Loader Broke the loader

[NoTrespassing]

I can connect all 4 hoses.

good advice on taking the loader in with the tractor. It all fits on my trailer.

in the photo, the lever is in the detent position, and is unlocked. The lever releases from the detent position as usual and moves as it should, although pushing it forward, it feels a little mushy. Might be my imagination.

the lower arms remain at an angle that prevents the FEL from seating in the cradle. It feels like the lever doesn’t have enough travel to move the arms back.

I have mounted/unmounted the FEL a few hundred times since I bought it…


yes, except the rear arms don’t operate properly. I don’t think the lift cylinders are extending all the way.View attachment 763326

if the market wasn’t so wacky, I’d trade the thing in and get the next size up.

The last time I removed my loader I screwed up, it had been awhile and I was doing things out of order. I know you say you've done it a few hundred times and I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong but it can happen.

I know if I don't have my bucket curled just right I can't get the rear mounts to drop in place. It also hangs up on the brackets sometimes.

 

[NHBX]

Judging from the pic that lever looks a lot more than "slightly bent", my guess is there is more damage than you may think to the linkage under the plastic cover. good luck

 

[grsthegreat]

does your trsactor have the dial under the seat that messes with hydraulic control. ive seen my share of issues with this dial all the way to the slow position. on my tractor, if its turned all the way one way, no hydraulics work

 

[azbinder]

does your trsactor have the dial under the seat that messes with hydraulic control. ive seen my share of issues with this dial all the way to the slow position. on my tractor, if its turned all the way one way, no hydraulics work

That knob only controls the drop speed of the 3 pt hitch. Has nothing to do with the loader.

 

[mreatwork]

Yep, been down that road. Several times.

not being a smartass at all. I need all the help I can get, even the basics.

 

[KWentling]

Looks to me like all you need to do is pull the lever back like you're lifting the loader to get the arms in position. It looks like they are fully retracted in the picture. Note that they can move independently of each other as the side with the least resistance will move first. You can push or pull one side to equalize them.

If the lever got pushed hard enough in the incident you may have damaged the linkage under the plastic cover.

 

[kthompson]

No idea how your hose connections are designed, but can you switch the hoses to see if the issue stays with the same cyls or stays with the valve? It is possible to have damage the valve but it sure sounds like hoses are either not seated or not connected correctly. Done that more than once.

 

[JWR]

The last time I removed my loader I screwed up, it had been awhile and I was doing things out of order. I know you say you've done it a few hundred times and I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong but it can happen.

I know if I don't have my bucket curled just right I can't get the rear mounts to drop in place. It also hangs up on the brackets sometimes.

Yes, mine is a bit different being an LA211 on a BX2200 but I have those issues too. I am convinced mine was twisted or spindeled somehow by the previous owner. I have to purposely put a 2x4 under one corner of the bucket to try and level it enough to make the cradle connection and get the pin in on the left side. Usually several tries.

 

[JWR]

Looks to me like all you need to do is pull the lever back like you're lifting the loader to get the arms in position. It looks like they are fully retracted in the picture. Note that they can move independently of each other as the side with the least resistance will move first. You can push or pull one side to equalize them.

If the lever got pushed hard enough in the incident you may have damaged the linkage under the plastic cover.

KWentling may be on to something here --

1) I assume since you, the OP, have had the loader on and off many times you know that the vertical parts of the loader frame should/will move forwards and backwards easily by hand from the vertical angle? The one you show of the left side of the tractor appears to not be vertical and thus the pin can't be put in. As KW said, I'll reword it, those two loader frame near-vertical frame parts are on cylinders on the same hydraulic line -- so if you push one forward the other one moves backward rather easily. Can you not push/pull them until both are close to vertical allowing the pins to go in? You should be able to do that without the hyd lines to the tractor even connected. It is just normally a big help to use the active hydraulics to move the cylinders and curl, etc. assist without a bunch of lifting. So hard to picture the problem without being there! ... and ...

2) Have you lifted the boot/cover at the base of the joystick to inspect the loader valve controls/connections? You might have knocked something out of joint in the base of the joystick.

 

[KWentling]

KWentling may be on to something here --

1) I assume since you, the OP, have had the loader on and off many times you know that the vertical parts of the loader frame should/will move forwards and backwards easily by hand from the vertical angle? The one you show of the left side of the tractor appears to not be vertical and thus the pin can't be put in. As KW said, I'll reword it, those two loader frame near-vertical frame parts are on cylinders on the same hydraulic line -- so if you push one forward the other one moves backward rather easily. Can you not push/pull them until both are close to vertical allowing the pins to go in? You should be able to do that without the hyd lines to the tractor even connected. It is just normally a big help to use the active hydraulics to move the cylinders and curl, etc. assist without a bunch of lifting. So hard to picture the problem without being there! ... and ...

