happycow
New member
Hydraulic system \"gets tired\" after period of use
Greetings:
I recently bought a used 1994 Ford 1720 with a newly installed FEL. I've used it for about 15 hours and everything has worked great. Yesterday, I was using it to move a big pile of dirt. After about 2 hours of work, the FEL and rear hitch abruptly quit working (wouldn't raise up as usual). They'd raise up, but only after a long delay and when they finally raised up, they'd hesitate or "chatter" and lacked power.
I drove back to the barn and let the tractor sit for 15 minutes. Everything worked fine after this brief rest. Today I used a box scraper on level ground (no FEL work). Everything worked great for about 30 minutes and then the same "chattering" started.
I don't have a ton of hydraulic experience but it seems as though there is air getting into the system. The hydraulic oil level is fine and the oil quality is great (the system was flushed and new oil/filter installed before I bought the tractor). I has been almost 20 hours since the new FEL was installed. There are no obvious leaks in any of the hydraulic system. Before the chattering starts, the system works great and the FEL is able to lift the front end of the tractor. So, I don't think there is anything wrong with the hydraulic pump.
Is this just air in the system? How long does it take for air to work itself out?
A friend has suggested that it might be some crud that broke loose and has plugged the filter. It strikes me that a plugged filter would always be a problem and not just cause trouble after 30 minutes of use.
I'd appreciate any ideas of what to check out. Thanks for your help!
Greetings:
I recently bought a used 1994 Ford 1720 with a newly installed FEL. I've used it for about 15 hours and everything has worked great. Yesterday, I was using it to move a big pile of dirt. After about 2 hours of work, the FEL and rear hitch abruptly quit working (wouldn't raise up as usual). They'd raise up, but only after a long delay and when they finally raised up, they'd hesitate or "chatter" and lacked power.
I drove back to the barn and let the tractor sit for 15 minutes. Everything worked fine after this brief rest. Today I used a box scraper on level ground (no FEL work). Everything worked great for about 30 minutes and then the same "chattering" started.
I don't have a ton of hydraulic experience but it seems as though there is air getting into the system. The hydraulic oil level is fine and the oil quality is great (the system was flushed and new oil/filter installed before I bought the tractor). I has been almost 20 hours since the new FEL was installed. There are no obvious leaks in any of the hydraulic system. Before the chattering starts, the system works great and the FEL is able to lift the front end of the tractor. So, I don't think there is anything wrong with the hydraulic pump.
Is this just air in the system? How long does it take for air to work itself out?
A friend has suggested that it might be some crud that broke loose and has plugged the filter. It strikes me that a plugged filter would always be a problem and not just cause trouble after 30 minutes of use.
I'd appreciate any ideas of what to check out. Thanks for your help!