Easy way to locate leaky hose?

[RobiBX2230]

If you think you found the hose, wipe it clean and check later to see if it's wet again. That small of spot on your drive doesn't sound like enough fluid to significantly drop anything very far.
As far as the "dipper" (assume you mean bucket curl?) hoses leaking fluid to the outside, that shouldn't affect your boom dropping. They are on separate circuits- move one lever and the boom goes up or down, move another lever (or the same one in another direction) and the bucket curls in or out. I'm unfamiliar with your hoe, but all hydraulics work that way, unless it was a master cylinder with slave cylinders, which I'm reasonably sure you're not dealing with.
So, if your bucket hoses are leaking, and your boom is dropping, I think you have 2 different issues. Assuming it iS your bucket hose leaking fluid out, your boom either has a control valve leaking internally or the cylinder is leaking internally from one side of the ram's seal to the other.
Also, that stuff will travel when it leaks. Locate both ends of the hose and clean both to determine if it is, in fact, that hose leaking.

So, safe to say that if one hose has a slow leak it wouldn't cause other cylinders to lose pressure?

 

[oldbones]

It shouldn't cause the others to lose pressure, as other cylinders are on separate "circuits", seperated by valves in your joystick control. Kinda like if you only curl the bucket in or out, it does not affect the dipper, boom, or either outrigger cylinders unless you're joysticking two functions at the same time.
As mentioned in several previous posts, be sure everything is resting on the ground before you take fittings loose. I think one of the other guys said it, but I'll repeat it- I would move the dipper out a bit, lower the boom till the bucket rests on the ground, shut the tractor off, and then move joysticks in all directions several times to make sure there is no hyd pressure on any circuit (including outriggers) then pull the key and remove the hose fittings. This is how I change hydraulic hoses all the time. I also use a shop rag and cover the fitting as I'm taking the last threads out, just in case there is a little residual pressure. Shouldn't be any, but I always do it just in case. Almost forgot- I usually take the upper end off first and put that end into a bucket to drain it down a ways- saves a mess.
Hope this helps.

 

[RobiBX2230]

Thanks again.. I'm comfortable changing a hose or two and always keep safety in mind. I am a little surprised that it doesn't leak more or spray when under hydraulic pressure. I'm thinking it might be worth slowly or all at once replacing all 4 hoses in the area instead of trying to find the trouble one. It is an issue of having no visibility to about 85% of the hoses since the run from the joysticks into the boom and there is just too much in the way to see anything. Just figures they are so long, my luck would dictate that I wouldn't have a short hose out in the open causing me issues.

 

[oldbones]

Keep in mind that the hose fitting may just be loose and require tightening. My luck would be that the fitting itself is leaking, but you might get lucky. Another thing that I do when the hose goes through a tube like that is use a coupling fitting and hook the new hose to the old one, then pull it through. Keeps dirt out of the new hose and you don't have to try to thread the hew hose back through the tube.
If you can't get a measurement on the old hose before you go get a new one, at least tie something like a wire onto the old hose before pulling it out. Then tape the end of the new hose shut really well, tie the wire around it and pull it through.
As I said earlier, I'm unfamiliar with your hoe. Even after going to their website and looking at them, I can't tell how much room you have or how long of run it is through the boom tube.

 

[toy]

If the leak is in a tube with the other hoses, it might be spraying in the tube but is just running out of the tube. If all four of the hoses are the same size and you have the schematics that tell the size and length of the hoses then if you got a new one the length of the longest one then you could couple the new one up to the shorter hoses one at a time and pull them out enough so that you could examine those hoses to see if they are frayed or even with a visible hole in it or if there are two hoses hooked together to make a longer one that would make the needed length, that coupling could be loose. As you check the hoses when you check the first one if it is good then reconnect that hose before going on to the next that would help keep from getting the hoses mixed up. If the hoses are the same diameter then this would be a way of examining all four of the hoses to find the right one and then replace the necessary hose and if you didn't have to use the longer hose then plug both ends of that hose to keep the inside clean and put it up as a spare. I don't have a john deere so my advice might not apply to your situation but hopefully it might help you locate the problem and get it fixed.

 

[namesray]

So by dipper I don't mean bucket - I'm a rookie so I'll explain - I mean the arm that is between the bucket and the arm the connects to to the tractor... So boom, dipper, bucket - if that makes any more sense. I washed all the hoses with a pressure washer and set them so they weren't touching and only one was wet - the one going to the cylinder on what I'm calling the dipper. Thinking about it different circuits make sense because one joystick does the boom and swing the other does dipper and bucket. I guess I'm more confused than I thought. Either way I'll need to replace the hose that was wet and make more guesses from there (?)

didn't read through every post completly, but just to say, you are exactly right with the term "dipper" to describe the second section of boom. that is exactly what it is called.:thumbsup:

 

[RobiBX2230]

So, I finally got some real seat time running the BH this weekend planting some blueberry high bush plants and some flowers for the wife -- I think I just have a generally leaky BH -- not bad, but I can't determine if its one leak in the dipper or a leak in the main IN/OUT line from the tractor. I guess I'll just keep an eye on the hydro level and maybe if I get time redo some of the lines (wishful thinking)

 

[jimbo64]

we just take a thin piece of cardboard and run it down between the hoses- when it come out wet-thats the leak=good luck-be careful- leaks under pressure can cause pain