Loader Valve Has Developed A Bit Of A "Funk"

[Ductape]

Ok.... i recently removed my loader and installed my front blower for the season. My tractor is a factory cabbed Kubota B3030 with the cable operated loader joystick. I'm seeing a problem i never noticed with the loader on...... but perhaps i just never noticed?

My blower has the factory hydraulic chute rotator, as well as Kubota's hydraulic chute deflector (controlled with a diverter) Moving the joystick left.... the chute turns as it should, as well as the deflector angling down when the diverter is used. Moving the joystick slightly left.... makes either function move slowly, as it should.

Now for the problem: Moving the joystick right slightly, seems to put the functions in a "float" position. Pushing slightly right, the chute does not move. With the diverter on, pushing slightly right actually allows the chute deflector to fall (instead of it raising). There is a detent further to the right which would put the bucket (curl funtion) into a "float" position (allowing it to dump under its own weight). Pushing the joystick past the detent (far right) is like having the valve immediately full open. The chute spins right really fast, (and with diverter on) and chute deflector goes up very quickly. Its near impossible to "feather" the function to make the chute move slowly.

I have not tried to put the loader back on to see if there is any difference..... since its put away for the winter. It would take all day to switch back. That being said, i don't think my loader valve will know whats on the tractor, blower or loader.

My guess is...... my cable that controls the curl function is out of adjustment. What has me perplexed is...... the way it acts before and beyond the detent are opposite what it should be.

The tractor is not under warranty and i intend to fix the problem myself. I would like a few opinins before i start turning wrenches though.

Do you think i need to adjust the cable in or out....... or do i have an internal (leakage) problem within the valve body??

Thank you for your eductated guesses !

 

[kennyd]

Your problem is the regenerative function of the valve's dump/curl circuit. I believe on the Kub's to get past the regen position the joystick is moved far to the right-just opposite of the way JD does it. That detent to the right is not a float, that's only on the up/down side of the joystick.

Read HERE about what regen is and why it's giving you a fit...

The best way to slow down your chute cylinders is to add inline flow restrictors, basically a small washer with a very small hole in it that goes behind one of your QD fittings.

 

[Ductape]

Kenny,
So if i'm understanding this...... to cure my problem i have two choices:


1) Scrap my four position valve and buy a three position valve (which, my tractor should have been ordered with since it was bought new with the blower)

2) Put a restrictor inline on the line that controls turning the chute right (and raising the deflector) to make it as controllable as turning it left...... and live with the deflector coming down till i get the lever shoved beyond the detent (and i do mean SHOVED past the detent).

Choice number two hardly seems reasonable.

 

[KennyV]

Kennyd is exactally right
you could use the electric selector valve on the boom circuit. The curl circuit has the regen function and is very good for it's designed purpose, loader bucket curl. In your blower application may be better suited for raise and lower the blower, left raise right lower. That will take a little getting used to...
If you have rear remotes you can run another circuit from the rear...
Using a loader control is not going to be perfect for adapting to other applications. KennyV.

 

[kennyd]

Kenny,
So if i'm understanding this...... to cure my problem i have two choices:


1) Scrap my four position valve and buy a three position valve (which, my tractor should have been ordered with since it was bought new with the blower)

2) Put a restrictor inline on the line that controls turning the chute right (and raising the deflector) to make it as controllable as turning it left...... and live with the deflector coming down till i get the lever shoved beyond the detent (and i do mean SHOVED past the detent).

Choice number two hardly seems reasonable.

I would talk to your dealer and see what Kubota has to say about it...I know on the JD's, the regen is at the far end of the joystick travel, so you just need not to push the stick so far. There is also a mechanical lockout to keep you from entering the regen zone.

I cannot understand why Kubota puts it at the beginning of the travel, just like I don't understand the brakes on the same side as the hydro pedal's

 

[Ductape]

KennyV, i think i could get used to L & R for up and down, but I would then lose my float for the blower.


Perhaps the answer would be to install an electric/hydraulic solenoid third function to control the chute..... but that isn't in my budget at this time. With as many front blowers as Kubota sells........ there must be a better way to do it that i'm missing, since using the loader valve is how its always done (as far as i've seen).

 

[RRbota]

I just put the front blower on my 2620 a week ago, and installed the hydraulic chute rotator (I don't have the deflector.....yet). At first I thought I installed the rotator wrong. I couldn't get the chute to rotate to the right. In fact, I must have changed the hydraulic lines around half a dozen times. As it turned out, I wasn't moving the loader joystick far enough to the right....past the detent. I assumed I could feather the chute by slightly moving the joystick to the right. I was wrong. The chute doesn't move at all until the joystick is past the detent....then it FLIES Apparently feathering is not allowed

I've been debating which kind of deflector to rig up....hydraulic or electric. After next week I will be losing my job, so cost is a factor. That was making me lean towards electric, but I would really rather have hydraulic. The apparent problems with the hydraulic deflection system are now making me lean back again toward electric.

 

[Ductape]

RR, that is also the issue with mine. I expect to be able to place the snow exactly where i want with the blower..... this is why i wanted the deflector control. Pushing beyond the detent makes the valve full open, near impossible to make it move slowly. FWIW, the price difference between the electric ahd hydraulic is a little over two hundred dollars. Get the hydraulic and have it be done forever. Having the regen circuit isn't as big of an issue when moving the chute deflector.

If you have the B2781 or B2782, you'll want the BL2666 deflector kit. Do NOT let your dealer tell you it won't fit your blower (like mine did) !

 

[RRbota]

Yes, I have the 2781 blower. I was thinking the same way.....what's the sense of initially saving some money by going with electric, if it only lasts a year or two?? The hydraulic would last forever. Kind of a "pay me now, or pay me later" type of thing.

However, I have a Gravely Pro-series 4 wheel tractor with blower that I have been using for more than 10 years. The blower has an electric rotator. It has never let me down (knock on wood).

I really can't justify spending the kind of money Kubota wants for their kits. Like I mentioned earlier, corporate greed is resulting in me joining the ranks of the unemployed after next week. It just seems outrageous that we need to spend $500 - $700 to be able to move the deflector. There's gotta be a better way. The sad part is, if there WAS a better way, I'm sure we'd know about it already.

My hydraulic rotation kit was part of the tractor deal (dealer wouldn't come down anymore on the tractor price, so I told him I wanted the rotator kit thrown in. I couldn't get him to also include a deflector kit.). I can live with the super-fast rotation speed. I'm more concerned with the deflector speed and the "dropping". For the price of these kits, we should be getting something that is actually usable.

 

[ewoz]

I am doing battle with the same problem. I happen to own two 4-way valves. When I look at the valves I see those two cylinder things on the bottom. One of them is activated when moving the lever up and down and the other one is activated when moving the lever to the left and right. I am wondering if I could replace the left-right culinder from the control valve that I am using with the up-down cylinder from the control valve that I do not use. If it worked it seems like I would have left and right chute rotation with an unneeded float position.

Is this possible or am I asking for serious trouble?

Ed