JLG LJ500 Little John stand-on mini skid steer

[shaeff]

Yes! I am following and enjoy the updates. (I love resurrected iron and am quite envious.) :laughing:
I imagine it has been a while since he has parked in a heated spot for the winter! Little fart looks comfy.
So, . . . complete concours correct restoration is in the works???
I too have a workshop basement and tuck-under garage. Love it as far as same temp summer and winter as the house and can zip downstairs in my slippers to do whatever. Downside is that everything household has to go UP the stairs.

Nice!

I don't plan on a full restoration, at least not this winter. I need to get each failed or failing part rebuilt back to good operating condition. He's definitely comfy in the semi-heated basement. Coldest it gets down there is around 58* or so. It allows me to keep my motivation up, too. All my tools are currently down there right next to the LJ500. I'm going to grab some Harbor Freight dollies and jack it up onto them so I can move it around without starting it.

The list for winter that I can think of off the top of my head:

- Grind out and weld the two cracks on the rear upright/support area
- Repack the bucket curl cylinder (already did the lift cylinder)
- Drain the hydraulic oil and refill it with the specified 10w30 motor oil
- Motor oil drain/refill
- Tighten the slack on the chain drives off the hydraulic motors
- Fabricobble a proper battery mount system so it's not just sliding around in the belly pan
- Maybe tighten up some of the linkages
- Build an exhaust heat shield to prevent my curious nearly 2yr old pitbull from trying to sniff or lick the exhaust (lol, dumb dog is actually way smarter than that!)
- Add some lights, though with LEDs I'll likely need to incorporate a rectifier bridge to clean up the juice enough for the LEDs not to flicker. (will probably do to my snowblower first)
- Bend back one of the pallet forks, someone lifted too much weight with it and it's a royal pain to mount/remove. Worst case I'll just grind some off the mounting surface


That's way more than I thought I'd be doing this winter, that's the first time I put this list "on paper."

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm also enjoying your updates and looking forward to pictures.

 

[shaeff]

Excellent! I wasn't sure if anyone was following along or not. Nice to see interest! I'll keep chuggin' along as I get time with it and keep updating as I go.

 

[shaeff]

Little more work to the mini skid steer. Got the tilt cylinder removed. Upper pin is seized BADLY. Hopefully it'll come out in the 20T press. I don’t want to mushroom the end.

I’ll put a bit of heat on it to warm it up if need be, after I disassemble it. It’s so worn I can move it with my pinky.

Had to pull the auto-leveling linkage with it, looks like someone failed to remove it before... Ends were a bit mushroomed.

Pic2: Seized. It almost looks like it's part of the cylinder end.

Pic3: Breakdown.


#16 in pic 3 is the pin we're looking at. I had the exact issue with PN #7, it was terribly seized. Took a lot of work to get it out. I'll drill for a grease zerk. Next to be pulled and greased are #2 and #21 as I'm sure they're probably just as seized as these past two.

 

[shaeff]

20T press popped the pin after I put my weight into it. Sounded like a shotgun when it let loose. I’ll have to clean up the pin and bore.

Couldn’t get gland nut off at first, 36” pipe wrench with a cheater bar and my 150lbs on it cracked it loose.

Next, repack the cylinder and reinstall.

Looks weird in the pic but it’s an illusion. Looks great in person.

 

[shaeff]

Forgot the pic of the pin that popped like a shotgun:

If this isn’t the poster child for “install a grease fitting!!!”

 

[shaeff]

So I went to rebuild this cylinder (tilt/curl) two nights ago, it seems like the parts kit is incorrect. Maybe JLG recycled the part number or something. First kit was perfect, lift cylinder is strong as it should be. The tilt/curl is weak, really needs a rebuild. I'll have to bring it to a hydraulic shop to match up the seals.

 

[85magnus]

Hello. Funny reading.
i just bought an old jlg also. But hard to get hold of themanuals. Did you manage to reache anyone?
I allso have problems with the engine it dies when it gets warm and dont seems to have that much power left in it. It almoste dies when i am turning the machine .
I will try to change the hydraulic fluid and the filter first. Which oil did you end up using? Iso32?

 

[85magnus]

And by te way which hydraulic filter is seated in your machine? size and spec?

 

[shaeff]

Hello. Funny reading.
i just bought an old jlg also. But hard to get hold of themanuals. Did you manage to reache anyone?
I allso have problems with the engine it dies when it gets warm and dont seems to have that much power left in it. It almoste dies when i am turning the machine .
I will try to change the hydraulic fluid and the filter first. Which oil did you end up using? Iso32?

And by te way which hydraulic filter is seated in your machine? size and spec?

Hey, been really busy lately without much forum time. I have a manual for it, if you send me a PM with your email address I'll forward it to you.

I ended up using regular 10w30 engine oil, as that's what the manual calls for.

As for your machine nearly dying as it gets warm, check spark, check fuel flow too. Make sure it's full of oil, these engines have a low oil switch that'll kill the motor if it runs low.

 

[85magnus]

Hey, been really busy lately without much forum time. I have a manual for it, if you send me a PM with your email address I'll forward it to you.

I ended up using regular 10w30 engine oil, as that's what the manual calls for.