2) Have you lifted the boot/cover at the base of the joystick to inspect the loader valve controls/connections? You might have knocked something out of joint in the base of the joystick.

I'd like to see a picture showing the loader from a distance allowing us to see the condition of the "kickstand" and bucket. It does seem the side frames of the loader are pretty low, but I think it could still be mounted. Maybe the kickstands are bent?

 

[Tx Jim]

I'll bet one of the control rods(item 110) between handle & control valve is bowed. I suggest to remove cover for a visual inspection.

 

[Raul-02]

I don’t know if it’s the lever or the valve but I’ve got to repair it somehow.

Have you dismounted it from the tractor yet? you won't know the problem until you start getting into it and You won't know if you can fix it until you get into it.

 

[JTP]

It appears from the picture that the handle is bent so far forward that it is hitting something (maybe the plastic cover) and not allowing it to move enough to allow the valve to pass oil.
I would try removing the cover and see if there may be an interference.

 

[lpakiz]

It seems to me that if the control lever moves both sets of cylinders both in and out, the problem is not in the lever. That control lever has no idea where the cylinders are in their stroke. As long as all 4 cylinders extend and retract at least a couple inches, there is nothing wrong with the "bent" lever.
If you had the loader off, my money is on one of the quick couplers not seated fully.

 

[npalen]

Viewing the picture in post #19, it appears that all you need to do is pull back on the lever to let the lift cylinders extend a few inches to align the holes for the pin. I assume, judging from all the comments above, that there is more to the problem, however.

 

[bgr]

Many good suggestions here. And a parts picture. Your photo showing the lever shows a boot on the lever and a plastic cover for the lever and valve mechanism. On my BX23, which I believe is close to a BX2200, the plastic cover can be removed on the tractor by removing 3 screws.(This can be done with the lever in place) If you can find a way to remove the plastic cover and boot, you will be able to see the lever, linkage, and hydraulic control valve. Compare them to the parts picture to see what is bent. Then you will be able to decide what parts to order. I don't think there is any damage to the loader which would require taking to the dealer.

If you go to the Kubota USA website, you can select "Illustrated Parts List", enter your tractor model and find and print the parts picture of the loader controls and valve. You can also find the parts numbers for what you need.

 

[JBF43]

It appears from the picture that the handle is bent so far forward that it is hitting something (maybe the plastic cover) and not allowing it to move enough to allow the valve to pass oil.
I would try removing the cover and see if there may be an interference.

As was mentioned a few times, I would remove the cover over the joystick and move it in all directions checking for it to be hitting something instead of getting free and full travel. Also, try installing the loader with this cover off so you can see the joystick operation during the 'install' process. This is something you can do for free except for a little bit of your time. You may find a bent or 'out of adjustment' linkage that you can either bend back or readjust to get it working again. Something else to check, I know you said you have removed and installed the loader a great many times as have I with mine. I always remove mine for mowing with my finish mower so I can get closer to things and not take out fences when mowing alongside of them. I did this 2 weeks ago and left the mower in the shade all day under the carport. When finished and I went to reinstall the loader, I swore I had all the hoses fully seated by looking at them. But the same problem you are having happened with mine. I had the tractor off and relieved the pressure on the tractor side and was sure the hose pressure had not built up sitting in the shade. After a 1/2 hr of cussing, I removed the hoses and let out some pressure, then reinstalled. Sure enough one of the hoses seated further down than it was on the first attempt and everything went back to normal. Now when I 'know' I am absolutely doing it right, but it doesn't work, I just say to myself 'what simple basic thing am I doing wrong or missing?' Usually just going back through the process reveals the problem. Not saying you did something wrong, but it could be a couple of things to look at. Good luck with it and let us know what you find out.

 

[masscity]

I have a L3540HSTC, so it might not have anything in common. Years ago in January I had my snowblower on and it wouldn't boom down. I called my tractor mechanic and he come right over. He took my right rear tire off and opened the inspection panel and had me move the joystick up and down. Bad design, instead of a rod for booming down they use wire rope in a sheath. It had mushroomed at the end and wouldn't boom down.

I ordered the part from the dealer and it took 11 days, not in stock. When I got it, it was 1 1/2 times the diameter of the old one. They knew they had a problem. Has worked great since. I was lucky, it didn't snow much waiting for the part.