ARRRRRRGH!!!!!!! Broke my tractor.... Engine Block went SNAP...

[Eagleview]

The likelyhood that it was a casting fault in my mind is extremely remote . Given the the fact that the foundry who cast the blocks would be state of the art using high quality fine grain cast iron and also that a visual inspection and an Ultrasonic inspection looking specifically for flaws and core shift of the casting at the factory did'nt find anything . Also the fact that they make millions of engine blocks , they would have it down pat by now . How anyone looking at a couple of photos of the crack on their computer screen can deduce it was a casting flaw is beyond me . On the other hand a fabricated steel loader frame attached to the first convienient set of threaded holes with no bracing to distribute the forces further along the "stucture" which is glaringly obvious to the trained eye is more likely (in my opinion which i'm entitled) to be the problem . That said frame was built with many unknowns when fabricated ie loader use , extremes of temperature , impact forces hitting concealed rocks etc , operator ability , does the tractor have an accumulator fitted to the hydraulics to prevent damage at roading speed on rough tracks etc (a small inexpensive inverted cylinder mounted on the hydraulic pipe to absorb shock loading from a bouncing bucket which should be fitted to ALL tractors at the time of loader fitting , CUT'S included) . Many variables that an extended subframe would help counter and would only add a couple of hundred dollars to the end product , cheap insurance in anyones language . The new engine or engine block that will be fitted to Kris's tractor may never come up against those same forces/temperatures , whatever again and may last a lifetime but it may also happen again next month . This is my last post on the subject as others are entitled to their opinion as well .

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

does the tractor have an accumulator fitted to the hydraulics to prevent damage at roading speed on rough tracks etc

No! Nor should it. This is a compact tractor, not a bull dozer or a dump truck.

The 730X-Series loaders where very popular and sold on many, many tractors. This is not a typical occurance.

 

[dqdave1]

Anyone ever heard of "murphy's Law" ?

 

[dynasim]

100$/tractor X 400,000 tractors=40 million$$$$

One tractor saved. Priceless.

Chris

P.S. Kris, good luck on getting this fixed, and please keep us informed.

 

[FULLPULL]

I wish they would make these tractors with extra heavy duty parts . They will do more work than they are designed to do with the help of the 4X4 . I would pay a extra 1000.00 for a extra hevy duty unit and think there would be a market for them . Extra bushings more steel and stronger parts . But as said these tractors are not dozers and should not be over used pushing extra heavy stuff . But they should be designed to hold up under what the tractor is able to do which is alot for there size. That being said i still think they may hold up as good or better than the old ag tractors with front loaders on them. But not as good as commercial units. I will let you know in after a few years of use.

 

[horse7]

does the tractor have an accumulator fitted to the hydraulics to prevent damage at roading speed on rough tracks etc (a small inexpensive inverted cylinder mounted on the hydraulic pipe to absorb shock loading from a bouncing bucket which should be fitted to ALL tractors at the time of loader fitting , CUT'S included) .
.

I have this option on my 810TL (in CNH market speak this is called "soft ride")-- and it was not cheap. Maybe it *could be* cheap (well, anything in the same sentence as "tractor" is not going to be all that inexpensive...), but the option definitely exceeds what a typical CUT owner will be willing to pay if the price isn't substantially lower. I almost passed on it but since the loader size was the main reason for having a UT vs. CUT, decided it would be worth the speculative cost.

Having said that, soft ride really reduces the shock loading on the loader/frame/tractor when carrying a load in the bucket. I almost never have it turned off. I don't think it will help at all when ramming a tree stump though... but it sure reduces the shocks when carrying material over uneven ground. If you anticipate using the loader a lot, this is a worthwhile option to buy if available.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I have this option on my 810TL. [snip] I almost passed on it but since the loader size was the main reason for having a UT vs. CUT, decided it would be worth the speculative cost.

Having said that, soft ride really reduces the shock loading on the loader/frame/tractor when carrying a load in the bucket. I almost never have it turned off. I don't think it will help at all when ramming a tree stump though... but it sure reduces the shocks when carrying material over uneven ground. If you anticipate using the loader a lot, this is a worthwhile option to buy if available.

