4630 rear hydraulics

substennessee · Apr 19, 2011

Hey all,

I've got a Ford 4630 (1995?) with a front loader and a bush hog on the back. I just got it last year and used it quite a bit last summer and fall and had no problems with it at all. The other day I started it up after a winter of pretty much no use, and it wouldn't lift the bush hog. The front loader operates just fine. I let the tractor run for about ten minutes and the bush hog did lift up for about a minute, but then it crapped out. Today I started it up and let it run for about five minutes. The front loader operated fine, but no movement in the back at all. I don't have the owner's manual so I'm not even sure where to check the fluid if that's the problem.

This brings me to my second question. Should I buy the owner's manual, the parts manual, a shop manual, or all of them? I don't know squat about tractors, but I'm fairly handy with things, along with being stubborn, cheap, and overconfident.

Any ideas?

Thanks much.

Jerry/MT · Apr 20, 2011

substennessee said:
Hey all,

I've got a Ford 4630 (1995?) with a front loader and a bush hog on the back. I just got it last year and used it quite a bit last summer and fall and had no problems with it at all. The other day I started it up after a winter of pretty much no use, and it wouldn't lift the bush hog. The front loader operates just fine. I let the tractor run for about ten minutes and the bush hog did lift up for about a minute, but then it crapped out. Today I started it up and let it run for about five minutes. The front loader operated fine, but no movement in the back at all. I don't have the owner's manual so I'm not even sure where to check the fluid if that's the problem.

This brings me to my second question. Should I buy the owner's manual, the parts manual, a shop manual, or all of them? I don't know squat about tractors, but I'm fairly handy with things, along with being stubborn, cheap, and overconfident.

Any ideas?

Thanks much.

Don't be cheap. Spend your money wisely. There is a difference. Investing in the capability to repair your tractor is spending money wisely, in my opinion. I would recomend you get a factory manual, a parts manual and an operating manual (~$200-250, used). (A dealer charges ~$100 per shop hour for labor so the payback is rather quick!)You can see whether a repair is doable by you or if you need to take to someone with all the special tools required to perform the repair. Most of the repairs that you come across are doable by people with reasonable mechanical skill and who are not afraid of tackling the job. These manuals will tell you how to do repairs so that gives you a leg up. Then there's always the bazillion of man years (for the PC, person years?) of advice that is available on these types of forums to help. ebay is a good source of used manuals and you can also search on the web for other sources. If you are willing to pay full tilt booggie, there's the dealer.

I have a 4610, the predecessor to your 4630, and to check the fluid, there is an Allen head pipe plug near where your right heel would be on the floor board. Lower the hitch, remove the plug and and if the fluid level is OK, it will come out of the hole. It should not be milky like coffee with a double shot of cream! The refill hole(s) is(are) on the top of the center housing behind the seat and ahead of the top link connection. There are usually two big hex head filler caps there. There is a a hydraulic filter under the left floor board. that should be changed every 1000 hrs. I believe you're supposed to change the hydraulic and the tranasmision fluid every 1000 hrs also.

Soundguy · Apr 20, 2011

how is the loader plumbed?

soundguy

substennessee · Apr 20, 2011

Jerry, thank you for the advice. I'm going to order the manuals today.

Soundguy, I do not think I know how to answer that question correctly. I will say that there are two rubber hoses running out of what I'm guessing is the hydraulics tank/area. They run up to the controller joystick and then up to either side of the loader pistons. Does that make any sense at all?