If I tilt forks all the way down on BX1880, they won't tilt back up.

mwemaxxowner · Jul 31, 2021

I have a new BX1880. 13 hours on it. I have a set of 42" Redline pallet forks. They weigh about 167 lbs, according to Redline, and they are pin on.

I've been moving brush with it. I've discovered that if I tilt all the way down vertical to dump a load, it won't tilt back up. I have to lower the loader arms until the fork tines are touching the ground, drive backward, and tilt up and once I get them to move a smidge then it tilts up fine again.

Any ideas? Is that center cylinder perhaps just not strong enough to pull that back in from full extension? I can't see that anything is binding. I can live with this and have figured out how to work with it (I try to just not tilt it quite far enough to do this) but I just want to see if anyone else has experienced this.

Leejohn · Jul 31, 2021

Sounds like the hyd cyl is going over center. The pin holes are not the same as your bucket or there is no stops on the forks. Might have to weld you in some stops.

mwemaxxowner · Jul 31, 2021

My eventual plan is to use these with the AI2 quick attach. This might make me figure out a way to purchase that sooner than later.

In the meantime if I can come up with a good way to set up a length of chain or cable to limit that downward tilt would that be an acceptable workaround?

Leejohn · Jul 31, 2021

Not sure, but I don't see why not give it a try.

JWR · Jul 31, 2021

That's pretty strange. With a brand new machine you really want to put this in the lap of your dealer. If it needs a stop or something OK but make him do it if that is required. Could be something strange that we have not imagined too.

amhicks21 · Jul 31, 2021

Leejohn said:
Sounds like the hyd cyl is going over center. The pin holes are not the same as your bucket or there is no stops on the forks. Might have to weld you in some stops.

I second this. I can almost guarantee that the spacing between the pivot and cylinder pin is just slightly closer than it should be allowing it to rotate too far. as an alternative to welding, you could put a limiting strap on.

Doughknob · Jul 31, 2021

What is that thing leaning against yor bucket?

mwemaxxowner · Jul 31, 2021

amhicks21 said:
I second this. I can almost guarantee that the spacing between the pivot and cylinder pin is just slightly closer than it should be allowing it to rotate too far. as an alternative to welding, you could put a limiting strap on.

This is what I was thinking about doing.

I don't understand how this is a dealer issue. It works perfectly with my bucket and with everything I bought from the dealer. I would imagine they'd tell me to kick rocks since everything works well with the oem equipment. I'm sure they'd look at it for me to rule out any tractor issues but I don't think there's anything wrong with the tractor.

The thing leaning against my bucket is part of the parking stand. With the bucket off it just dangles so it has to be removed. Takes about a second and two screws.

JWR · Jul 31, 2021

It's your pocketbook, not mine. Using that set of pallet forks is easily within the norms for use of your new tractor. Not everything you use has to be OEM by any norm of buying and using tractors that I ever heard of. Besides that tangential concern, surely the same thing would happen with your FEL with nothing mounted on it. (??) Take off the forks and see. Does the orange frame minus the black attachment still act the same way ? Probably and if so it has nothing to do with the forks.
The other guys suggesting there is some way your FEL mechanism is going "over center" are most likely correct. Maybe there should be stops ? And if it were my pocketbook I want the dealer involved to solve it. But as one of my older family once famously said "Can't see it from my house."

mwemaxxowner · Aug 1, 2021

I still don't understand what there is for them to fix if the issue is the center pin hole on the fork frame being a little out of whack and not in exactly the right position. I don't know what they would warranty for me or work on since the tractor is good and they didn't sell me the forks if they are a little "off". I guess they'd tell me to buy some other forks.

With the bucket on the tractor tilts as it should all the way down and back up again.

Also, you said if it does it with the orange frame but the fork tines off then it's not the forks...I don't think that's accurate. If the issue is the center pin hole being too low on the fork frame, that's still part of the forks assembly allowing it to go over center. That still comes back to the forks.

Why would my dealer weld stops onto my fork frame or otherwise modify forks I bought elsewhere, and why would I expect them to?

robertm · Aug 1, 2021

Looking at my forks, I think the OP’s center pin in incorrectly located. It’s causing the curl past the point on return.

Heres mine on Jery Dunn’s Q/A:

tree farmer · Aug 1, 2021

Try this first.... Pick up the forks about 4 ft., then slowly tip them forward to the dump position, then try to roll them back to level. If that works, there's your problem. The tilt cylinder may be using more fluid than the pump can keep up with. A few more RPMs will help with that. Just a thought......Dan.

Leejohn · Aug 1, 2021

Even if it wasn't going over center you still should have stops just before the cyl bottoms out. That way the piston isn't banging on front gland and wrecking it. I didn't like the single cyl so put 2 cyls and took off the single, also for other reasons.

Leejohn · Aug 1, 2021

SPYDERLK · Aug 1, 2021

mwemaxxowner said:
I still don't understand what there is for them to fix if the issue is the center pin hole on the fork frame being a little out of whack and not in exactly the right position. I don't know what they would warranty for me or work on since the tractor is good and they didn't sell me the forks if they are a little "off". I guess they'd tell me to buy some other forks.

With the bucket on the tractor tilts as it should all the way down and back up again.

Isnt there a stop built into the loader arms that interfaces with one on the implement to limit the extremity of the curl and uncurl position? In my experience the hyd cylinder full compression/extension is not used to apply these limits. Your forks may need a shim plate at the stop to prevent the mechanism from reaching the overcenter point. You definitely need to prevent the overcenter possibility because at overcenter the force of any load on the forks generates "infinite" extension/compression force on the hydraulic cyl.

George the Beagle · Aug 1, 2021

I have the AI2 quick attach and forks on my BX2370 and I don't have the problem you're describing. Interesting to say the least.

mwemaxxowner · Aug 1, 2021

tree farmer said:
Try this first.... Pick up the forks about 4 ft., then slowly tip them forward to the dump position, then try to roll them back to level. If that works, there's your problem. The tilt cylinder may be using more fluid than the pump can keep up with. A few more RPMs will help with that. Just a thought......Dan.

It doesn't matter how fast or slow I tilt them. If I tilt all the way forward, it gets to a point where it sort of flops over and it won't come back up. This makes a lot of sense because when it's down at the "point of no return", it's at an extreme angle sort of pointed back toward the tractor a little bit. I think it's safe to say over center is the problem, for whatever reason.

I don't believe there are any stops on the forks and I think now that that's my problem. Now that I know more about what I should be looking at I'm going to check them out today and see if I can verify that. I'll determine where the lowest safe point of tilt is it can recover from and fashion a limiting strap for now to prevent it from going over center. I'll get a few more pictures and get them on here also.

I've never read anyone complain about this with the AI2 quick attach on, and I have talked to Tony and know he's very sharp and designs a good product. I'm confident it is properly engineered to avoid a problem like this, so I think my permanent solution will be to make sure I get that QA. With that in mind, I don't know that I want to do any permanent modification on the fork frame, but I do think I need to limit that range while I wait for my QA.

JJZ 109 · Aug 1, 2021

Doughknob said:
What is that thing leaning against yor bucket?

Looks to me like the stand that holds the loader up when you remove it from the tractor. It appears that they are not on the loader arms in the photos.