Intermittent hydraulic functions

[Kernopelli]

Gotta question about slow or nonfunctioning hydraulics during cold weather. I will start by saying back in Nov. I noticed my FEL was working very slowly during our first cold weather. Many of you suggested that I clean the filter screen, which I did and everything seemed to be fine for awhile. Since that time, I have occasionally noticed that my FEL will have intermittent function...may work fine, then not raise or dump for a minute, then seem to work OK again. I had decided that maybe when I pulled the screen out I may have had contaminates fall back into the system and worked their way into the control valve and occasionally plug an orifice. I had put checking into this possibility on my to-do list but hadn't address it yet, then last week we had a snow and ice storm and I decided to go out and push some stuff off before it got so icy I couldn't do anything. The temp was probably in the low teens and I knocked a lot of ice off the tractor and let the tractor worm up for a good amount of time before I began. The loader was slow but the 3 point worked fine (as it always has before). After a short while, the loader started to work intermittently and the 3 point became VERY slow and at times quit working altogether but was finally able to raise itself and that's when I turned around and came home. I had a little time today (it is considerably warmer at 27 degrees and sunny currently) so I went out and started the tractor and let it idle for about 10 minutes and tried the hydraulic functions and everything works fine. I pulled the filter screen and it looks pretty clean but the fluid is milky (fluid is only about 10hrs old-changed in the fall). I assume milky means moisture, if so could that be my problem during the cold? What do you recommend to cure my issues and if milky means moisture, how is it introduced into a system with no identifiable leaks or entry points?

 

[Kernopelli]

Crap, just cleaned the screen and put it back in and everything worked for a second and now the 3 point is nonfunctioning and the loader is extremely slow and intermittently working again? Ideas??

 

[4720 OWNER]

I am not an expert or anything, but i would bet a dollar there is/was some ice in there somewhere and it melted for a while and then clogged something up. So it mixes for a while and then it freezes up again (water and oil do not like to mix). 10 min at idle barely even gets mine able to move when cold, i am not sure how much damage it would do (ie wait for someone a lot more experienced than i) but i would consider warming the tractor up, getting out and using the hydaulics until they were fully warm as well. Here we call that plowing snow and fluffing hay for a good hour. This is to get the water out and then change the fluid/filter again just for fun and check the screen. If the screen was full of stuff then imagine how much the filter has in it.