Hydraulic lines frozen in cold weather

[KC_Kubota]

Is this a common occurrence? What can I do to avoid it? I have a brand new B7510 with about 8 hours on it. One of the reasons I bought it was to help with snow removal, yesterday it hovered around zero all day. When I got home from work and fired up the tractor the blade only moved up. The lines were solid.

I let it warm up for 30 mins, but no change so I turned it off. I had to get my ATV going to get the plowing done. while doing that I started the tractor again and let it run for another 30 minutes.... still no change.

How can I avoid this in the future? I made sure the 3PH wasn't engaged. Do they make some form of warming sleeve? Or is this a problem that not supposed to be happening?

Thanks,
KC

 

[Egon]

Put a tarp over the tractor and put an electric heater under it till everything is warm. Then try it and you will know if it is frozen. Does the tractor move as normal if it is an HST?

Egon

 

[Freds]

I'm not sure I know what you mean by: </font><font color="blue" class="small">( I made sure the 3PH wasn't engaged )</font> , but at any rate I see you have a front blade so I'll assume the FEL joystick operates it. I've posted a couple times now on something that happened recently to me. The joystick valves on my tractor had moisture in them that froze into chunks of ice and would not let me move the joystick into certain positions. Never happened on the old B7500, but has happened twice so far to my L3130. They are kept outside in the winter. The dealer thawed the thing out, took it apart and hopefully removed all moisture.

I would concentrate a heat source under the joystick.

 

[Deerlope]

If the blade moved up the lines are not frozen. You might have to stand on the blade to get it to come down. After a few up & downs it should be OK. The only thing I can think of is maybe it(tractor) does not have the super UDT oil in it. Super UDT is supposed to stay thin in real cold weather.

 

[KC_Kubota]

The tractor moves fine... it's the hoses that come off the FEL joystick that are solid, it moves the blade up... but not down or left/right. Freds: the comment about the 3PH was because I did a search before posting and noticed another thread along the same lines in which the poster was told if the 3PH was engaged the fluid would go there. So I just figured I'd add that in.

 

[Freds]

I guess I don't know how to engage a 3PH or don't know when it is /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
When I think engaged I think PTO. Could you explain to me when a 3PH is engaged? When the valve that allows it to lower is closed? When it is at a position other than full up or full down? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Thanks

 

[KC_Kubota]

This is my first tractor, so I guess I made a mistake here. PTO is what I meant.

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> How can I avoid this in the future? </font>
Replace the hydraulic fluid with a synthetic like Kubota's Super UDT or Amsoil.

 

[Freds]

No problem KC, I thought I was missing something.

 

[JerryG]

KC,
Did you hear a load squealing noise? Did the three point hitch work?