3320 w/ 100 loader (weak loader hydraulics)

[kentuckykevin]

My loader seems to be very weak at times, and it seems to weaken as i use it. It will barley lift a half bucket of dirt, and sometimes wont even do that. the tilt on the bucket seems fine, so I wouldnt think the pump would be the culprit. I put a pressure gauge on the loader lift, and it is half the pressure of the bucket tilt. What could be causing this and what do I need to do to fix it. Thanks, I love your site. Kevin

 

[dave_peters]

Probably a seal on one of the lift rams. Does it sink when you leave it up?
Dave

 

[kentuckykevin]

It doesnt sink immediately, but it does over time. How long should one expect it to stay raised without sinking? If this is the problem, what all is involved with fixing it? Thanks, Kevin

 

[dave_peters]

If it is a ram seal I would expect it to sink fairly fast when there is a weight on the loader.
Difficulty of changing ram seals depends entirely on the make of loader, but is well within the capability of most DIY people !!
If it doesn't sink fast then I would look at the seals in the relevant spool valve.Remove the cable and both end caps, being careful to note where springs etc are fitted and carefully withdraw the spool from the block. Depending on the make there will be rubber or similar seals in the block. look for flat spots or frayed bits and replace as necessary, preferably with genuine parts although if they are round section seals then you can use off the shelf O rings. Fish the old ones out of the block with a very small screwdriver or if you have one a pick that looks like a dentists tool. There will probably be 3 unless you have a good quality one which will only have 2.
Hope this helps
Dave

 

[kentuckykevin]

Sounds like some useful information. My problem may be a combination of both the cylinders and the spool valve. It has a difficult time lifting an empy bucket up at times, so I can't really judge how quick it would drop a loaded bucket. I would say if I lift an empty bucket up in the air, and shut off the engine, it would be on the ground in about an hour. I think I will start at the spool valve first though, unless I hear advice to the contrary. Thanks for the info. If anyone else has an opinion, that would be appreciated as well. I normally hear from Renze by now with useful advice.

 

[Renze]

To track down the problem, try to switch the oil lines from the bucket tilt to the lift cylinders and vice versa:
If it still has the same problem, its not the spool valve.

How is the loader plumbed in ? with a direct line with a built in pressure relief valve in the loader valve ? The relief valves on these loader valve blocks tend to go bust.

To rule that out as well, you can hook up a line from your remote valves on the rear of the tractor, to the lifting ports of your loader cylinders...

How is the lifting capacity of the 3pt hitch ?

I've heard of a 6011 splitting in half, the relief valve went, owner replaced the pressure spring with a piece of pipe. Result was that the loader lifted the rear end off the ground even with 1500 kg rear ballast in the 3pt hitch...

 

[kentuckykevin]

Thanks Renze, that was some great suggestions. So today, I switched the lines on the loader, to see if it exhibted the same porblem, and sure enough, it did. That should have eliminated the spool valve, right? So now it seems to point toward the loader lift cylinders, sounds like. How should I go about addressing the cylinders? Just remove them, disassemble and inspect? What am I looking for as far as being defective?

To answer you question about my 3 point hitch, it seems to be very strong. I have not had an opprotunity to run a line from my remote outlet to the lift cylinder yet. I will havt to pick up a spare line and ends next week.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Kevin

 

[Renze]

So:

-when puting a pressure gauge on the circuits, the bucket tilt does double the pressure of the lifting cylinders

- when using the lift cylinders over the bucket tilt valve, nothing changes

is that correct ???
Then i'd start to suspect the lift cylinder seals.

 

[kentuckykevin]

Yes Renze, you are correct. I started by putting a pressure gauge on each circuit, and come up with the verical lift cylinders were just over half the psi of the tilt cylinders. I took your advice and switched the quick connects, and still showed the same problem with the tilt being strong, and the vertical lift being weak. I did not put a gauge on them a second time, as I didnt think I needed to. My first suspision was that the valves, but after this exercise, I agree that it does sound like those cylinders are leaking. Who knows, it could just be one underperforming, causing the lift itself to move slowly. I think I will take the cylinders off and take a look. Dont know much about them, but they seem simple enough that I wont cause too much damage. Thanks, Kevin

 

[kentuckykevin]

Here's a question for the hydraulic experts, how long would one expect a lift, that is raised to it's maximum, to drop to the ground once a tractor is turned off? I am planning on finding out, but I am going to guess that it doesnt take but a few minutes. Does this point to the lift cylinders as the culprit? Could someone who is hydraulically smarter than me explain this situation so I can better understand. Thanks, Kevin

 

[treaney]

It shouldn't drop at all if all the seals are OK.

 

[kentuckykevin]

Well, then I definitely hav a seal issue. How big of a deal is that?