3430 3 pt hitch slow lift (not the lock)?

[DavidVT]

Hello,
Can anyone point me towards a solution to the following?

My 3430 is used most of the winter to push snow with the back blade when needed. Last winter I noticed the 3 pt lift was very sluggish to raise and slow to even react to the control lever.

I made sure the fluid levels were good.
I made sure the lift lock was not engaged (below the operators seat).

I usually push snow in reverse with the blade cupped forward. This is the most conservative way to push and prevents the blade from cutting into the grass before it freezes down.

When I finish the end of one trip, I usually come to a stop and lift the PTO lever. When the tractor was new, the blade would usually be up before I attempted to go forward.

Last winter I noticed the blade would catch as I started to pull forward. That is how I noticed the speed and reaction time had changed.

So this past summer I suffered an $800 bill from the dealer to haul the tractor down and have the hydraulic system checked and serviced (~400hrs on it). They found nothing and charged me for the haul and the fluid changed.

Well, I was out there today and it is still doing the same slow reaction and then slow lift. Perhaps it gets worse as the tractor warms up. I seemed to notice that today and will check for that when the tractor is started from cold again.

Everything else seems ok and I am now at ~500hrs

What am I missing?

Thanks and happy holidays to all!!

 

[dex3361]

The thing that I would check is the hydraulic filters and strainers. How long has it been since the hydraulics have been serviced (fluid/filter change)?

 

[DavidVT]

Hydraulic service this past summer, less than 100 hrs ago.

 

[dex3361]

What was the dealers explanation for the hydraulics issue when it was in for repair? I did notice that you had in in for repair in the summer. The problem was described in the winter. What type of fluid are you running in it? One other thing to consider is that if the Hydraulic fluid has moisture in it it will restrict the filters and slow down the hydraulics and it will not be noticeable in the summer or warmer weather.

 

[DavidVT]

I talked with the dealer's service manager yesterday.
He pulled up the service order in front of me and we looked it over.
There were notes about my complaints/concerns regarding the HST and 3 point sluggish lift along with notes about having changed the fluid and filter. They found no operational problem at that time. This seems consistent with what I am seeing now: It works until things get used for awhile then the lift gets sluggish.

He called his Kubota resource while I was standing there and was told to inspect the valve under the seat. I thought he meant the black knob (i.e. "not the lock") but he explained that under the cover which is under the seat is a valve that fluid may be bypassing and thus causing it to loose power.

A snow storm was building outside and my wife was in the truck so I did not have time to dig into it at that time. The mechanic told me he would be happy to pull his service manuals and show me how to inspect the valve. I thought that was a great offer since I really don't want to send it over there at this time of year.

Time will tell.

Snow is still falling this morning and the wind is howling so time to get out of bed and push snow.. !!!