Tweaked FEL

[mercdv]

You got to understand that it is hard for us to diagnose this from seeing a few pictures. We all just have to go off our personal experiences and what little we can see in the pictures. If it truly happened just from a lift, I would have to agree that the best possible explanation is a failure in a cylinder or the hydraulics. It could be a failed cylinder or a failed relief valve. Whatever failed, it would most likely have left one boom cylinder applying way more force relative to the opposite cylinder under load. In theory this could cause some major twisting. That just looks like a heck of a lot more than that from pictures though. Now, pictures can make things look worse than they are or even make things look less damaged so keep that in mind while we are stating what it looks like to us from the photos. It could also be a defect/problem in the boom or mast attachment areas but there aren't good pictures of those areas to tell.

 

[strantor]

Maybe one of the lift cylinders is plumbed backwards so they were fighting each other. The one who was lifting was winning (always more force on extend than retract on a single-acting cylinder) until the load got on it, and then the backwards guy started winning.

 

[ovrszd]

Maybe one of the lift cylinders is plumbed backwards so they were fighting each other. The one who was lifting was winning (always more force on extend than retract on a single-acting cylinder) until the load got on it, and then the backwards guy started winning.

I assume he has previously used the FEL with no problems.

 

[1010]

Maybe there's a cracked weld somewhere that failed and caused such a major shift and twist.

Certainly could be now. It could be a cylinder not doing its part and caused the shift. So he said he's 200lbs over the recommended weight. If he wasn't centered and each fork almost equally with the same pressure, then the unequal load shoved the loader to one side, the lighter side. Loaders aren't strong side to side flex. It's up and down only.
And being made gods knows where, and no telling how crappy of a metal and fabrication is being done.

As I said in the other broken weld FEL thread this might the coming trend.

 

[mercdv]

And it looks like the ram heads (at the attachment pin) are bent.

You can remove the cylinders and take those to a hydraulic shop to see if they can repair them. It totally depends on the shop (how big of a shop) and how much damage to the cylinder on whether or not they can fix them. That is usually a heck of a lot cheaper than replacing the cylinder if they can be fixed.

 

[MossRoad]

Some side pictures may be helpful.

 

[crashz]

I'd like to see the loader mounts. Right side of the tractor.

I had a long response and some questions, but realized it was impossible. Hydraulic failure, 6 inches off the ground could not do that. It took some substantial force from the right side to move the loader frame like this. Maybe the problem manifested itself with the heavy pick, but I think the damage was actually done before this. Could have been hardly bent at all, but weakened.

Was this machine rolled over at any time?

 

[mykleh]

I agree check the mounting points.. my 7108 I didn't notice once wasn't fully in the "saddle" on one side when I put the bolt in after putting it back on once and the first time I picked something up it shifted and then I almost shi*ted and had to walk away as I thought I had trashed it.. found it back where it belonged and put the bolt back in and everything straightened out.

 

[CincyFlyer]

Just one note: hasn't virtually everyone with a loader tried to lift over its capacity and simply had the relief valve open?

 

[4570Man]

Just one note: hasn't virtually everyone with a loader tried to lift over its capacity and simply had the relief valve open?

Yep. That is going to happen. Any loader that can’t take it WILL fail.

 

[mikester]

I’d suspect an off centered load causing the twist I.e. putting a chain around one fork and making a lift beyond loader capacity

 

[ptsg]

Unless someone had messed up the factory relief settings, it shouldn't be able to lift beyond capacity. Anyway, it should handle beyond the capacity to accommodate for the bumps during the ride with weight on the loader.

 

[Stimw]

If I pick too heavy a load with my 3510 Branson the back wheels come off the ground!
Then I know it is too heavy. And I have done it more than once.

 

[ovrszd]

Yep. That is going to happen. Any loader that can稚 take it WILL fail.

Excuse me for interpreting your comment. Hitting the relief valve should not cause failure. Every time I use my FEL for heavy work I hit the relief valve with no mechanical failure. This failure has nothing to do with the relief valve. Pressures were exerted on the structure of the FEL frame way before the relief valve could save it.

 

[ovrszd]

If I pick too heavy a load with my 3510 Branson the back wheels come off the ground!
Then I know it is too heavy. And I have done it more than once.

If you can sit on flat ground and lift the rear tires off the ground you simply need rear wheel weight or ballast. That's just not a balanced tractor/FEL and has nothing to do with brand.

 

[MossRoad]

Just one note: hasn't virtually everyone with a loader tried to lift over its capacity and simply had the relief valve open?

Mine lifts the rear wheels off the ground. The reliefs have never opened in 17 years. The FEL is strong enough to take it. However, it's a tiny machine, only 1500#.

 

[ovrszd]

The bent rams interests me. I've never saw a cylinder have the ability to bend the ram with a straight up lift. Just doesn't happen. Bent rams are caused by outside forces beyond the hydraulic pressure being exerted on the cylinder. When a properly installed cylinder has hydraulic pressure applied to extend the ram there is no forces present to bend the ram. It will simply lift the load of go into relief with no bending.

 

[ovrszd]

Mine lifts the rear wheels off the ground. The reliefs have never opened in 17 years. The FEL is strong enough to take it. However, it's a tiny machine, only 1500#.

Isn't yours the one that doesn't have the power to push an attachment down but if the valve is accidently put into "float" it will drop the attachment?

 

[oldtimer 66]

Were both of the locks on the vertical arms set. From everything that has been said it is possible that one of the locks was not engaged. This would allow one of the vertical arms to move forward when a certain amount of weight was put on. Once the weight over power the structure it failed.

 

[ovrszd]

We're all assuming. I'm assuming the OP has the knowledge to know the FEL is properly installed and plumbed.