Loader Front End loader question

[wldlife23]

Hello everyone.. I just noticed that when my tractor was off the tractors FEL was falling. I didn't see it go down but after a while the bucket was touching the ground..... I'm a new bee to FEL...is this normal...or do u all think I should look for a leak. I also noticed that the 3pt hitch was having a hard time going down when there wasn't anything attached to it... is that anything to worry about? Its a new tractor..with 65 he's...

 

[DennisFolsom]

I think the front end loaders on most compact tractors leak down. Mine does. You should leave the loader down on the ground or the floor when the tractor is parked, for safety reasons.

Most 3 point hitches lower by gravity. There is a valve, usually below and in front of the driver's seat, that controls the rate of drop. With a very light load, or nothing on the arms, you need to open this valve more to allow the 3 pt hitch to drop.

Enjoy your new tractor!

 

[2458n]

Normally you want to put your implement on the ground when leaving the tractor. That the loader bleeds down some after time would be considered normal. Some tractors have a adjustment for how quickly the rear lift arms return to the ground when lowering them. Without weight on the arms this can be very slow. The tractor is new and you are new to it. Enjoy the learning curve ,but I do not believe there is a problem.

 

[JoeinTX]

Remember, you're keeping a lot of iron suspended in the air when you shut down the tractor with the loader still in an elevated position. The same goes for any 3pt mounted implement or a drawn hydraulically elevated implement. I've never left any of these off of the ground when I decided to shut things down. I can't see any reason to, honestly. Gravity will work its magic.

 

[kentuckydiesel]

When new, the loader should stay up for a great deal of time (days even) before it leaks down unless the valve is damaged or maladjusted.

Even being a well-used '95, the loader on my Deere will only leak down very slowly on bucket tilt (which can be expected after some wear), but the loader itself has never leaked down on me at all.

The loader on our old 1970 4020 did leak down at a noticeable rate, but that tractor had 14,000hrs on it.

-Phillip

 

[Mistyridgefarm]

My habit has always been to lower all things to the ground. Two reasons, the first, why leave the pressure on the system just sitting there? The second has always been safety. Never know who might be playing on your tractor and lower something onto someone or something playing under it. Also, for the 3 pt, if it leaks down and you start the tractor the implement will lift up to match the position control that was left in the up position. Might be over safe here but it is so easy to do and once you make it a habit, doesn't require any thought.

 

[meburdick]

It is normal for our "non-commercial" grade tractors to experience leaking down of the hydraulics. How fast depends on the actual tolerances of the parts in use (and it will vary a little from one machine to another). What's important is that you take note of how it works now and watch for significant change.

As far as lowering the loader when off, that's a major "do" for safety reasons. Someone could bump a lever and drop that loader on another person without you around, and there will be no way to get it back up in the air.

I had the pallet forks on mine one day, drove out back, lowered the loader to about 18" off the ground, and shut it off. I had planned to stack some loose branches and such on the forks, but walked 25' away to check the pool filter. While I was there, I heard a very distinct "yelp" but didn't know why. About 15 minutes later, I saw the cuts on either side of my young dog's left eye. He apparently clipped the fork running by the tractor and literally missed poking his eye out by a mere couple of millimeters.

He's fine now, but it absolutely reinforced for me that I have to be always diligent with my safety practices - a significant accident can happen in mere seconds.