Problems with Workmaster 50

[KentC]

I have a new Workmaster 50 that now has about 60 hours and has several problems.

The seat safety switch on my new tractor is making work difficult. I weigh about 200 lbs and have to set the seat on the lightest setting to keep the engine running. Even at this setting, the engine will die if I lean too far to watch the rear implements. A lighter person cannot use the tractor at all. Took it to the dealer, who contacted New Holland. Said they are aware of the problem, but do not have a solution. Any ideas without bypassing the safety switch?

The bucket on my front end loader will sometimes stall on the downward rotation. Sometimes it will go really slow and others will stop altogether. Most of the time the bucket rolls down fine. Intermittent problem. I have a dealer installed after-market third function hydraulic valve installed.

I am concerned that along with the problems listed, that the dealer has already replaced the alternator and the neutral safety switch on this tractor. In the few months that I have owned the tractor, it has spent about 8 weeks in the shop. The build quality seems weak on this tractor.

 

[Yankee Clipper]

Kent,

I am a retired NH dealer service manager and we solved the WM50 OPS switch issue by using high density foam to modulate the switch action. Our problem was a light operator and the switch would not close so the engine continuallly died.

The fix is to put a piece of foam next to the switch under the seat, adjacent to the contact arm to "modulate" the movement - don't jam it in to defeat the switch or bypass it as you need to have it should you fall off the machine accidentally. The foam usually is found in packaging materials and the stuff we used was black in color. New Holland dealers can look this solution up on the Dealer Portal Asist program.
Kubota had a similar problem years back and solved it by changing the pivot brackets for the seat - I think it was the B26 but not 100%.

Good luck!

YC

 

[Harmonyfarms48]

Is this the 2017 model?

 

[nwut05]

So How are you dealing with your Workmaster 50 problems? any luck?

Let me explain my experience with one. I just purchased a new one and have had it 4 weeks 27.5 metered hrs. The first thing i noticed when it was unloaded in the driveway and i started getting familiar with the thing was the seat kill switch. If i adjust the seat to where i am comfortable i cannot operate the tractor! so a call to the service manager at my dealer resulted in him saying just adjust it to the lowest possible weight setting and see if that fixes it. Well It did....and it has fixed my kill problem but still a'int comfortable, but i could live with it .

So then i hooked my 5 ft bush hog up to it the next day and noticed if i am driving through the field and the bush hog raised it will intermittently take a shaking spell and i mean violently shaking almost as if the hydraulic pump is loosing pressure and letting the implement drop the slightest little bit and trying to catch it. and on top of that if i have an implement on the rear that weighs anything at all the loader shakes the tractor so violently when raised or lowered that it has shaken nut's loose on the machine. So i immediately called the dealer and spoke again to the service manager. and he said maybe air in the hydraulics if it didn't quit in a couple of days to call him back. So that was day 2 of owning the tractor.

So, I bush hogged the rest of the day and moved about 15 loads of dirt with the front bucket on day 3 and bush hogged some more. By the evening of day 3 i called the service manager back and he said well, i was hoping you wouldn't call back i know the problem i'ts the hydraulic pump we had one do this back in the winter and he stated he would get me one on order. I asked him about using the tractor as i had hay to bale and he said, Go ahead and run it! the pumps already bad just be careful around the three point or loader??? so i went ahead and used it only to bale hay with and stack some with the loader. That was the second week i had it. I worked most of the third week and weather did not permit me to use it much (it don't Float too well). By the end of the third week of owning the tractor the service manager called and said we have your part and were coming to get it next week (week 3). So they came got it last Friday and then called Monday evening to tell me the tractor was fixed.?? and they delivered it back too me Thursday just before a monsoon hit and it lasted all day yesterday also. So today (Saturday 7-29-17) i get it out of the barn and hooked the bush hog up to try it out and guess what?, Yep same problem only worse now loader shaking violently up and down and bush hog shaking the same way. I am NOT HAPPY going to call my dealer 1st thing Monday. Does anyone have any idea what is going on with this thing????


Also just checking, but i supposedly bought a new tractor but everything on the machine says 2016 would that be correct?

