Adjusting hydraulics on NH Workmaster

[NTG]

I have a couple questions regarding adjusting (or maybe repairing) the hydraulics on my 2016 NH Workmaster 33. It has the standard knob to adjust the 3 point hitch speed and I'm familiar with that. But here are my two problems: 1) The lever which operates my 3ph only seems to work from about the top 25%. I get full travel on the hitch, but it only starts lifting after I've raised the lever a significant distance. This being my first tractor, to be honest, I can't remember if it's always been like that or if it's getting increasingly worse. Maybe I've only noticed it as I'm getting more experience using the box blade and other attachments and have started thinking it'd be a lot easier to "finesse" things if I had more travel on that lever. The only thing my owner's manual addresses is if the 3 point linkage will not raise at all or if the linkage will not raise at all. They don't go into any detail on the offered causes and corrections, imagine that.

2) The speed of my FEL is kinda crazy to me. Yes, if I only move the stick a little bit, it moves slowly, but there seems to only be a very small window there as well. It's far too easy to jerk the bucket when it's loaded making the tractor jump giving me that "pucker factor" and when it's not loaded, if I'm not real careful, it's easy to slam the bucket into position causing me to worry about damaging it. I know I'm a newbie, but I've got about 300 hours on the tractor now and I've done a good bit of bucket work with it. I wish there was an adjustment somewhere that would slow down the travel speed of the FEL a bit.

The tractor is always parked outside on grass as I have not gotten my shed built yet, but I haven't noticed any leaks or fluids traveling down the frame anywhere. I'm at 290 hours I think and the 300 hour maintenance requires a change of the hydraulic filter, so maybe that'll help. Thanks guys.

 

[Tx Jim]

In order to slow operation of frt end loader boom down you could install an adjustable flow control valve similar to photo below. I installed a valve similar to one in photo on a Kubota M4900 FEL so large rd bales were easier to lower after raising.

 

[NTG]

Interesting Jim! Where does that go in the line? Can it adjust the flow from just anywhere? I guess so since it's a circular route. A very small adjustment would probably do the trick.

 

[ericm979]

I put that valve in the curl dump circuit on my Branson. It's to reduce "bucket flop". But it can be adjusted to slow the dump motion.
It's a simple one way needle valve. You'd need one for each set of cylinders (raise, curl) and each direction that you want to slow.

If you put one in the pressure line to the loader valve that would restrict flow to the 3pt and any other hydraulic valves, which is not what you want.

 

[NTG]

So you'd need 4 of them? Put one pointing in each direction on the raise cylinders and one pointing in each direction on the curl cylinders? Can they be connected right next to each other? Strange that with all the technology on today's tractors there's not a way to adjust something like that.

 

[ericm979]

If you used needle valves without the one way feature you'd need one per circuit. I put my valve where the flexible hose connects to the hard line on the loader frame. I can reach it while standing in the operator's station.

I slow the engine down when I want the loader to move slow. The pump's flow is rpm dependent.

 

[NTG]

I slow the engine down when I want the loader to move slow. The pump's flow is rpm dependent.

Now there's the winner! LOL I have been running my engine a bit faster lately because of that Tier 4 stuff. With my reading here, I was thinking it would keep the suet or whatever burned out better if I ran it a bit faster. I'll try running slower just when I'm using the FEL with heavy loads and see what I get.

On the 3 pt hitch issue, I noticed the other day when I was swapping impliments that when I didn't have anything on the hitch, I seemed to have pretty much full range on the lever. It seems to be when I have something real heavy on there that I lose that bottom 1/2 to 3/4 range on the lever. Maybe I'm low on hydraulic fluid or I've got air bubbles or something in my hydraulic lines that are causing that. I think I'm at 295 right now and getting ready to do my 300 service, so I'll make sure to check everything hydraulic related very closely to see if I can spot anything. Thanks guys.

 

[ericm979]

On a Tier 4 tractor with regen, running it at slower speeds where more soot is generated will just make it do regens more often.

 

[NTG]

On a Tier 4 tractor with regen, running it at slower speeds where more soot is generated will just make it do regens more often.

That's why I've been running mine faster, based on posts I've read here. Until recently, the only section of my operator's manual I had read was the maintenance section. I've done all the fluid changes, filter changes, lubings, etc..... But yeah, I'm finally reading the rest of the manual.