Low hydraulic fluid in Ford 860 with FEL

Yesterday, while testing to see whether my tractor would start after a carb problem (which I discuss in another post), my front end loader with my hay spear finally refused to go more than about 3' high. It's been steadily getting worse over the last couple of weeks.

This is my first tractor and I've had no experience with hydraulic systems. I'm hoping that to fix this I can:
- going to TSC and buy hydraulic oil for fords (some post mentioned that NAPA might have something that'll work)
- finding a cap where I add the correct amount of fluid

Is it that simple or (most likely) is there something else involved?

thansk

Does it use the tractor hydraulic system to operate the loader? Or does it have a live pump on the front.?

Sounds like it may be low on fluid, if it will pick up your bales, or whatever that high... but doubt it will "fix" the problem. If it's been getting worse, you've got a pretty good leak somewhere. Shouldn't be that hard to find.. If you park it in the same spot, there should be tell tale signs of oil.

If it has a live pump out the front, many older loaders hyd. reservoir was built right on the loader. On my old IH 2424, it was on the upright, on the right hand side, that the top loader arm hooked to. If it has this type of system, you'd be limited to where it's leaking. Lift/tilt cylinders, pump, valves, and hose's/fittings.

I did a quick check, and see it has an external pump similar to my 2000. So if it uses this system for the loader, the leak can be from the front of the transmision input shaft seal, to the seal on the PTO shaft, and everything in between. Again, you'll just have to check for tell tale signs of a leak.

botemout said:

Yesterday, while testing to see whether my tractor would start after a carb problem (which I discuss in another post), my front end loader with my hay spear finally refused to go more than about 3' high. It's been steadily getting worse over the last couple of weeks.

This is my first tractor and I've had no experience with hydraulic systems. I'm hoping that to fix this I can:
- going to TSC and buy hydraulic oil for fords (some post mentioned that NAPA might have something that'll work)
- finding a cap where I add the correct amount of fluid

Is it that simple or (most likely) is there something else involved?

thansk

Click to expand...

DO NOT buy the oil marked for ford tractors at TSC.. it is a 90w gl-1/3 oil and is for the ford N series only. You need a utf oil meeting the M2C134D spec... tsc has it, so does walmart.

Also.. you NEED an owners and service manual. you own a few thousand dollars of iron.. buy a few bucks worth of paper.

if it's a front pump, the sump may be in the loader frame or a seperate sump.. if it's on tractor hyds, the hyd fill is the cap under your left thigh as you set on the seat.

post back if ya need more help.. these old fords are super easy to mess with.

soundguy

To add to Soundguys suggestion of getting the manuals. I would suggest also, going with OEM manuals.

The I&T's will get you the basic stuff, and may get you by until you can run across a set. There are even some good reprints out there, if you look. But just about all of the OEM manuals have info right down to the nub. Illustrations plus descriptions, will walk you through practically any repair. Not...., "Reassembly is apparent, after disassembling the unit..." I've seen numerous times in the I&T's. Probably why my 3 volume set, which measures about 3 inches thick, was condensed into what..., approx. 100 pages..??

I lucked out on a brand new OEM set for my 2000, on epay. Got the 3 volume set, still in plastic for $45.00. Apparently no one was looking for one that week, except me, LOL...

That set of manuals led me to discover, that Ford, not Sherman, made a 3 sp. aux. trans. for that series with the straight 4 speed trans. Which in turn led me on a search for one. As luck would have it, a Ford dealer near a job we were working on, had a brand new one setting on his shelf. That was in 2003, and had been setting on his shelf since 1973..!!

He told me he would sell it to me for whatever he had in it, from Ford. It was time for it to find a home. He dug back through his invoices, and showed me the copy... I went back the following Saturday with cash in hand, and home a happy man.

I figured running on to that, was like a million to one shot.. As Pappy used to say... "A blind hog finds an acorn every now and then..."