 

[Turbys_1700]

Not saying that this is what you want to do but to defeat the kill switch tape it down. That's safer than the tractor cutting off while in operation.
The build quality on my unit has been fine. 125 trouble free hours.
Good luck on getting your unit repaired. Intermittent issues are difficult sometime to repair.

 

[AGRIMAN]

So How are you dealing with your Workmaster 50 problems? any luck?

Let me explain my experience with one. I just purchased a new one and have had it 4 weeks 27.5 metered hrs. The first thing i noticed when it was unloaded in the driveway and i started getting familiar with the thing was the seat kill switch. If i adjust the seat to where i am comfortable i cannot operate the tractor! so a call to the service manager at my dealer resulted in him saying just adjust it to the lowest possible weight setting and see if that fixes it. Well It did....and it has fixed my kill problem but still a'int comfortable, but i could live with it .

So then i hooked my 5 ft bush hog up to it the next day and noticed if i am driving through the field and the bush hog raised it will intermittently take a shaking spell and i mean violently shaking almost as if the hydraulic pump is loosing pressure and letting the implement drop the slightest little bit and trying to catch it. and on top of that if i have an implement on the rear that weighs anything at all the loader shakes the tractor so violently when raised or lowered that it has shaken nut's loose on the machine. So i immediately called the dealer and spoke again to the service manager. and he said maybe
air in the hydraulics if it didn't quit in a couple of days to call him back. So that was day 2 of owning the tractor.

So, I bush hogged the rest of the day and moved about 15 loads of dirt with the front bucket on day 3 and bush hogged some more. By the evening of day 3 i called the service manager back and he said well, i was hoping you wouldn't call back i know the problem i'ts the hydraulic pump we had one do this back in the winter and he stated he would get me one on order. I asked him about using the tractor as i had hay to bale and he said, Go ahead and run it! the pumps already bad just be careful around the three point or loader??? so i went ahead and used it only to bale hay with and stack some with the loader. That was the second week i had it. I worked most of the third week and weather did not permit me to use it much (it don't Float too well). By the end of the third week of owning the tractor the service manager called and said we have your part and were coming to get it next week (week 3). So they came got it last Friday and then called Monday evening to tell me the tractor was fixed.?? and they delivered it back too me Thursday just before a monsoon hit and it lasted all day yesterday also. So today (Saturday 7-29-17) i get it out of the barn and hooked the bush hog up to try it out and guess what?, Yep same problem only worse now loader shaking violently up and down and bush hog shaking the same way. I am NOT HAPPY going to call my dealer 1st thing Monday. Does anyone have any idea what is going on with this thing????


Also just checking, but i supposedly bought a new tractor but everything on the machine says 2016 would that be correct?

Sounds to me like the hydraulic system is sucking air somewhere on the suction side. Obviously, your dealer should be able to find and fix this for you. I would check all the fittings/connections and ensure they are tight. Maybe check the filter base and make sure it's not cracked.

A hydraulic system can suck air in through a loose fitting or crack and never leak a drop of oil out, so sometimes they are not obvious.

 

[nwut05]

Thank You, I will mention that to them when i speak to them Monday. I do not think they took much time with it when they had it last week i think they just put the pump on and said that's it, and Brought it back. It is just frustrating too me lots of money and a big decision to make then its broken when you get it. Thank you for the reply it's one of the most logical suggestions i have had. In my mind it seems like a relief valve is not doing it's job somewhere, But my hydraulic experience is limited.

Also I may try the switch bypass but i read somewhere in the manual that it gives a trouble code if you permanently bypass the switch for more than 25 hrs or something like that? i may have to re-read that part.

 

[KentC]

The official answer from New Holland on my bucket roll problem is that I am running the engine at too low rpms (about 1500) and it is causing the muffler to "soot up" thus causing power loss. They said that I need to run the engine at 2350 rpm when dumping the bucket to prevent the problem.

 

[Turbys_1700]

The official answer from New Holland on my bucket roll problem is that I am running the engine at too low rpms (about 1500) and it is causing the muffler to "soot up" thus causing power loss. They said that I need to run the engine at 2350 rpm when dumping the bucket to prevent the problem.

