Hydraulic lines frozen in cold weather

[Egon]

Sometimes one needs a little extra shove to get the joystick to click into the float position.

Egon

 

[MarkV]

With several people mentioning the same problem it must be the loader valve that is doing it. Freds said his had accumulated moisture and the dealer disassembled the valve to remove it. I would have though that working the loader would have distributed what must be a small amount of water through the system. Maybe it is a condensation issue with the hot fluid and cold valve body mass. With 8 hours on the tractor I’d call the dealer before I did much else. For the short term I’d try to wrap and bungie something around the valve as insulation and see if that would help. Or maybe some of that heat tape you use on pipes and plug in. Kind of sucks having a new tractor and not being able to move snow.

MarkV

 

[art]

Grassgod depending on the valve that you are using depends on the cure. If your problem is with a cable control it is different but I believe that you don't have that system. We pull the caps on the opposite end of the valve from the handle. They fill up with condensation and the moisture freezes. We drill small holes in them or nearly fill them with grease just leaving enough room for the valve to work which cuts the moisture buildup and ends the problem.

 

[Grassgod]

Art - when you say remove the caps do you mean bolts? What kind of cap is it? I ussume your talking about the valve that is right below my right fott behind the front tire correct?

 

[Grassgod]

Egon - No the laoder does not move freely. It will move freely only in the areas that the bucket can move in.

 

[gduff]

I have had the lack of float position repaired twice on my L3830 (723). A friend of mine works at a Kubota dealer and says they are getting a lot of these problems on new tractors. Mine happened this summer when it was brand new.
So far I have not had a problem after the last fix. Someone else I know had the same problem with a new 5030 (853).

 

[JerryG]

As Art said, it could be water in the cap. The cap is to cover the end of the spool and the detent. It has been a problem on many valves. It does seem that Kubota has more of a problem with it than most.

 

[Egon]

Okay; think some others here have isolated the problem for you with water in the control block.

Egon

 

[Freds]

Another thing it was doing was going into the forward float, but popping right back out as if there was no float. I moved some snow this morning with the loader and everything seems to work better/more quickly.

It went from snow last night to rain this morning to freezing rain and snow again. If that doesn't cause it freeze up again nothing will.

 

[Grassgod]

freds - thats essentially what mine does & has always done since new. If I put the joystick all the way up is makes that sshhh niose as its lowering but the joystick wont stay there. Never has. I didnt know that that was supposed to since it never has...now you have got me curious so I am going to go to a dealer tomarrow & demo a machine on a lot. If I find the new machine to be different then mind, I will have to make an appiontment to have it repaired under warrenty.
As far as this cap is concerned....what does it look like??