search past posts, others have had to do the same. The two joystick cables enter the control block from the rear. On the front of the block, in line with the cables, you'll see two @2" long by 1" diameter aluminum caps with each held on by two allen head screws. The end of the valve spools, their centering springs, and the detent balls for the float function are here. Mine had moisture and some corrosion which froze in Winter. I took the caps off, cleaned, and greased. When I reinstalled the caps, I put a very small amount of silicone seal on the mounting face of the caps. I've never had a problem again. When you pull the caps, no parts go flying so it's a simple job. Just a thought in case it's more than just the joystick.

 

[dengar256]

These are all great ideas (really like the bucket idea). They are calling for warmer weather this weekend so I will find some time to pull the thing apart and see what I find. This forum is such a wealth of knowledge and experience I knew I would find the answer here.