Loader joystick cable break

[LouNY]

On my 8050 there are about a dozen screws to remove to get to the joystick bolts (2) and then the cables are screwed into the block with lock nuts. The lower valve end has a cover with two or three small bolts then the cables are held to the spools with a small clevis which is screwed to the end of the cable, the cable is secured to the valve mounting block with a pair of nuts that are also used to adjust the overall cable length. I also remove the cab step on the right side of the tractor to be able to reach it easier.

 

[mechtheist]

On my 8050 there are about a dozen screws to remove to get to the joystick bolts (2) and then the cables are screwed into the block with lock nuts. The lower valve end has a cover with two or three small bolts then the cables are held to the spools with a small clevis which is screwed to the end of the cable, the cable is secured to the valve mounting block with a pair of nuts that are also used to adjust the overall cable length. I also remove the cab step on the right side of the tractor to be able to reach it easier.

On the 3520, the joystick is just hanging out there on the fender, to get to the bolts you just have to remove the cover. The step isn't in the way but lots of other stuff is. See next post for more details.

 

[mechtheist]

OK, if anyone is still interested. [Please excuse, I'm writing this partly as a way to make sure I'm thinking through it correctly.] I redid the tube with hose clamps fix, I had thought I ought to have the slots on the ball assemblies lined up with the lock thinking that was the rest or neutral position so maneuvered everything to where I could push the lock in. I went with 5 clamps just trying to make sure. And it didn't work, but it was different, it felt like it was working, the hard stop thunk you could hear in the video when I moved the joystick all the way to the right was gone but I got zero movement of the bucket.

The wires in the cable sleeve that had escaped the ferrule were really hard to get back in and I'm still confused how they slipped out, it had to be during my first attempted fix. At some point when testing the fix, the bucket had to have uncurled for the cable wires to move out enough to get past the end of the ferrule, and the bucket was curled out to some degree, I must have missed it at the time. From what I can figure out, the only way to for manufacturing to build the joystick/valve/cable system would be to screw the cable assemblies into the joystick before the other ends are secured. See still from Short Line video, what she calls the bonnet isn't fixed to the sheathing as it is on the joystick end where you have the analogous ferrule as we've been calling it. The available adjustments would then be there at the valve end with the bonnet, is that right?

Basically, screwing the bonnet in and out changes the distance from joystick to valve as constrained by the sheathing. So the first test must have moved the control to some extent but mostly just pushed the sheathing out enough to escape the ferrule, then, when I pushed left to curl bucket in, the wires moved past the end of the ferrule. This is where I think those turnbuckles might be needed. Cougsfan do you remember if you needed to pull in the sheath with the turnbuckles?

See the photo:

The one on the right is the way it is now at rest, the slot is no where near where the lock slides in. The one on the left is with the bucket full-left and the slot still isn't quite out enough for the lock to engage.

So my thinking is to loosen the clamps, push the joystick all the way left, then tighten the clamps at that position. If that works to some extent, isn't it going to be the case that it would only be luck if the joystick behaved properly? I will have to adjust the cable at the valve end regardless? Like locking, you only lock when it's centered/in the neutral position, so it would only be luck if they lined up now?

 

[ericm979]

Yes the bonnet is how you adjust the amount of free play in the cable. Screwing it out effectively makes the housing longer which since the cable stays the same length, would reduce cable free play.

 

[mechtheist]

Yes the bonnet is how you adjust the amount of free play in the cable. Screwing it out effectively makes the housing longer which since the cable stays the same length, would reduce cable free play.

I'm not sure I understand the 'free play' thing. This is my naïve thinking: The valve side is normally 'off' as in no flow, so you need the rest/relaxed/centered position on the joystick to set the valve to that position, and if, like in my case,, the setup gets screwed up, you could have the joystick in neutral position pushing or pulling the cabling in such a way that it tells the valve to turn flow on. Am I missing something? I hope that ain't too stupid a question.

 

[ericm979]

You got it. Center position on the valve spool is off. You want the joystick to be in the center then as well. If for example you made the housing an inch longer with the same cable, center on the joystick would pull the cable and the spool an inch from the center position.

If your repair does not push the housing as far into the ferrule as it was before, then you need to turn the bonnet to thread more of the threaded ferrule into it.

 

[CobyRupert]

If OP has a multi gear bicycle, it’s easy to play with and see how “lengthening” and “shortening” the total “sheath” length (by adjusting the length/position of the ferrules it attaches to) adjusts the length of the cable that comes out the sheath (and ferrule).
Thus, it determines how the handle end position “aligns” with the valve end position. That neutral position at stick end = neutral position at valve end. (Or with a bike: That 2nd gear on shifter also equals 2nd gear on the rear cassette.)
Like others said: If repair altered total sheath and ferrule length, adjustment with bonnet is required to obtain original total length so that stick positions are is similar to original positions.

 

[LouNY]

When I replaced the cables on mine I set the joystick ends of the cables so the "lock" would latch into the two cables and then secured those ends, then went to the valve end adjusted the clevis ends to line up with the pin holes in the spool ends. That was by adjusting the two nuts that retained the cable at the valve mostly with just a bit on how I screwed on the clevis ends..

 

[mechtheist]

Thanks guys. After much fiddling, I could not get the hose clamps to work, the sheath kept slipping. I killed 2 or 3 clamps so maybe I need stronger clamps but those were pretty decent. So it's on to the more drastic solutions of epoxy or weld/solder/braze. They will require I take the control cable out so I've got that to look forward to.

Well, I was just taking another look at Cougsfan's photo and it made me think maybe the tubing might have been the weak point, it would be plastic on plastic on the sheath side and that was always what slipped and I used 2 clamps just on the sheath end that I'm pretty sure were bigger and beefier than the one he used. That warrants another few tries without the tubing. I've got things I have to attend to the next couple of days so it will be a bit before I can get back to it. I also belatedly realized if I get new cables, as long as they're long enough, too long isn't that much of a problem within reason, it would just mean routing it differently to take up excess.

Thanks again all.

 

[ericm979]

If you add bends to the cable routing that will add friction. That may be better than a non working loader though!