FEL only rises partway - can't get it up!!

[Mudfarmer]

I was mowing heavy brush on sloped, rough ground today. I noticed that my loader was not lifting to clear a slope. Worked fine yesterday. Did not run into a tree. Did get a few sticks caught up in the running boards.

So this is a JD 3005 with 300 loader. Although the loader is detachable, I have never removed it since purchased new. As of today it only rises to be level with the hood of the tractor. At that elevation [even with the bucket empty] as I pull back on the lift lever it hisses and lugs down the engine like I have heard FELs do with too heavy a load. From ground to hood level it lifts like normal, indeed lifting a full bucket of wet apple cordwood. There is no problem with the bucket tilt. The three point hydraulics including the hydraulic top-link work fine as does the power steering. Hydraulic fluid is clear and at the proper level. The FEL control lever is not locked. All hoses and connections are intact and not leaking. I see no mechanical blockage (eg chunks of branches) to the FEL lever or to any of the lift arms or pivot points. The lift cylinders likewise show no signs of leakage. The loader arms are attached and seated fine as they always have been.

Since my current task is getting the fields mowed, even if the loader doesn't function like it should, I will likely delay a dealer repair for a few weeks. I plan to stop by the dealer and check with the service department tomorrow. I suspect $$$ for the repair unless someone comes up with a simple solution such as a stick jamming a knob somewhere that I can readjust. Suggestions and advice please.

Mf

 

[Djames55]

Unhook the quick connect lines and then reconnect them. I had this happen one time one of the lines was not opening all the way when it was connected.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Put 2 Viagra in the oil, wait about 30 minutes and try it again......








Sorry, I couldn't stop myself from posting that.

But, before you try the Viagra, check the quick connects. I've had one disconnect several times, and I get the same symptoms as you describe.

 

[J_J]

If the loader only goes half way and the relief valve goes off, you can almost bet it has to do with the QD's

A loose or separated QD is the probably cause of the problem.

Once you raise the lift arms, will they lower with no problem.

Can anyone explain how the loader can even lift with a QD disconnected. The line is supposedly blocked.

Does that mean that the base end QD is OK and the rod end QD is the culprit?

 

[oosik]

Its hard to believe that there may be something - stick, log etc - jammed in the FEL mechanism somewhere that is big enough to stop it from fully raising - that you can not notice. Also, how does the FEL, with a full load in the bucket, lift half way if the QD's are the culprit. I'd start by disconnect/reconnect the QD's, as others suggest, and go from there. Also, look for bent parts on the FEL that may be restricting its full height.

 

[amaxwell]

Unhook the quick connect lines and then reconnect them. I had this happen one time one of the lines was not opening all the way when it was connected.

Quick connects can be very hard to reconnect if there is pressure on them. You may need to get to a place to lower the bucket and turn off the tractor and move the handle in all directions to release pressure,then remove and reconnect the quick connects.

 

[Mudfarmer]

I'll try the reconnect tomorrow when I am at the tree farm and let you know how it worked. The hypothesis makes sense since the quick connects hang down below the floor board level of the tractor and could have been hit by stick. I noticed the mal-function after I had been mowing over some limbed branches that were banging around on the undercarriage as I drove across them.

 

[Oliver1655]

Don't forget to check the obvious, hydraulic fluid level.

 

[bigdeano]

I hope not, but it could be a bent rod on one of the lift cylinders. Maybe you got something wedged against it or banged the side of the cylinder.

What I would do is block the loader up part way and pull the pin on the cylinder rods one at a time. See if each cylinder goes through it's full stroke smoothly. Hope it's something minor.

 

[Mudfarmer]

Yup. Apparently a stick hit the spring loaded ring on the female end of one of the quick connects with enough force to unhook the coupling. But the male end did not fall out so visually it looked intact and of course there was no fluid leakages either. Three of the connections were solid to manual manipulation, one was loose. I reconnected the loose one, started up the tractor and could get it up again, back in business. Thanks guys. I could make a crack about coitus interuptus...
Mf