Loader Loose FEL Joystick?

[GCTucson]

I just bought a Kubota L2900 GST with an LA480 FEL. Everything functions well, but I wonder if the joystick isn't loose. The ball will move 3 or more inches back and forth before engaging and the whole mechanism just feels like it has too much play. Is this what it's supposed to feel like?

Any ideas on this? Fixes?

PS: When doing loader work, I was told that keeping the RPMs higher will improve the hydraulic performance. How high though?

Thanks!

 

[oosik]

Well - - Welcome to TBN and the forum, GCTucson. You will find that displaying your current location will be of assist to those providing future answers.

The OEM joystick on my 2009 M6040 was "pretty tight". I had a grapple added and the joystick that came with the grapple is pretty loose. Three inch movement might be a little too much. If you are so inclined - pull up the rubber shield and see that the hardware underneath is all tight. There are several nuts/bolts that could come loose and might need tightening.

The rpm of your tractor will have a direct impact on the speed that your loader will cycle. I normally run my tractor at 1500 to 1800 rpm when doing either grapple work or working with an implement on the 3-point. Max rpm is only necessary when you need max lift ability with the FEL.

Otherwise - at max rpm my grapple responds quicker to my hand commands, thru the joystick, than my brain does. So I will grapple a large chunk of my Ponderosa pine and start to lift it - if its straining - up the rpm and complete the lift.

 

[Dave M7040]

I just bought a Kubota L2900 GST with an LA480 FEL. Everything functions well, but I wonder if the joystick isn't loose. The ball will move 3 or more inches back and forth before engaging and the whole mechanism just feels like it has too much play. Is this what it's supposed to feel like?

Any ideas on this? Fixes?

PS: When doing loader work, I was told that keeping the RPMs higher will improve the hydraulic performance. How high though?

Thanks!

You first need to determine if your joystick is remote from the valve body. I looked on Kubotabooks.com and although they did not have your FEL they had a LA482. Depending upon a cab or open station model, cables may run from the joystick to the valve.

If the levers are attached to the FEL valve body, don't hesitate to pull back the rubber boot and any metal shield to allow you to look for missing or loose parts.

Take lots of pictures to help you re assemble. Do NOT take the valve body apart. Nothing good will come from you doing that!

Often a good idea to find a similar tractor to see what their joystick feels like.

Dave

 

[mikester]

Look under the joystick boot. Some multifunction joysticks use a mechanical linkage to connect the valves. Sometimes the nuts holding the linkages together come loose creating slop in motion. My old machine did that a couple of times. I replaced the nuts with nylon lock nuts and the problem never came back.

 

[prof fate]

revs at 1800 or higher - too low and you heat up your hyd fluid and system. Also, if it's a DPF unit you need to keep the revs up to keep it running well and not plug your filter.

 

[countrybumpkin]

revs at 1800 or higher - too low and you heat up your hyd fluid and system. Also, if it's a DPF unit you need to keep the revs up to keep it running well and not plug your filter.

L2900 is a older tractor, no emissions. As for the rpm , no need to keep it high just to operate the loader, you will will learn pretty quick how the rpm effects loader performance.

 

[GCTucson]

Hi all,

Thanks for your replies.

My FEL is old enough that there is no rubber boot around it. Just a metal shield. I was able to take that off and see that the brass clamp that holds the joystick, and the pin that goes through it, were both worn. Whoever used the machine before me must have had a heavy hand!

Anyway, I happened to have a barrel bolt of just the right size to replace the worn pin which, when tightened up, took 75% of the play out of the stick. I should be able to get a bit more slack out by adding washers to the valve connectors, but I need one of those tiny ring pliers to do that. A project for another day.

Thanks again. It's terrific to have this pool of knowledge and resourcefulness on line!