I've never had that issue in 16 months of ownership...
I typically run between 1500 and 1800 RPM's on most chores using the FEL...
If I am running the RFM I keep the engine around 2200...
Usually just a tick under 540 RPM's on the PTO...
I can roll the bucket at idle...
I tested my FEL loading 50 old cement blocks into the bucket...
It raised it to full height at idle...
And to my knowledge the muffler has never clogged up...
I've never lost power either...
Confused...

 

[KentC]

I called back and now they are saying that the tractor must be at 2600 rpm for the bucket to roll down and dump properly. Said that the tractor must be kept at that rpm for all the functions to work properly. At about 1200 rpm, when I dump the loaded bucket, it will rotate about 3/4 of the way down...stop... then start rolling back up for a few inches before changing directions again and roll all the way down. I am dealing with Four Brothers Outdoor Power in Royse City, TX.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I'm on the fritz with this hip replacement. I'll be released next week hopefully from the surgeon. I'll test my tractor out at idle. I'll report back to you. I believe the dealer is blowing smoke.

 

[nwut05]

Turbys_1700, check out my thread under workmaster 50 hydraulic problems ????? I started this one also. and another one in a different forum to try to get more replies. Sounds like we have hydraulic problems with the same tractor. please keep me updated. i am just about fed up with mine and my service at the dealer. good luck.

 

[KentC]

After the problem with the seat, the steering and the bucket roll, I finally pressured the dealer into repurchasing the tractor. We both took a hit on the deal, but I was ready to get away from the problems. I purchased a new Branson and to my dismay, the bucket does the same thing as the New Holland. On further checking, I found that Ansung makes the FEL for both New Holland and Branson as well as several other makes. So far, the official Branson response is the same as New Holland's that the FEL is working within its design specs. I called AnsungUSA and was told that they did not offer technical help on their products.

 

[Turbys_1700]

The FEL on the Workmaster 50/60/70 series is made in Telford Tennessee by Alo. They purchased the plant from Bush Hog in late 2009 or so. When I purchased my heavy duty brush guard I had to wait on it. They were back-ordered.

Alo Takes Over Bush Hog Plant in Tennessee

 

[nwut05]

turbys_1700 i just had an experience with my loader similar to yours. let me explain, after getting my workmaster 50 back for the 5th time and using it for a couple of months here it still wasn't right. So me and the dealer did a trade for a new workmaster 60 with the 621tl loader instead of the 611tl. both of these loaders are made by a-lo in Telford tn. relatively close to me. and they used to make the bush hog loaders there as stated in another post. Anyway when i received my new unit the other day the loader hoses were hooked up wrong. they are labeled from the factory at a-lo in a particular order and the dealer hooked them up in that order. Turns out that the hoses are labeled wrong. all it took was a 5 min fix of swapping the two hoses that control the bucket curl functions. if you haven't figured this out already try it. As the a-lo loaders have a detent function in them for faster dumping and if it is hooked up backwards when you move the joystick too far the loader bucket will actually change directions in mid curl.

 

[KentC]

Sorry, I was incorrect about the manufacturer of the FEL on the New Holland. I was given bad info by my dealer. On the floppy bucket and stalling roll, I have installed a hydraulic restriction valve and it has helped. The floppy bucket is gone, but the downward roll is still not working properly. I found a different valve that is adjustable and will install it as soon as it comes in. Will post my results here.

 

[Bentrim]

Found this don't know if it will help though

5 Common New Holland Workmaster 50 Problems - Farmer Grows

Troubleshooting problems with the New Holland Workmaster 50 can be quite hard, especially if you don’t have the required set of knowledge.

farmergrows.com

As for the slow bucket. It may be going too fast, or at least faster than the hydraulics can fill the cylinder. That would be why your dealer recommended to run the engine faster, the pump would flow more volume of oil and be able to fill the cylinder as it dumps. The other alternative would be to put a restrictor on the return from the cylinder some the return oil is slowed down.