FEL out of alignment

[Beaux Duke]

I was pushing into a debris pile with my grapple when it made a loud bang. I saw that one side of the grapple had popped off the quick attach. I backed out and set it down so I could reattach but one ram was sticking out farther than the other. Up and down rams are ok but the dump and curl are unequal now. The ram on the same side as the valve lever is shorter than the other side.

I can't figure out how to make both equal lengths again. I'm thinking I need to adjust the self leveling valve. Anyone know how that's done?

 

[irwin]

Sounds like you twisted one side of the QA. I read somewhere (here?) that an owner put the side that's too far out, up against an unmovable object and slowly push til they're even.

If it happened to me that's what I'd try. (You may find it's been damaged more than twisting back will fix .. you might have to break out the welding machine to secure it.)

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

This happened on my L3240HSt when new. Mechanic at dealer said he whacked one side with sledge to get it back in line. I tried that then tried pushing immovable object. Neither worked and dealer replaced arms under warranty. Check old post for pictures.

 

[Beaux Duke]

No, nothing is bent. The shaft on the ram on the left is sticking out of the cylinder about an inch longer than the ram on the right causing the QA to be misaligned. I'll try to get a pic or two to post tomorrow.

It can probably be fixed by adjusting the self leveling valve. When I operate the control lever I can feel the lever being pushed out by the arm that's attached to the end of the QA and runs all the way back to the control lever.

I may be using the wrong term. There's an series of arms that run from the loader valve to the end of the QA. When at maximum extension or retraction the arm causes the control lever to be pushed to the middle effectively disengaging curl or dump. I'm thinking that somehow I've gotten that out of adjustment.

Just went out and re-examined the mechanical rods that run from the control valve to the end of the QA. The rod attached to the lever on the QA end has an arc in it near the end. I don't know if it's supposed to be that way or if it should be straight. It's possible a stick might have bent it causing the misalignment. I'll have to ride by the dealer and see if it is supposed to have an arc or not.

 

[HarleyScooter]

Hi Duke, It sounds like you were pushing pretty hard. But my thought would be to cycle the cylinders full stroke a few times without anything hooked to your arms. If that does not work I would try to retract the curl cylinders to the end of their stroke and then loosen the hose fitting on the back of the still extended cylinder and push it in. Then retighten the hose and cycle it a few times to bleed out any air that might have got in.
Good luck

 

[Beaux Duke]

I've tried cycling a few times. The mechanical rod leading from the loader valve causes the valve to disengage when the shorter ram reaches full retraction. To be honest I didn't observe what happened at full extension. It would seem that it should "synch up" during the extension cycle. Guess I need to try that a few times.

I'm still wondering about the mechanical rod and whether it should be straight or curved. I can't find any pictures with enough detail on the web to make it out.

I didn't think I was pushing all that hard. The grapple has fairly large openings between the "ribs" that can let fairly sturdy limbs stick through. I watch for that because I know it's a hazard for the radiator but the grapple was a little below my line of sight so anything could have happened. I'm thinking I was just lucky enough for a limb to stick through at just the right angle.

There's a warning label on the QA that says if I switch from a fixed mount bucket to a QA or vise versa I should take it to the dealer to have the self leveling valve adjusted that's why I keep leaning towards that mechanical rod being bent.

 

[HarleyScooter]

Duke, if the rod you are talking about being bent is for a self leveling system I would think if it is bent (and should be straight) it would only put the self leveling system out of adjustment and not cause the out of sync problem you are having. I am still leaning toward the full retract on the curl cylinders and losening the rear hose fitting on the long cylinder and pushing it in so it matches. The self leveling valve must have something to do with the cylinders not being able to sync, thats why I would go with the manual sync without anything hooked to the QA arms.
Let us know how you make out.

 

[Beaux Duke]

OK, I went out and cycled through about a dozen times. I checked the measurement before I started and after and it was 1 3/16". I guess the next step is to try your manual adjustment suggestion.

There's nothing attached to the QA at the moment because the angle of tilt is too great for anything to fit properly.

I can't see any fresh marks on the rod or any of the brackets it's attached to so I'm thinking the weight of the load at the time the grapple popped off caused the difference.

 

[kevinj]

OK, I went out and cycled through about a dozen times. I checked the measurement before I started and after and it was 1 3/16". I guess the next step is to try your manual adjustment suggestion.

There's nothing attached to the QA at the moment because the angle of tilt is too great for anything to fit properly.

I can't see any fresh marks on the rod or any of the brackets it's attached to so I'm thinking the weight of the load at the time the grapple popped off caused the difference.

It sonuds like the QA adaptor is sprung. The cylinders will will be off if the device they are attached to is off. The torque tube in the adaptor is twisted causing your issue. The other issue is to fix the reason it came unhooked in the first place.

 

[Beaux Duke]

Here's a shot of the difference in positions.

So you think I should adjust the one that is closed or the one that is open?

I may not be using the proper terminology. All I'm sure of is the lengths of the rams are not the same.
Nothing looks bent or twisted on the QA itself.
If self leveling applies only to the bucket when it's being raised or lowered then I'm using the wrong terminology.