Considering a hoe, very slow hydraulics

[fatjay]

I'm looking at an older hoe. It starts and runs great, but the rear hoe is extremely slow. The guy says it's due to being low on fluid. The front went up just fine. I'm a novice when it comes to hydraulics, I'm wondering if it might be the pump, as that can get spendy.

Front bucket went up fine, lowered stabalizers, a bit slow. Put the hoe out, swung left to right. Left was quick and normal, but right was extremely slow. It's foot opperated and the linkage looks bent, so I thinkt hat might be the issue there. Backhoe went out, down, but wouldn't come back up. I thought, with the front and rear cylinders extended, maybe the fluid was just low. Rear stabalizers lifted the rear up just fine, albiet a bit slow.

 

[J_J]

Bring the fluid to where it should be and report back.

You should have the same GPM flow through all valves.

Where is the BH OUT port connected?

Are you feeding the BH from a valve work ports or a PB line?

 

[fatjay]

Honestly I'm not sure. I'm considering buying it and the seller doesn't know much about it.

The in and out of the valves look like they were replaced in the past few years.

It's a '58 model, but assuming it works as it should, would be suitable for what I need to do.

 

[J_J]

Is the BH driven off the tractor hyd or another hyd pump?

Check out the color and smell of the fluid.

You should probably get a manual for the machine.

You should put some hyd gauges on it and look at some pressures, or take someone that is knowledgeable on tractor hyd.

I don't believe I would take his word for anything if he has not been using it for a while.

Some of those hyd parts are not cheap.

 

[fatjay]

Everything is driven off the hydraulic pump on hte front PTO on the tractor. I know quite a bit about the principal of hydraulics and how they work, my GT's are fully hydraulic, just not on this scale.

It's all one pump, rated at 19gpm. When he went to pull the boom in, it didn't make much difference in the engine sound.

I was impressed with the condition of all the cylinders, given the condition of hte paint. There was not a single rust spot on any cylinder, none seeped or leaked at all. Dipper, bucket, stabalizers all functioned as they should, which leads me to think that there's either an issue with the spool valve or linkage to it. The linkage is in questionable condition, I saw bends in a few, there's also adjustments for them.

This was the best picture I managed to get, I wish i had gotten a better one:

 

[Sprinklerman]

The big question is how much does he want ?

 

[fatjay]

$1800, which is a good price, assuming I can get it up to speed without dropping another 3-4k, in which case I could have bought something ready to roll.

I don't mind working, I like to tinker to save a few bucks and learn in the process. I don't think I've bought anything "ready to roll" in quite some time, but it was always something I could use while I was fixing. With the hydraulics in this shape, I'm not convinced I could move a stump if it can't even pull up it's own boom.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Its old , its ugly , but it has character . If you are looking for a hoe I have a john deere 310b that I havent used in 3 years . I know it can dig stumps , and its a 1984 or 85 . Its just down the street from you in Annapolis md .

 

[fatjay]

While that's extremely tempting, the wife would kill me. I'm not a professional, I'm a DIY on my land, but have quite a bit of work to do. If my motorcycle managed to sell I'll have more room, but until then I'm on a pretty short leash.

And I do like old machines, easier to work on.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Understand that one , I have it a bit easier , I keep everything at my shop ,If I buy a new toy I take it there . My wife doesnt even pay attention to whats there . She hasnt been there in 9 months .