I purchased a Century 42L the last year it was offered for sale. I absolutely love the tractor. I live in a part of the Midwest that was really hit by the ice storms last month. I was finally able to free my tractor from the fallen branches and ice that sent its shelter crashing down around it (only sustained very minor damage to the canopy!).
Now to the point. I have been clearing my woods from all of the fallen forestry debris and I recently noticed some shaking from my 3 point hitch. I tracked down a small leak in the gender-bender fitting that allows for the two hydraulic lines that connect to each other when the bh is not attached to actually come together (it's a straight male thread on both ends). I put some sealant on the threads and the leak stopped. Right after doing this, however, I really noticed the up-and-down movement of my bb and rake. When idling, it's as though I am parked next to the car at the stop light booming out rap music--really loudly. If I put the implement at rest on the ground, with the position control, all is well. If I bring it up to any point other than ground rest, my whole tractor "shakes" a little bit (like when your child really has to go the the bathroom and may not quite make it). Moreover, if I raise my FEL after grabbing a log with my grapple, my rear implement goes down. If I release my FEL joystick and stop its movement, the rear implement goes back up. And then, when I shut down the tractor altogether, the FEL stays up but the rear implement immediately settles down on the ground (if they were both off the ground when I turned off the ignition). There were a few times today when things operated as they used to (no up/down shimmy) but the shakes always came back.
I called my dealer and he suggested that I might have some air in the lines. Is this what it sounds like to any of you? Can I bleed the lines of air somehow. If not, how long does it take for the system to self-adjust? I was probably on the seat for about 5 hrs today and it shook most of the day. The problem seems to be isolated to the lines that are coupled together when you remove the bh (I think it comes off the pump under the seat). If I grab this line while the rear implement is off the ground, I feel a very distinct pulsing going on. If the implement is on the ground, however, there is no pulsing. My FEL works exactly as it should. I checked to make sure that my draft control is off and that I was not low on Hydraulic fluid.
I would appreciate any thoughts anyone might have on this issue.
Now to the point. I have been clearing my woods from all of the fallen forestry debris and I recently noticed some shaking from my 3 point hitch. I tracked down a small leak in the gender-bender fitting that allows for the two hydraulic lines that connect to each other when the bh is not attached to actually come together (it's a straight male thread on both ends). I put some sealant on the threads and the leak stopped. Right after doing this, however, I really noticed the up-and-down movement of my bb and rake. When idling, it's as though I am parked next to the car at the stop light booming out rap music--really loudly. If I put the implement at rest on the ground, with the position control, all is well. If I bring it up to any point other than ground rest, my whole tractor "shakes" a little bit (like when your child really has to go the the bathroom and may not quite make it). Moreover, if I raise my FEL after grabbing a log with my grapple, my rear implement goes down. If I release my FEL joystick and stop its movement, the rear implement goes back up. And then, when I shut down the tractor altogether, the FEL stays up but the rear implement immediately settles down on the ground (if they were both off the ground when I turned off the ignition). There were a few times today when things operated as they used to (no up/down shimmy) but the shakes always came back.
I called my dealer and he suggested that I might have some air in the lines. Is this what it sounds like to any of you? Can I bleed the lines of air somehow. If not, how long does it take for the system to self-adjust? I was probably on the seat for about 5 hrs today and it shook most of the day. The problem seems to be isolated to the lines that are coupled together when you remove the bh (I think it comes off the pump under the seat). If I grab this line while the rear implement is off the ground, I feel a very distinct pulsing going on. If the implement is on the ground, however, there is no pulsing. My FEL works exactly as it should. I checked to make sure that my draft control is off and that I was not low on Hydraulic fluid.
I would appreciate any thoughts anyone might have on this issue.
