3 pt lift has 5 second delay

[Rudevette]

So my Bobcat Ct235 has about 150 hours on it now. It is a couple of years old. :confused2: I changed all fluids and filters at 65 hours and everything was fine. This morning I ran 3 miles down the road doing some snowplowing, a little blowing, etc. to get the road opened so my wife could get home from work. Everything worked fine. Tractor was about out of fuel so I parked it by the house and went to town to get fuel and take care of some business. When I got home 5 or 6 hours later I fueled it up and started it, jumped on it and blew snow back aways. Then when I went to lift the blower it didn't lift. It takes about 5 seconds, then I hear the pump make some whining noise and the blower lifts. It drops just fine and the drop speed adjustment knob is not the problem because it makes no difference where it's set. The rear hydraulic remote is hooked up to the chute rotator on the snowblower and it works perfectly. The loader works perfectly. All are fast and responsive. It's just the 3 point that is having a problem. Can anybody help me out here?

Thanks,
Justin

 

[Canada_CT230]

Do you have rear remotes? Check that they are not in the detent position.

 

[Rudevette]

The rear remotes are hooked up to the chute rotator and are working perfectly. If they were in the detent position the rotator would be all the way to one side or the other.

The drop speed adjustment knob (between my legs by the floor) makes no difference where it is set. It does what it's supposed to because the drop works fine, it's raising that's the problem. It's set somewhere in the middle now which is a pretty fast drop.

 

[LaVoie Equipment]

I sent you a message on the KIOTI side too. I know you dont think it is the MLS Valve (valve btwn feet) but there probably is a piece of trash in it. I have pulled 3 apart, all three having different symptoms, one being yours. Clean it completely, every part has to come out. You may never find the trash unless you wirk on a White cloth.

Once you remove valve you can look up inside tractor and make sure linkage in transmission is functioning properly. There are adjustments in there. Dont make any adjustments without having a book.

Schematic - Hydraulic fluid travels from tank to pump to joystick to aux remotes the MLS Valve/3-pt hitch cylinder.

After reading this post, doesnt soumd like you are getting air before the hydraulic pump as I stated over on KIOTI page.

 

[Rudevette]

Well that sounds like fun. I'm good at that kind of thing. I rebuild automatic transmissions for fun.:confused2:

 

[LaVoie Equipment]

Remove seat and look down. You will be looking at it. Pull the valve out and look up inside and see if something is broken or loose. There are some adjustments - be careful nothing falls into bottom of transmission case. look at linkage good.

Pull the MLS valve apart. Lots of springs and balls - I believe 3 ports that need cleaning.

P.S. I hate automatic transmissions... Nothing fun to me about them except when they operate properly!

 

[Rudevette]

For those following along please go to my post on the Kioti forum. That way I don't have to do this all twice. I am going to the Kioti forum because there seems to be more owners over there since the brand has been Kioti longer than Bobcat.

 

[Rudevette]

I took that MLS valve apart today again with a local mechanic watching me and we looked over the linkage and the MLS valve together and both agree that we see nothing wrong.

I spoke with the service departments of the dealers around here. There are 2 of them. Either one is multiple hundreds of miles of hauling to get the tractor there. Neither one of them had any idea what to do. And I was wrong about the hours on the tractor. It has 120 hours, not 150 hours.

Adding all that up I've decided that the lifespan of these scrap metal tractors is 120 hours then they're shot. It's going to cost me $200 in diesel fuel alone to haul this worthless piece of junk to the dealer then there's no guarantee that they can fix it either. I am taking it to my local Kubota dealer to see if they will either sell it on consignment as is or take it on trade for a new Kubota or New Holland.

Lesson learned. It was expensive school.

 

[MoKelly]

I took that MLS valve apart today again with a local mechanic watching me and we looked over the linkage and the MLS valve together and both agree that we see nothing wrong.

I spoke with the service departments of the dealers around here. There are 2 of them. Either one is multiple hundreds of miles of hauling to get the tractor there. Neither one of them had any idea what to do. And I was wrong about the hours on the tractor. It has 120 hours, not 150 hours.

Adding all that up I've decided that the lifespan of these scrap metal tractors is 120 hours then they're shot. It's going to cost me $200 in diesel fuel alone to haul this worthless piece of junk to the dealer then there's no guarantee that they can fix it either. I am taking it to my local Kubota dealer to see if they will either sell it on consignment as is or take it on trade for a new Kubota or New Holland.