As for your machine nearly dying as it gets warm, check spark, check fuel flow too. Make sure it's full of oil, these engines have a low oil switch that'll kill the motor if it runs low.

Yes y'll soon have a PM .

Okej i think i will change to des32 or des 46.

Checked all those things but couldnt find the fault. And also because of the extreme noise of the wisconsin i decided to change to an v-twin. And that partly because of the blackfriday sale .

Sorry the bad images my camera is not wat it has been

 

[shaeff]

That's excellent! Aside from compression and timing, you need three things to run. Air, spark, and fuel.

If something is heating up and causing the engine to break up, I'd look toward the coil maybe? With a brand new engine that's odd.

I'd LOVE to put a 20hp Honda on mine, the extra counterbalance would be nice, too! Well done! I sent the manual to your email, hopefully you got it.

 

[jackhammer2410]

I recently acquired this little guy, haven't gotten a chance to work on it yet but figured I'd make a thread about it. Shouldn't need *too* much tinkering to get it going. I know it ran last year, and I did get it to "pop", albeit for just a few seconds. I'll post updates as I find time to mess with it.

I figured, since these are pretty uncommon, borderline rare, and there's not much information on them, that anyone else with info on them, if anybody has one they'd like to share, anything at all to do with the JLG LITTLE JOHN LJ500, post it in here. There used to be a Yahoo Group called [little_John_Rocks] LJ500, but it seems that Yahoo Groups are no longer in existence and it's email chain only. While it may not be a mighty skid steer, it's "useful as a pocket on a shirt" as I've read elsewhere.

Here's a link to the only two threads I could find on here about the LJ500:
arizonian needing help with a rare skid steer
LJ500 Little John 500 manual wanted

control valve squealing on stand up skid steer

And a touch of good information from one of the above threads:



I'll leave with this picture of when I first got it, had to lift it off with my MF35 Utility Loader, as it doesn't run yet:

Last but not least- Gordoninvt emailed me the manual for this machine. If anyone wants it, I'll be happy to share. PM me your email address and I can send it. I printed the entire file, then re-scanned it as a searchable document. The searchable document is too large to send via email. I may be able to put it in a zip folder and we could try that way but no guarantee. Otherwise, you can send me a small flash drive and I can just copy the file and send back. Whatever. It's 50.1MB.

I have had one of these little "critters" since 2001 and have had no complaints or problems to speak of. It works well and turns on a dime. However over the past few years I have acquired a couple of Kubota tractors to which I have dedicated most of my time and the little guy has become somewhat of an ignored "step-child". The hydraulic controls are Kubota parts, but I have yet to have any problem with them. Have been seriously thinking about selling it, since it mostly sits idle in my barn.

 

[shaeff]

I have had one of these little "critters" since 2001 and have had no complaints or problems to speak of. It works well and turns on a dime. However over the past few years I have acquired a couple of Kubota tractors to which I have dedicated most of my time and the little guy has become somewhat of an ignored "step-child". The hydraulic controls are Kubota parts, but I have yet to have any problem with them. Have been seriously thinking about selling it, since it mostly sits idle in my barn.

Yeah, they're pretty neat. I find that instead of using it for myself that I end up trailering it someplace else to use it for whatever reason. Or if I have to fit into a tight area. It doesn't get used often, but when it does it renews my affection for it.

Snag a pic and post if if you get a chance. It's always neat to see these things. I honestly wouldn't even know what to sell one for, there's really no baseline.

 

[BrandonC]

Any chance I could get a copy of the manual for this machine I just purchased one and it runs pretty well binds occasionally when turning going to flush hydraulic system out and put fresh 10-40 In

 

[shaeff]

Any chance I could get a copy of the manual for this machine I just purchased one and it runs pretty well binds occasionally when turning going to flush hydraulic system out and put fresh 10-40 In

Send me your email address through Private Messages. I'll forward it on to you.

 

[shaeff]

Interesting, there's an LJ-500 on ebay right now for sale in Vermont for... *gulp* $5500.

Makes me feel like I got a damn good deal at $300.

Note- the one in the eBay listing is missing the auto-leveling linkage for the bucket. It's modified for a different cylinder. Looks to be done well enough, but I like the auto-leveling feature, it's useful on something so small and jerky.

 

[washita 425]

just of curiosity the spec's, IE: engine size, pump size, wheel motor size, found one on facebook marketplace but the owner didnt know the spec's

 

[shaeff]

just of curiosity the spec's, IE: engine size, pump size, wheel motor size, found one on facebook marketplace but the owner didnt know the spec's

It's got an 11hp Wisconsin Robin single cylinder, pump is a Webster, 3 section, gear type. Drive motors are Nichols 12.9 cubic inch, Duke Control vavles, open center, 2500psi relief. Machine weighs about 1200lbs.

From what I can gather, the pump can flow up to around 9gpm, maybe a little more depending how the machine is outfitted with priority vavles. Max lift capacity is about 500lbs, though I've lifted significantly more than that.

 

[stillcopper]

OP...read your thread with great interest. I have one of these little beasts, for about 5 years now. Got the manuals from various sources. However, the control valves are starting to 'dribble' a bit. Do you, or anyone here know of a source for a direct replacement for them? I'm not a hydraulics guru, so not sure of what specs to look for since the manual is lacking in that area.
Thanks for any knowledge you can provide.