frozen hydraulics

   / frozen hydraulics #1  

whoodle

Silver Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2001
Messages
155
Location
N. Vermont
Tractor
JD 110tlb, rtv900.
Howdy All,

I have had a problem with my hydraulics freezing up for years, but today I really got annoyed. I have a JD 110 with all the outlets and I use it with a blower on the back with top an tilt and a shoot rotator. On the front I have a boss V-plow with hydraulic wings and a tilt cylinder. Sound like the Ultimate Snow fighter Right? Well not when the joy stick freezes and the plow will not roll and the blower will not tilt. Then, this morning. I limped down the driveway blowing with the plow up, and then the plow just rolled forward as thought it were dumpin the bucket and the blower simultaniously tilted as well. By the time I got the beast into the warm barn, everything cleared up, But I had driven 1800 feet up my driveway without doing any work! The machine is kept outside, but it has a block heater and hydro heater which I leave plugged in all the time. Anybody have any suggestions?

Hope so

tahnks
 
   / frozen hydraulics #2  
Park it in the warm Barn ? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
   / frozen hydraulics #3  
You might try synthetic hydr fluid.I'm no expert but from what ive read here on TBN synthetic hydro fluid is the way to go for extreme outdoor temps.
 
   / frozen hydraulics #4  
I'm not familiar with that tractor, but on a Yanmar, I would say you need to change the fluid/filter and clean the hydraulic pickup screen if not done recently.
 
   / frozen hydraulics
  • Thread Starter
#5  
The tractor has Amsoil synthetic oil less than 100 hrs old, and the screen and filters were changed at the time. With the heaters on, the hydraulics are quiet as though warm almost immediately, but the valves at the bottom of the joystick seem to freeze tight.
 
   / frozen hydraulics
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Oh, the warm barn is the High Rent district !
 
   / frozen hydraulics #7  
It sound like you possibly could have a slight moisture problem. I would try to keep the valve warm with 12volt heat tape, and insulation. Make sure that your alternator is up to the task, as well as the battery. The warm fluid is cooling down after taking it out in the very cold climate. The heat is rapidly drawn out faster than the machine can generate more heat. The Amsoil is a good addition. How cold is it there anyway??? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
   / frozen hydraulics #8  
I am not familiar with a 110 but here are my thoughts. If the joystick operates cables which control the valve spools, water may be getting between the sheath and cable and freezing or freezing at the cable/spool interface. If there are no cables, or they are not freezing, moisture is entering the centering spring/detent housings and freezing. The housings cover the end of the valve spools opposite the linkage/cable connections. This is not a 'hydraulics' problem as such, but a hydraulic control problem. Using a hair dryer to systematically warm the centering spring housings and cables if equipped will locate the problem area.
 
   / frozen hydraulics
  • Thread Starter
#9  
It has been ranging from about 0 f to 35 the last few weeks. the controls are solid bars which stick down under the machine and work levers on horizontal actuators. I have complete undercarriage plates which eliminate easy access.
 
   / frozen hydraulics #11  
Sounds like you have water in something it shouldn't be and it's freezing. I would take it as far apart as needed to see where the water is, remove/clean the moisture out and fabricate some sort of shield to prevent it in the future.
 
   / frozen hydraulics #12  
Must have been a thing in northern VT on Saturday.
I was plowing up in the northeast kindgom with my B2410 and towards the end of the day the bucket hydraulics would not dump. Doesn't do much good to try plowing with it pointed towards the heavens!!!

I fired up the furnace in the garage and it eventually unfroze, like yours.
 
   / frozen hydraulics
  • Thread Starter
#13  
Peter,

you ran all day and then had a problem? My problems start cold and go away after significant warmup. How could water be getting in short of condensation? Unfortunately, when these problems happen it is 6am and cold as a witches wazzoo, so I never have time to look, I just make do. then when I get to the warm barn, it mysteriously stops misbehaving.
 

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