bucket not staying up

LD1 · Oct 21, 2019

For clarification.....is it the "bucket" or the "loader arms"?

IE: is the bucket DUMPING itself over time.....or the whole loader just going down?

GeneV · Oct 21, 2019

GeneV said:
Happens to a lot of guys.

This was me making a funny, but also what I meant was a lot of people on here notice their loaders/buckets/backhoes drifting down kinda fast when not in use. Initially I thought mine did to, but now I'm of the opinion that it's fine, thanks to reading all the people here complaining about same.

rich bx · Oct 23, 2019

My BX23 700 hrs drops faster as I load it with firewood, engine running at 2k or so.
Without loading the bucket and the engine running it drops down maybe an inch every 10 minutes or so. FWIW

4570Man · Oct 23, 2019

rich bx said:
My BX23 700 hrs drops faster as I load it with firewood, engine running at 2k or so.
Without loading the bucket and the engine running it drops down maybe an inch every 10 minutes or so. FWIW

An inch every 10 minutes with no load is pretty rapid. In inch every 10 minutes with max load wouldn’t be that bad. It doesn’t make any difference if the engine is running or not.

atsah · Oct 23, 2019

rich bx said:
My BX23 700 hrs drops faster as I load it with firewood

That's not right.. My Massey would drop a little overnight but not at all when in use, I could load the bucket with firewood, leave it up a couple of feet, go eat lunch and it wouldn't move..

RickB · Oct 23, 2019

4570Man said:
An inch every 10 minutes with no load is pretty rapid. In inch every 10 minutes with max load wouldn’t be that bad. It doesn’t make any difference if the engine is running or not.

An inch of bucket travel or an inch of rod travel in 10 minutes? I’ve seen drift specs written both ways. An inch of rod travel in 10 minutes would be within some manufacturers tolerance.

bucktaker · Oct 28, 2019

not the OP but having a similar issue with my L5740 previous to recent work the bucket stay and any position for weeks at a time. Now the bucket will got full dump if left suspended for more than 1 hr.
I disconnected the lines and it still happens so i am assuming a seal is leaking in the bucket cylinders. No visable leaks

coupman35 · Oct 28, 2019

bucktaker said:
not the OP but having a similar issue with my L5740 previous to recent work the bucket stay and any position for weeks at a time. Now the bucket will got full dump if left suspended for more than 1 hr.
I disconnected the lines and it still happens so i am assuming a seal is leaking in the bucket cylinders. No visable leaks

This sound like the same as what happening whit my tractor

Dave M7040 · Oct 28, 2019

There is a simple test procedure which, if followed, will identify the source of the drifting down.

Dave M7040

RickB · Oct 28, 2019

Dave M7040 said:
There is a simple test procedure which, if followed, will identify the source of the drifting down.

Dave M7040

Or you can use a non-contact infrared thermometer aimed at the area where the piston sits inside the cylinder bore. Cycling the cylinders either fully retracted or extended for short periods on/off starting with cold oil. If the piston area raises as little as 5* above the rest of the barrel, the piston seal is leaking. No mess, no spilled oil (until you rebuild the cylinder).