3PH Round 2

[Youare]

After my L3000's 3PH loss the desire to go up and down for a bit as I mentioned on a previous post, the tractor paid a visit to the dealer for a leakly lift cylinder seal and while they were at it chaek out the 3PH and do the 50 hour service.

As luck would have it the 3PH started working the day the dealer's truck showed up. They of course find nothing wrong. Tried it at home after they brought it back with nothing conected, worked fine.

Backed the tractor into the barn to connect the rear balde, just like the last time when it didn't want to work. Connect the blade, get in the tractor seat lift the blade and it went up then it dropped down by it self 6 inches, then back up with a jerk.

I lower the balde and raised it again and the same thing happened. The blade would drop by itself then jerk up, drop again and up about 3 seconds apart.

I treid moving the FEL, turning the steering wheel and it still continued. After about 3 minutes it stopped dropping and has been fine since. This happen once just after I got the tractor, the same up and down stuff.

The dealer's mech. thinks it may be in the FEL control block, some part of the valve is not working just right and it is stopping the flow of oil through it to the 3PH.

By the sounds of it they have not seen this situation before.

Randy

 

[kubmech]

Randy, stumbled across a new service bulletin pertaining to replacing the 3 PH control valve with a new "shockless" valve,
Have your dealer look up SB01-53.

 

[Youare]

Thanks for the info. I called the dealer this morning and asked if this publication could shed some light of the problem I have experienced. They agreed to look for this bulletin and see if they think it applies.

I must admit they seem to be willing to get to the bottom of this. The tech. even suggested getting a new FEL control valve body and swap it with mine to see if that is the problem.

I figure maybe we all can learn something from these type of things, I 'll keep you posted.

Thanks again
Randy

 

[kubmech]

Randy, I'll be suprised if it's in the FEL valve, especially after your last description. Usually when they do that it's a 3PH valve or adjustment problem. The FEL valve would'nt cause the hitch to drop, stop maybe, but not drop. Do you have draft control on that tractor?

 

[Youare]

If the draft control you are asking about is the knob located in the area under the front center of the seat which controls the rate of drop on the 3PH lift arms, then the answer is yes. This control knob was stuck in what I assume was the open position when the tractor was delivered to me, a service tech can to the house and loosened it up, I assume he put a pair of pliers to the stem something I didn't want to try myself. This control knob does work now.

The first time the 3PH got the drops I was driving from one place to another in second gear high range about 1800 RPM, I wasn't moving the FEL at all. I had my Farmi winch on the 3PH which is about 400 pounds. When this happened I stopped the tractor dropped the hitch and raised it up agian a couple of times and the cycling up and down stopped. The tractor had about 10 hours on it then.

When the tractor was returned after the 50 hour service and 3PH check out I had the same problem after I connected the rear blade to the 3PH. Before I connect the rear blade I operated the 3PH up and down a few times with nothing connected to it. When I lifted the blade it started the up and down thing again, once again no FEL use and the tractor was not moving.

I am not sure how the valve system works to hold the lift cylinder in whatever position you ask it to with the lift control lever. On my 8N they call the lift lever the quadrant control lever or valve. It seems like whatever valve this lever controls didn't close all the way, or that the pressure on the lift arms was enough to push a little hydraulic oil past this valve and then it started bouncing as the 3PH tried to regain it's required place.

I agree with your thinking that the FEL valve is not the problem. Thanks for your help.

Randy

 

[kubmech]

If you had draft control you would have two levers on the right side. The outboard would be the position control and the inside lever would be the draft control.

 

[Youare]

I only have one lever, the one that moves the 3PH up or down.

Randy