Marlowe
Gold Member
The hydraulics started the day working fine; both the FEL and the hitch. After I ran the tractor for about an hour pulling logs I noticed the FEL was very slow, and when I lowered the brush hog, it was slow to come back up. I shut it down and checked all I could. The only possible inconsistency I could find was maybe a bit too much hydraulic fluid in the system. After it cooled down a bit, everything worked better, but the FEL was still slow, although the hitch worked fine again and did so the rest of the day.
I'm speculating here, but there seems to be a few possibilities.
One, the extra oil in the system is frothing and causing the erratic operation. I don't see what could cause that, but I suppose it's possible. I'll go ahead and drop the level down to the hash mark on the stick. It's about a half inch high; over the top of the hash mark.
Two, the hydraulic pump is worn or leaking internally. When the oil heats up and thins down some, the marginal pump pressure drops to the point where the FEL will not work. I'd bet the FEL required more pressure to work than the rear hitch. Not sure.
I just had the pump apart to change the input shaft seal. I didn't see any unusual wear. All the teeth looked good and the bushings show minimal wear to the naked eye.
Any ideas?
Thanks again, Tom
I'm speculating here, but there seems to be a few possibilities.
One, the extra oil in the system is frothing and causing the erratic operation. I don't see what could cause that, but I suppose it's possible. I'll go ahead and drop the level down to the hash mark on the stick. It's about a half inch high; over the top of the hash mark.
Two, the hydraulic pump is worn or leaking internally. When the oil heats up and thins down some, the marginal pump pressure drops to the point where the FEL will not work. I'd bet the FEL required more pressure to work than the rear hitch. Not sure.
I just had the pump apart to change the input shaft seal. I didn't see any unusual wear. All the teeth looked good and the bushings show minimal wear to the naked eye.
Any ideas?
Thanks again, Tom