Joystick Freezing Up

Mainah · Feb 13, 2003

I have a L3710 with FEL. In cold weather (below 20 deg) the joystick dump and roll-back freezes up after sitting overnight. Fortunately the up/down positions still work. I just let the tractor warm up....then repeatedly raise and lower the bucket. This seems to circulate warm fluid up to the control and eventually rollback and dump begins to work. Anyone else had/have this problem?

cpicton1 · Feb 13, 2003

Mainah,

Have you tried squirting a little WD-40 or similar thin lubricant on the joints to see if that might loosen it up some? Something must be hanging up on the dump and roll-back section of your joystick. You might also check your hose fittings to make sure they have a complete connection. I probably haven't helped much. Maybe someone else will have a better idea as to what may be causing your problem. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

cmsedore · Feb 13, 2003

Mine does the same thing (L4610), but oddly enough usually only the dump, not the rollback. If it gets below 0, then the rollback will sometimes freeze. I do as you do, let it warm up and then it frees up quickly. I've also noticed that applying some heat to the valve body frees it up too.

No help, but you're not alone!

-Chris

Egon · Feb 14, 2003

Just guessing but perhaps the cold oil viscosity is to great for the springs in the valve body to overcome.

Egon

Bird · Feb 14, 2003

Jim, has the tractor set out in the rain in the past or have you washed it? Someone who is better with the "search" function help me out here, but didn't we have a long discussion (maybe 3 years ago) about moisture getting into the lower end of the FEL valve and freezing? If I recall right, have to take the cap off the front of the spool without losing a spring and ball bearing to clean it out.

jrlichina · Feb 14, 2003

The problem is most likely due to the different metals used in the valve assembly and their thermal properties. The valve body is a cast alloy and the spool is steel. These metals have different expansion rates. The tolerances between the spool and the valve are tight and some are tighter than others(production machining variances). So if you have a valve that that is tight to start with and it gets real cold you get binding. That's exactly the principle for an assembly tip for various press fit parts. You put some part(s) in the freezer to shrink it to make it easier to postion/install. Other than checking for obvious linkage binding or rust I wouldn't worry about it.

Pks · Feb 14, 2003

Bird is correct about the thread from several years ago. I believe it was prior to April of 2000 but I haven't found it. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Anyway this procedure fixed mine:
Remove the endcap on the spool valve (of the stuck spool) and get the ice out of it. Clean the rust out too. Apply a light coating of grease on all the parts inside the cap, including the inside of the cap. DON'T go heavy with the grease on the detent balls or springs or you will lose the detent hold position because the ball will be too slippery to hold in the channel. Be careful when you remove the cap, the springs and balls like to jump out.

Below is what I did find from some older discussions.

FROM
MChalkley
Star Member

Reged: 03/27/00
Posts: 3177
Loc: Eastern Virginia
Re: Loader Control working funny [Re: RichK]
#14168 - 09/06/00 10:24 PM

First, the float problem. I notice from your Bio that you're in WI. Was it below freezing when you tried it last? If so, you've got water in the end cap of the loader raise/lower spool. If not, you've probably got a detent ball jammed. There's a long discussion in the archives of the old board about this. You might do a search on "balls" to find it - seriously. It'll tell you how to take the end cap off and check out the problem. If you can't find it, holler back and we'll go through it again.

Bird · Feb 14, 2003

Very good, Peter. You're memory's obviously better than mine. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif And your experience helps, too. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Mainah · Feb 14, 2003

Thanks guys for weighing in on my question. Seems to be two possibilities...differences in metal fitting tolerences and water inside the lower portion of the valve.
Tractor has been parked under the deck on the back of the house, but that doesn't mean water run-off didn't hit the valve...so I think I'll persue that angle first. I'm going to wait a while though, since NOAA is forcasting wind chill's as much as 50 BELOW tonight for parts of Maine.
So long as it isn't a critical problem...none of you seemed to indicate it was...I'll wait for warmer weather /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
If I have to let her warm up a little longer...and...worst case scenerio apply a little heat with mother's hair dryer to bring her around I'm not going to worry about it.
Thank you ALL for your input...as usual TBN folks have shared/pooled their vast wisdom and resourses to help out a fledgling (still only got 135 hours on my first CUT)....so once again...a heart felt THANK YOU to all!
<>Jim