Loader help with connecting FEL hoses

[wv joe]

Tried to connect my FEL hoses today after they became disconnected while bush hogging. anyone have any hints on how to get the hoses connected easily? I pull back the ring on the female end and insert the male, pushing as hard as I can - got 2 connected after multiple attempts, one of them pushed out a bit of fluid. The other 2 just won't connect, like the first 2, one leaks fluid when I try to connect them.
All 4 came off with the bucket stuck about 4 feet off the ground. I cleaned the connections and sprayed WD40 inside the female end to flush it out. Any help is appreciated!

 

[wv joe]

This is a dup thread, use the other version to reply (my browser is having issues). Thanks!

 

[grsthegreat]

You may have to wack the end of the male connectors after covering it with a towel... sometimes ive had to push a screwdriver into the female ends to release the pressure.

Usually this only happens after the tractors implement (leader) has sat in the sun and the fluids have expanded though.


you need to equalize the pressure in the lines.

Then you pull back on the female collar and slides the male end in until the collar retracts back over and locks them together.

needs LOTS of force to connect at times

 

[DT86]

Wack the ends??? I always just pushed them against the tire or anything else handy on the tractor.

 

[grsthegreat]

Wack the ends??? I always just pushed them against the tire or anything else handy on the tractor.

Man, i left my loader out in the sun once and there was so much pressure built up i had to wack the end with a mallet to relieve the pressure. even with a towel over the end oil sprayed everywheres.

moral of this story... now i leave my loader under the shed roof cover

 

[VictorW]

The same thing sometimes happens to members backhoes. Guys do bump the poppets of the QDs to relieve pressure. Fearing I may damage them, I just crack each line where it's the easiest to relieve the pressure then tighten back up. With my backhoe though, I just work all the controls and then connect my lines but the controls are on the attachment side of the QDs. The fel is opposite.

 

[Sasquatch4100]

Make sure you're not under the loader when you do that!

 

[wv joe]

Relieving the pressure did the trick, got one by pressing a wood block against it, but the other was a tough nut, had to put it in the female end and bang it with a screwdriver and mallet. Murphy's law, I must have interpreted the FEL manual incorrectly, so everything was reversed (up was down, dump was curl), so I figured just reverse them - now up is curl, down is dump......I guess its time to put pencil to paper to figure out what I did!
Thanks all!

 

[Dmace]

Don't "wack" anything. Once in a great while, one of mine pops off if I hit something while digging. What I do is lower the loader to the ground, shut off the engine, then move the joystick in all directions allowing the bucket to settle on the ground. Moving the joystick in all directions allows the pressure in all cylinders to equalize and the quick disconnect just pops right on. No wacking and no loss of hydraulic fluid.

 

[grsthegreat]

Sometimes, like in the OP's case, when the connections are accidentally unhooked, theres going to be pressure built up in the lines. There have been times when no matter how easy i tried to relieve this hydraulic pressure..." smacking with something hard was the only way.

Also, once its running right, use 3 different color tapes to identify both sides of the quick connects. Mine came with color coded plastic rings, but i hear some don't. I also have 4 different colored dust cap sets on mine for the intentional times i unhook it.