My Zetor 3340 developed leaking cylinders on the loader, was using it for some work while keeping the fluid topped off and noticed that lifting ability of the front end loader was starting to diminish slowly.
First, it could not keep a bale of hay elevated, and then, while digging a small hole, it completely quit functioning.
It never bled dry, always filled it up and used it extremely sparingly, but when it quit, we removed the cylinders and had them rebuilt by a local shop.
I reinstalled the cylinders, topped up the reservoir and fired the tractor up. The three-point hitch responded by raising up once.
However, it could not seem to build any pressure in the front end loader.
You could tilt the bucket and lift it maybe an inch or two. I tried several times for a couple hours trying to bleed the system by articulating the front end loader with the reservoir cap open making sure it was topped up with fluid.
Eventually, I realized that no pressure was building. I opened the test port on the valve block of the loader and heard a poof of pressurized air and took a look inside and it was mostly empty. When I relieve pressure from the loader block using the hydraulic controls, I can hear swishing gurgling fluid as the pressure releases.
I was thinking maybe the loader blocks relief valve was messed up, but I spoke to Petor from Zetor North America and he told me to try priming the pump by cracking a line on the outlet of the pump.
I did that and only got a small stream of fluid coming out. From what I understand it should be spraying everywhere at 2000 psi?
I also tried bleeding the farthest cylinder on the loader and similar trickle stream of hydraulic fluid but no spraying.
I spoke to Petor again and he suggested to me that the most likely culprit was that the pump went out.
I just wanted to doublecheck on the forum to see if anybody else had any suggestions of what the troubleshoot before I ordered the expensive pump and went through the process of installing it.
TLDR: NO HYDRAULIC PRESSURE on 3 PT or FRONT END, HOW DO I KNOW THE PUMP IS SUSPECT?
First, it could not keep a bale of hay elevated, and then, while digging a small hole, it completely quit functioning.
It never bled dry, always filled it up and used it extremely sparingly, but when it quit, we removed the cylinders and had them rebuilt by a local shop.
I reinstalled the cylinders, topped up the reservoir and fired the tractor up. The three-point hitch responded by raising up once.
However, it could not seem to build any pressure in the front end loader.
You could tilt the bucket and lift it maybe an inch or two. I tried several times for a couple hours trying to bleed the system by articulating the front end loader with the reservoir cap open making sure it was topped up with fluid.
Eventually, I realized that no pressure was building. I opened the test port on the valve block of the loader and heard a poof of pressurized air and took a look inside and it was mostly empty. When I relieve pressure from the loader block using the hydraulic controls, I can hear swishing gurgling fluid as the pressure releases.
I was thinking maybe the loader blocks relief valve was messed up, but I spoke to Petor from Zetor North America and he told me to try priming the pump by cracking a line on the outlet of the pump.
I did that and only got a small stream of fluid coming out. From what I understand it should be spraying everywhere at 2000 psi?
I also tried bleeding the farthest cylinder on the loader and similar trickle stream of hydraulic fluid but no spraying.
I spoke to Petor again and he suggested to me that the most likely culprit was that the pump went out.
I just wanted to doublecheck on the forum to see if anybody else had any suggestions of what the troubleshoot before I ordered the expensive pump and went through the process of installing it.
TLDR: NO HYDRAULIC PRESSURE on 3 PT or FRONT END, HOW DO I KNOW THE PUMP IS SUSPECT?