Hi,
I have a compact tractor (Snapper UGT 2060H) with a 4' front end loader that has started to act up. It has a 2 way control valve & 2 cylinders for the lift & 2 cylinders for the bucket. There is also a valve to control front and rear hydraulics (I tried all front & in the middle for both). The in line filter (just below the control valve) and transmission (hydrostatic auto) filters were also changed recently after the problem started.
The symptoms are that the loader (up/down & the curl of the bucket) is moving much slower than normal and the bucket is spongy - with some effort, I can move it several inches by hand. And, when lowered on a down angle & the bucket hits the ground, it will move instead of holding position. I first thought it might be the valve body (crud blocking something or a seal damaged?) - I removed it & tried cleaning it. I did not remove the valves after noticing some corrosion near the lever on both valves - I thought if I forced it through the top seals, it could gouge the seals. I just removed one of caps & had a look. The other cap would not come off. What I noticed was everything was very clean inside. I placed it back on & not much of an improvement. The controls move easily, don't get stuck, & the handle returns to the "zero" position.
Since there was only the sponginess to the bucket not the lift, I switched the hoses from the bucket and lift set of cylinders - not change to the sponginess of the bucket. My main question - it is likely the cylinders for the bucket (one or both leaking internally and will need seal replacements - a rebuild kit) - if that is the case, would that cause the lift and bucket to also operate slowly? Also, the rear lift cylinder (for a 3 point weight rack is not effected - moves fine, & the power steering cylinder doesn't appear to be effected) - so, I can only assume that the pump is fine. I could not find any fluid leaks (external leaks) or loose fittings. While I am mechanically inclined, I am not experienced with hydraulic systems. I could post some photos if that would help.
In addition, prior to the problem - I had forks on the bucket while cleaning up tree parts. While pushing down a mostly cut tree (a fork on each side of the tree), it fell on an unexpected angle & struck one of the forks fairly violently on the way down - fortunately, it did not strike me & the tractor did not get pushed over. I won't try that again... The issue seemed to start some time after that. If that helps.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Bill
I have a compact tractor (Snapper UGT 2060H) with a 4' front end loader that has started to act up. It has a 2 way control valve & 2 cylinders for the lift & 2 cylinders for the bucket. There is also a valve to control front and rear hydraulics (I tried all front & in the middle for both). The in line filter (just below the control valve) and transmission (hydrostatic auto) filters were also changed recently after the problem started.
The symptoms are that the loader (up/down & the curl of the bucket) is moving much slower than normal and the bucket is spongy - with some effort, I can move it several inches by hand. And, when lowered on a down angle & the bucket hits the ground, it will move instead of holding position. I first thought it might be the valve body (crud blocking something or a seal damaged?) - I removed it & tried cleaning it. I did not remove the valves after noticing some corrosion near the lever on both valves - I thought if I forced it through the top seals, it could gouge the seals. I just removed one of caps & had a look. The other cap would not come off. What I noticed was everything was very clean inside. I placed it back on & not much of an improvement. The controls move easily, don't get stuck, & the handle returns to the "zero" position.
Since there was only the sponginess to the bucket not the lift, I switched the hoses from the bucket and lift set of cylinders - not change to the sponginess of the bucket. My main question - it is likely the cylinders for the bucket (one or both leaking internally and will need seal replacements - a rebuild kit) - if that is the case, would that cause the lift and bucket to also operate slowly? Also, the rear lift cylinder (for a 3 point weight rack is not effected - moves fine, & the power steering cylinder doesn't appear to be effected) - so, I can only assume that the pump is fine. I could not find any fluid leaks (external leaks) or loose fittings. While I am mechanically inclined, I am not experienced with hydraulic systems. I could post some photos if that would help.
In addition, prior to the problem - I had forks on the bucket while cleaning up tree parts. While pushing down a mostly cut tree (a fork on each side of the tree), it fell on an unexpected angle & struck one of the forks fairly violently on the way down - fortunately, it did not strike me & the tractor did not get pushed over. I won't try that again... The issue seemed to start some time after that. If that helps.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Bill
