JD 950 hydraulic screen

[djkswiss]

Hi Guys,

I have the Technical manual for which includes the 850 950 and 1050. I changed my hydraulic fluid today and changed the hydraulic fluid and switched it over to synthetic hygard in a an attempt to solve my cold weather slow hydraulics issue. The technical manual says there is a screen but the photo description of the removal is for a 1050 and I cannot find anything on the 950 that looks remotely similar. I see a 3 bolt plate with a plug in the center that is located on the bottom of the transmission below your heel if you're driving the tractor and resting your foot on the floor, is the screen behind this?

 

[arrow]

Yes that is where it is

 

[djkswiss]

Yes that is where it is

Wow that was fast, thanks arrow! Looks like I will be buying a new drain pain and draining my hydraulics again, that oil is expensive! I don't fancy removing those hard lines in order to take that cover off, it seemed like there wasn't going to be enough room to get the lines at of the way because they are sort of wedged between the foot plate and the transmission. Any tips on how I should tackle go about moving those hard hydraulic lines that feed the power steering?

 

[arrow]

Your tractor with power steering should also have another hydraulic canister type filter. They put the screen in for tractors without power steering and it was the only thing filtering. They kept it anyway when they reverted to p/s. This makes the screen a redundancy. You do not have to change it at all unless it plugs and there is small chance of that with the canister filter. Personally, I'd wait till my next oil change.

The easiest way to wrestle with hydraulic lines is to disconnect them and then undue any ties that may be holding them. I know you want to put a socket on those bolts but give thought to a wrench that you can sneak by the hoses if it allows. Be sure to reduce internal line hydraulic pressure first by lowering the fel till it touches the ground.

 

[djkswiss]

Yea I think I'll check it next time.

To Hijack my own thread, I'm thinking of using this tractor for snow clean up (3 point snow blower, FEL with dump gate for sand spreading). I'm trying to decide if I should put the standard coolant block heater in it AND a magnetic heater for the transmission so that I can get my hydraulics working that much faster in the morning. What do you think?

 

[arrow]

You can most certainly do those things.. I think I'd wait for the hydraulic heater however to see if the synthetic would help things in itself. My 50 series Deere was also slow with warm up. I'd start it and go have a cup of coffee and after a while I'd sit on the tractor and make hard turns while standing still to help heat up fluids.
50 series and the spin off 70 and 90 numbers later on ( along with the 3005 and 4005) were some of the finest tractors John Deere ever put their name to. Looking on how JD specs their tractors now along with outlandish pricing for what they're built with, I'd never buy another one.

One other thing. Check where the battery wires are emerging from the tractor battery box. They are prone to shorting out because that hole was not grommeted and tends to cut into the wire as a result (well..at least mine wasn't grommeted on the 950). You may also want to get hold of a spare voltage regulator to have on hand when yours gives up the ghost. Couple weak spots for this series.

 

[Rock knocker]

Your tractor with power steering should also have another hydraulic canister type filter. They put the screen in for tractors without power steering and it was the only thing filtering. They kept it anyway when they reverted to p/s. This makes the screen a redundancy. You do not have to change it at all unless it plugs and there is small chance of that with the canister filter. Personally, I'd wait till my next oil change.

The screen filter is the furthest upstream, so it will plug before the cannister filter. We had remarkable results from cleaning out the screen.

 

[arrow]

The screen filter is the furthest upstream, so it will plug before the canister filter. We had remarkable results from cleaning out the screen.

Agreed but there are variables as to how effective hydraulics will run and what difference if any the filter screen makes. You may be experiencing a variable I never had to contend with.One of these variables is water contamination within the hydraulic system with the white, milky spore plugging up the fine mesh of the screen. Perhaps that could be one reason you saw such a difference especially if in a high humidity environment where condensation can occur more readily. Was the screen your only filter?

The canister was put in after power steering was thrown in. All I ever found in mine (screen) were rather large chunks (about tick size) of metal and that was after the first clean out. Cleaned it out after every 500 hrs and didn't find anything remarkable with mine. As a matter of fact, I think I never replaced the screen (leaving it out) after the first two changes.

 

[Newtonx1]

Just picked up an 85 950 (s/n 24055) and it came with the same Manual. The FEL and BH were very slow to move and actually stopped moving all together yesterday. It was low on fluid so I added about 3 gallons but then continued failing to act. I decided to dump all the hydraulic fluid and start fresh. I searched and searched for the filter and/or screen today because that's what the user manual shows. Finally, I found a picture online that shows the 3 bolt "cap." My cap though, instead of a plug had a large hose attached to it with a plug in the other end of the hose. I can only assume they used the hose as an attempt to drain the fluids. I pulled the cap (and hose) and drained the system of upwards of 6 gallons of some of the milkiest hydraulic fluid I've ever seen. The screen had a snot like substance on it as well. The screen will have to be replaced as it has some dents and one part of the cover appears to be tore out.





Here are my questions...
1) I'm not sure if I have power steering or not but one of they hydraulic lines (running from the pump to the right (opposite) side of where the screen was has a piece of rubber hose clamped on both ends where I would have assumed the filter would be but there is no filter. Should there be some sort of filter there? It's just the hard line with a piece of rubber tube attached to it.
2) I can't find a drain plug ANYWHERE for any other hydraulic fluid. The manual indicates there is supposed to be one but it also indicated a possible screw on filter and 2 bolt screen cap. Should I be looking elsewhere for a drain plug?

 

[Spanner]

Classic pics of the 'snot' effect of water in hydraulic oil.

Your 3rd pic shows some modification to the end-cap of the suction screen with an 'elbow' fitting seeming to have been welded and filed/ground smooth.

Not sure why you can't find drain plugs. The machine is festooned with them.
1.In the centre of the Rear Transmission housing, Item #17/18:


2. On (under) each Rear Axle Final Drive housing, Item #12 or 13:


3. If you have the MFWD there is a drain plug on the Drop-Box, Item #35: