Ok , I love my Massey 1529, about 14 months old,but the bucket wont stay curled full or empty, and the loader arms drift down as well.Is this normal for a tractor? Im in construction so Im used to loader and backhoes with buckets that stay put even under load. At 1700rpm with bucket full of firewood,24"off the ground,fully curled,it takes about 8 minutes to lose 3 " of bucket height and uncurl to the level indicator on the bucket. I notice also driving a distance with a loaded bucket it will slowly uncurl as well. any input? Thanks in advance!!
Bucket Drift..??
- Thread starter CTMassey
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Mark Page
Platinum Member
At 14 months your still under warranty. I'd be on the phone to the dealer. I would suspect the joystick valve.
oldnslo
Super Member
Construction equipment have expensive precision control valves with load holding devices in thier valves to prevent or reduce the about of drift in their hydraulics. CUT's do not have these features and some will drift more than others. Yours sounds like it is leaking more than most but I doubt that with standard controls it will ever be drift free.
Gary Fowler
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All the controls on my Kubota B26 backhoe will leak down including the stabilizers. I really havent checked the FEL but suspect that it will too. Although not noticeable when operating the FEL, the backhoe stablizers have to be bumped up every few minutes and the hydraulic thumb also has to be retracted to keep it out of the way if you arent using it. I guess it is just cheap valves that the companies are using.
I only have about 50 hours on my LS but so far no leakage with anything on it and the 3 PH will hold up my 1500# bush hog forever with no leak down at all.
I only have about 50 hours on my LS but so far no leakage with anything on it and the 3 PH will hold up my 1500# bush hog forever with no leak down at all.
meburdick
Platinum Member
Leak down is normal, but it's worth a call to the dealer anyhow. Ask about the "acceptable" rates for the leak down on your machine and how to determine if it is within spec.
Hi Gary
I had the same problem with the thumb on my B26 when I had it installed. It would keep trying to close and you had to open it every few minutes or it would get in the way of digging. On my new L45 the thumb closes a little bit over time too but it is much slower than with the B26.
I'm surprised you say you have to raise the stabilizers every few minutes on the B26 though as I have never had to do that with my B21, B26 or the L45 while it is running. I noticed when I added the rubber pads to the stabilizers on the B26 that it would leak down a lot faster in the garage so rather than starting the tractor just to raise the stabilizers I run a bungee cord between the two of them and that kept them from falling down over time. My L45 will sit for four or five days and even with the rubber pads on the stabilizers there will only be about 1/2" of cylinder showing.
Regards,
Lauren
I had the same problem with the thumb on my B26 when I had it installed. It would keep trying to close and you had to open it every few minutes or it would get in the way of digging. On my new L45 the thumb closes a little bit over time too but it is much slower than with the B26.
I'm surprised you say you have to raise the stabilizers every few minutes on the B26 though as I have never had to do that with my B21, B26 or the L45 while it is running. I noticed when I added the rubber pads to the stabilizers on the B26 that it would leak down a lot faster in the garage so rather than starting the tractor just to raise the stabilizers I run a bungee cord between the two of them and that kept them from falling down over time. My L45 will sit for four or five days and even with the rubber pads on the stabilizers there will only be about 1/2" of cylinder showing.
Regards,
Lauren
Ductape
Elite Member
Some settling is perfectly normal. It sounds like you may have a little more than normal though. I would consider having the dealer look at it if its still under warranty.
Soundguy
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my woods 6500 backhoe will start letting it's outriggers drift after a day, and hte manin boom cyl will drift after another day.
some seepage thru cyl seals and spool, IMHO is normal..
some seepage thru cyl seals and spool, IMHO is normal..
RPW
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I disagree somewhat. On my tractor it didn't have any drift until the I inadvertently poured some contaminanted fluid in the hydraulic system. Even after multiple oil changes both the FEL and the 3pt will leak down over night. So I don't think it should be normal. I wouldn't accept that when your machine is that new.
Soundguy
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seals aren't perfect... it's not realistic to think that a hyd seal to piston is permanent and will never leak down...
I agree with SoundGuy. With the machine not running a leakdown is to be expected. If I parked any of the the three Kubota's I have had with the loader in the air or the backhoe not locked in position they would start to leak down right away. It is very slow and almost imperceptible but if you are sitting near the machine you can actually hear a little noise each time the oil is pushed back. What surprised me about the OP was that he indicated that he was experiencing leakdown as he was driving along which to me is not normal. I have experienced this a couple of times with my Kubota's but only after I managed to get a rock on the loader that was too heavy to actually lift. I would then have to drive quick to my trailer to ensure I got it in before the arms dropped too much!
jonnyc1999
Silver Member
I started to experience bucket leakdown on my CT122 a few months back, mostly in the curl cylinder. I had my dealer look it over, and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. They told me a little bit of cylinder drift and leakdown is normal in a CUT. While I accept their word, I'm somewhat skeptical since it didn't do it when new!
Soundguy
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so.. by your logig.. since it didn't do it when new.. it shouldn't do it when used? what wonderfull logic!! with that logic.. people shouldn't age and wear out.
when new.. your tractor had perfect oil.. perfect seals, and rod and shaft diameters were unworn and perfect.. spool clearances were at minimum.
add even 'breakin' hours to a machine and the parts wear in a bit.
MINOR leakage is perfectly normal.
besides.. you aren't suposed to leave hyds left up and unsupported anyway.. not safe..
meburdick
Platinum Member
I can understand that gut instinct, but I wouldn't be overly worried. The fact that it didn't seem to exhibit the behavior when new could be the result of different reasons...
- Seals were brand new, perfect, and had no signs of wear. They sealed excellent, as "new" items often will.
- You didn't leave the loader / bucket up the way you do now (your use habits have changed, and you likely don't even realize it).
Of course, there's also the possibility that you broke something and don't realize it.
There is still the chance that it is wearing prematurely, and the dealer doesn't yet see where it's "out of spec."
If the dealer says they can't find an issue, just be sure to keep all of the paperwork saying that you reported the issue "now". If it turns out that there's a potential warranty issue that isn't found until slightly beyond the warranty period, you would have papers to show that you brought it up early.
Hey CT,
I have a similar problem with my Kubota - only the curl cylinders leak down, the boom and 3 pt don't (or leak VERY slowly). If your loader has quick-connects, one thing you can do is to disconnect the quick connects, then see if the leak-down still happens. If it does, the leak is likely in the cylinder piston seals, if not, the leak may be in the control valve. Mine is in one (maybe both) of the pistons. So they are coming off to be rebuilt.
I have a similar problem with my Kubota - only the curl cylinders leak down, the boom and 3 pt don't (or leak VERY slowly). If your loader has quick-connects, one thing you can do is to disconnect the quick connects, then see if the leak-down still happens. If it does, the leak is likely in the cylinder piston seals, if not, the leak may be in the control valve. Mine is in one (maybe both) of the pistons. So they are coming off to be rebuilt.
Thanks,they are quick-connects, so I'll see what happens.....appreciate the info!
jonnyc1999
Silver Member
so.. by your logig.. since it didn't do it when new.. it shouldn't do it when used? what wonderfull logic!! with that logic.. people shouldn't age and wear out.
when new.. your tractor had perfect oil.. perfect seals, and rod and shaft diameters were unworn and perfect.. spool clearances were at minimum.
Well, When I bought the tractor "new" it had 24 hours on the clock(dealer demo model). It didn't have any leakdown whatsoever until I did the 50 hr. service on it. When there is a noticable difference between one day and the next, it is easy to suspect something is off. While it may still be in spec for the model, it is definitely much more frustrating to use than it was. In addition to leakdown, when dropping the bucket into the ground to backdrag for instance, it will curl back to level without any curl input. It is DEFINITELY different than it was at <49 hours.
madmax12
Veteran Member
jonnyc1999 said:
If it is the result after 50 hour service, another poster said they had that prob when they put wrong fluid in. Any chance of "wrong" fluid change at 50 hours? Or, could there still be AIR in the system since the service? I think u can remove the air by cycling the bucket via dump position. Have u tried anything like that, yet?
Sorry if my newbie ideas are too...newbie.
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