.
It is probably a pressure gas over an oil bladder or else a sprung piston over oil. It allows oil to enter after a certain pressure is reached and limits the pressure rise from that point. Unless turned off, it is always in the circuit and only when the loader valve is centered does it comes into play, cuz the normal relief valve should be at a lower pressure setting - and only relieves the feed oil anyway. The problem with this system is when you are pushing hard with the valve centered the loader cylinders will depress some if the accumulator preload is too low, and the bucket will go down some. If Im pushing a tree along the ground I dont want the arms going down and the bucket digging in. Perhaps the accumulator will only accept a couple cubic inches tho. That wouldnt let the cylinders move much. Being able to turn it off if you need to is a real nice feature.
larry

 

[dogbreath108]

For those of you who don't know and are wondering (as I did before). The Soft Ride (trade name) is nothing more than a small cylinder of engineered size that uses the high pressure hydraulics (lift cylinder, up side) on one end (non-compressable) and air (or nitrogen) (which is a gas and compressable) opposing on the other. Not unlike a expansion tank in your heating system. Pretty simple design that takes the shock forces off of the tractor when, as an example, you are driving down a dirt road, with a heavy load in the bucket, you hit a hole with the front wheels and the downward force in the bucket has a enormous load on the tractor a split second after you hit it from the load in the bucket dropping height. It acts as a shock absorber and the loader arms can move a bit, without possibly reaching the hydraulic safety setpoint. Even if you had reached the hydraulic safety setpoint, only so much fluid can get through the safety at any one point in time. As the safety valve is not really designed as a shock absorber. As far as I know, its starting to be popular on the mid to large tractors, and in my opinion is well overdue.

I read the last posts pretty quick and hope I'm not repeating what anyone else had said...

 

[SPYDERLK]

For those of you who don't know and are wondering (as I did before). The Soft Ride (trade name) is nothing more than a small cylinder of engineered size that uses the high pressure hydraulics (lift cylinder, up side) on one end (non-compressable) and air (or nitrogen) (which is a gas and compressable) opposing on the other. Not unlike a expansion tank in your heating system. Pretty simple design that takes the shock forces off of the tractor when, as an example, you are driving down a dirt road, with a heavy load in the bucket, you hit a hole with the front wheels and the downward force in the bucket has a enormous load on the tractor a split second after you hit it from the load in the bucket dropping height. [[[It acts as a shock absorber and the loader arms can move a bit, without possibly reaching the hydraulic safety setpoint. Even if you had reached the hydraulic safety setpoint, only so much fluid can get through the safety at any one point in time.]]] As the safety valve is not really designed as a shock absorber. As far as I know, its starting to be popular on the mid to large tractors, and in my opinion is well overdue.

I read the last posts pretty quick and hope I'm not repeating what anyone else had said...

[[[ Relief setpoint has nothing to do with this shock absorbing.]]] The relief is not on the cylinder side of the valve and cannot act when the valve is centered. If it did, a load that required full pressure to lift would fall to the ground as soon as you hit a bump. [The pressure on a relief valve has to fall below relief pressure in order for it to re seat.] Any appreciable load would edge down continuously as you moved on bumpy ground.
larry

 

[horse7]

.
...
Being able to turn it off if you need to is a real nice feature.
larry

And it costs extra for the (electrical) on/off to be accessible from the seat... otherwise there is a manual control at the accumulator (which means stopping, dismounting, etc.-- basically, set and live with it, no one will go through the effort very often to make a change).

With no experience with the device, I did not know if having the control accessible was worth the cost. But the whole tractor w/loader was so expensive I decided what's a few hundred more... might be useful, and if not at least I'll have learned something.

[I have pretty much come to the conclusion that there should not be any control that needs even occasional twiddling that requires dismounting. If at all possible get the controls accessible from the seat. I'm probably preaching to the choir here though! Now I need a CCM hydraulic side link...]