Lesson learned. It was expensive school.

All this because there is currently an unknown 5 second delay in the 3 point lift? Anything else wrong with the machine? Maybe you should breathe and count to 10.

MoKelly

 

[Rudevette]

The delay was actually 28 seconds when I timed it. Then it went to longer than that then no 3 point lift at all.

 

[Canada_CT230]

I wouldn't give up yet. I know it is frustrating but don't give up so easily and keep your blood pressure low.

They are not junk metal tractors. I have over 266 hours on my CT230 and not had any major issues.

I am sure when you find the problem you'll slap your head because of the cause.

You'll be taking a $ hit on trade and over-paying for Kubota and you'll end up with a tractor that has the same reliability rate as this one.

Keep researching. Maybe call some Kioti dealerships and tell them you have a CK35. They may have more tech issue knowledge than a newer BC dealer.

 

[k0ua]

The delay was actually 28 seconds when I timed it. Then it went to longer than that then no 3 point lift at all.

OK I will start by my qualifications in the hydraulic arena.. NONE.. so now that is out of the way, but, I still have an opinion. If there is fluid flow from the power beyond port on the FEL control valve, and it is not restricted in some way, and then that passes to the hydraulic connection block on the tractor, and maybe goes to a rear control valve and thru it if it is not activated, and I don't know if you have one or not, but the next and final stop is the 3pt control valve assembly which control fluid flow to the 3pt lift cylinder. So we know that the 3pt cylinder does not lift at all now, and it was getting progressively worse and worse. right? We know that if the 3pt cylinder is getting fluid flow from the 3pt valve then it MUST lift, unless it is just dumping fluid back to the tank due to a leak.. right? so we either have a restriction from the Power Beyond port, or somewhere along that path or a big internal leak along that hydraulic path. It is just a matter of finding the problem. I know this is probably not much help, and you may think me an A** for even posting this, but to me this is a simple logic tree type of problem, and divide and conquer logic and diagnostics should be able to nail this down. If you trade tractors the problem goes away, and you are out a bunch of money, They fix it for a couple of hours of shop time and maybe some parts. and make a heck of a profit off of you. It is your tractor and you will have to do what you see fit, and I know you are angry, but this is like any other broken thing, it can be fixed. And I am betting it can be fixed for a lot less than a trade in.. Again I don't mean to be in your business, but I am offering a lifetime of logic in fixing things, even tho in this particular field I have no experience. I wish you the best of luck

James K0UA

 

[Rudevette]

Here is what I found. I tore that MLS apart and had it so unbelievably clean so many times I could do it in my sleep. My dad (who used to be a mechanic), the local tractor mechanic, or myself couldn't find any problems. So after getting good and frustrated I starting driving it out of the shop with the snowblower dragging on the ground and the 3 point lever in the up position to put it away in the other shed the snowblower just went up and works perfectly. It appears as though after rebuilding this valve it takes awhile to prime that circuit with oil so that it will work again. The manual should note that someplace.

Thanks for the help and encouragement everybody.
(BTW, the day that tractor broke down the oil pump seal blew out of my camry, and I shifted my 4 wheeler with less than 300 miles on it into first gear and the shift arm inside the transmission broke...... all that within 36 hours )

 

[k0ua]

Here is what I found. I tore that MLS apart and had it so unbelievably clean so many times I could do it in my sleep. My dad (who used to be a mechanic), the local tractor mechanic, or myself couldn't find any problems. So after getting good and frustrated I starting driving it out of the shop with the snowblower dragging on the ground and the 3 point lever in the up position to put it away in the other shed the snowblower just went up and works perfectly. It appears as though after rebuilding this valve it takes awhile to prime that circuit with oil so that it will work again. The manual should note that someplace.

Thanks for the help and encouragement everybody.
(BTW, the day that tractor broke down the oil pump seal blew out of my camry, and I shifted my 4 wheeler with less than 300 miles on it into first gear and the shift arm inside the transmission broke...... all that within 36 hours )

I am glad you got it fixed instead of trading it off. And I am guessing what with 3 broken things in 36 hours, you are probably done with broken things maybe for the rest of the year Take care and happy tractoring.


James K0UA

 

[Canada_CT230]

Cooler heads will prevail. Congrats that you got it fixed and remain a Team BC player.