Tilt hydraulic cylinders out of sync

[2ntow]

Tractor is an L3200 Hydro.

I think I may have messed up. Was pulling a stump with no issues. Needed to push it a little to one side. Did not have bucket on the front end loader and pushed the stump with one side where the quick attach plate is. The plate pushed the cylinder in about 2 inches more than the other side when I pushed. As soon as I saw what happened stopped pushing. Cycled the tilt a few times in and out, but they still do not line up and cannot get bucket on the mounting points now as they are at slightly different angles.

What can I do to correct this screw up?

 

[k0ua]

Tractor is an L3200 Hydro.

I think I may have messed up. Was pulling a stump with no issues. Needed to push it a little to one side. Did not have bucket on the front end loader and pushed the stump with one side where the quick attach plate is. The plate pushed the cylinder in about 2 inches more than the other side when I pushed. As soon as I saw what happened stopped pushing. Cycled the tilt a few times in and out, but they still do not line up and cannot get bucket on the mounting points now as they are at slightly different angles.

What can I do to correct this screw up?

Examine the little bar between the SSQA plates. It is likely you applied torsional forces to the bar. In other words it is twisted a little bit. You can try to twist it back with some big pipe wrenches or something, but if that fails, I have seen some guys fix it by cutting the bar in two with a sawzall or something and then V ing the cut out and rewelding it after lining up the plates. I have never done this, but I have seen pictures of it done, and it look pretty good.

A hard lesson learned. Never do what you did.

 

[ovrszd]

Yep. What James said.

 

[k0ua]

Richard, would putting one of the plates (the most forward one) square up against an immovable object like a concrete wall, with the other sticking out in thin air and then operating in the dump position maybe "untwist" the tube? The dump position would have the most force from the cap end of the free cylinder. Just an idea, and would be easy to try. What do you think Richard?

 

[oosik]

James - I would be very suspicious of this solution. Many times - two wrongs do not make a right.

 

[k0ua]

James - I would be very suspicious of this solution. Many times - two wrongs do not make a right.

No guts, no glory!.

 

[oosik]

Hey - two wrongs don't make a right. I speak from personal experience. But I gotta admit - tried carefully, it might just work.

 

[4570Man]

You’ve bent the cross tube between the 2 plates.

 

[k0ua]

Hey - two wrongs don't make a right. I speak from personal experience. But I gotta admit - tried carefully, it might just work.

Yeah I was thinking go slow, and get them to match if possible then go just slightly past the match point as the moving one will spring back just a bit after the hydraulic pressure is released. Just an idea, and I haven't done this except in my head.

 

[4570Man]

Richard, would putting one of the plates (the most forward one) square up against an immovable object like a concrete wall, with the other sticking out in thin air and then operating in the dump position maybe "untwist" the tube? The dump position would have the most force from the cap end of the free cylinder. Just an idea, and would be easy to try. What do you think Richard?

I’ve bent one when my forks came half unlatched. I unbent it with the hydraulics. I put the high one under a bucket truck stabilizers but a truck hitch would work and curled it back. It’s easy to check your progress by rolling them back until they hit the stops at the same time. The other harder to fix problem is they’re probably not the right width on the sides anymore. Mine bent outwards. I’ve tried pulling them back together with a chain binder but it didn’t work. Really the only solution would be to cut the tube shorter and re weld it. But it’s workable and I haven’t bothered. It’s a little harder to get the bucket on now. I usually have to push it against something to get it latched.