Best loader controls on compact tractor

[4tillingdirt]

After seeing this video, wondering if anyone has looked at the FEL controls on their tractor. Is this type of loader control pretty consistent among most brands? LS XR4155 compact tractor loader no workie - YouTube

 

[4570Man]

No, it's not common.

 

[mopardude318]

Wow. I don't know how I feel about that design...

 

[4tillingdirt]

Wow. I don't know how I feel about that design...

Yeah, me either. Seems like a piss-poor design.

 

[CalG]

LS likely just buys those in. I doubt they make them. It's just one style of remote actuation. A drop of loctite can take care of the loosening.

I don't think much of the cable actuators for the long haul. Moisture can freeze them up in winter, and rust is a given where they loop down.
Cables do provide for easy positioning of the control though.

 

[4tillingdirt]

LS likely just buys those in. I doubt they make them. It's just one style of remote actuation. A drop of loctite can take care of the loosening.

I don't think much of the cable actuators for the long haul. Moisture can freeze them up in winter, and rust is a given where they loop down.
Cables do provide for easy positioning of the control though.

The guy in the video made a comment about the loader didn't like doing multiple movements at one time - like curling while raising, etc. Seems like that would be a limitation of that type of control would it not?

 

[scdeerslayer]

The guy in the video made a comment about the loader didn't like doing multiple movements at one time - like curling while raising, etc. Seems like that would be a limitation of that type of control would it not?

That's really not uncommon for small tractors, regardless of valve type. The fluid flows to the path of least resistance. Having such a low flow rate on small tractors makes this even worse. Feathering the valve can help though. I find this is less of a problem when dumping/lifting at the same time and then curling/lowering at the same time, the biggest problem is curling/lifting at the same time.

For the valve in the video - are the two lines that look like hydraulic lines the cables that control the valve that's under the floorboard?

 

[4tillingdirt]

Not sure about the lines. I had been watching this guy's videos since he had a tractor I was interested in and he has pretty much changed my mind for me - LOL.

 

[1stDeuce]

Not sure about the lines. I had been watching this guy's videos since he had a tractor I was interested in and he has pretty much changed my mind for me - LOL.

I have a 2003 Massey Ferguson that has almost that same loader control. I don't think I'd run away from it based on one guy on Youtube. His dealer is likely at fault for this one, not the tractor or style of control.

I can tell you that many of the tractor mounted loader controls are cable actuated. If you want a stick coming right off the valve, it'll be mounted up on the loader. I wanted the tractor one because I have shoulder issues with my arm extended all day. I'll service the cables once in a while and they'll work fine.

The cable actuated valves work EXACTLY the same as lever actuated, so any strangeness with how the loader operates isn't the cables, it's the valve, or just physics. (If you open two valves at the same time, like lift and curl, flow goes to the one that happens at a lower pressure. Sorry, but that's how hydraulics work. If you feather that one, you can also do the other by artificially raising the pressure in the easy to actuate loop by making a restriction.)

It's tough being an engineer in what is more and more a world of "magic" as far as most people are concerned...

 

[CalG]

For the valve in the video - are the two lines that look like hydraulic lines the cables that control the valve that's under the floorboard?

right! push pull cables.

 

[N2DFire]

I have a 2003 Massey Ferguson that has almost that same loader control. I don't think I'd run away from it based on one guy on Youtube. His dealer is likely at fault for this one, not the tractor or style of control.

I can tell you that many of the tractor mounted loader controls are cable actuated. If you want a stick coming right off the valve, it'll be mounted up on the loader. I wanted the tractor one because I have shoulder issues with my arm extended all day. I'll service the cables once in a while and they'll work fine.

The cable actuated valves work EXACTLY the same as lever actuated, so any strangeness with how the loader operates isn't the cables, it's the valve, or just physics. (If you open two valves at the same time, like lift and curl, flow goes to the one that happens at a lower pressure. Sorry, but that's how hydraulics work. If you feather that one, you can also do the other by artificially raising the pressure in the easy to actuate loop by making a restriction.)

It's tough being an engineer in what is more and more a world of "magic" as far as most people are concerned...

Don't think I could have said it any better!!

This control set-up is actually very common for fender/tractor mounted controls. You're seeing one person have an issue out of how many LS tractors sold - not to mention the other brands (Like Kioti, Branson, and Mahindra that I know do this). So it's a very low occurrence issue and like 1stDeuce said, most likely a dealer / mechanic issue.

 

[4tillingdirt]

I guess the guy in video must have had a tractor built on Friday or it has Gremlins. Same guy had steering issues - could turn steering wheel with a small load on FEL and wheels would not turn. The dealer installed bigger cylinders from a larger tractor. I just don't see how that steering issue can be an isolated incident. Not saying they all don't have problems, but some of this stuff is just ridiculous and should have been caught.

 

[1stDeuce]

I didn't see that steering video when I went looking. Interesting, and definitely not right. If I load the (huge!) bucket on my MF, and try to turn at a stop, it won't always turn, but I've also never tried to hog on the wheel at that point and turn it more, since it wouldn't do any good... I don't think I can though, or at least not as easily as the OP is turning it... His LS was not even trying, with almost no extra weight on the front...

Sounds like the dealer fixed it, but I really doubt the fix was the slightly bigger cylinders they supposedly installed. (They don't look any bigger to me...) The xr4155 that I test drove last fall had no problem turning the (ag) tires with a full bucket of sand, and I really doubt that it had bigger cylinders installed... I'd bet the relief pressure was really low, or there was an air leak somewhere, and they fixed it along the way...

Well, as usual, YMMV.

 

[LouNY]

That is a very common type of joystick operating block with cables to the actual valve,
There are different styles and sizes, my Branson 8050 has one, my brothers New Holland 7050 has one,
numerous tractor loaders do, all that happened to his is the pivot block screw came lose in the block,
its kind of a pain in the butt but tighten it up and get back to work.
If you don't like that you can relocate the actual valve and just have a couple of levers to operate it,
or you can spend lots of money and get a system like our Puma's, all electronically controlled, just a tiny joystick
and switches and levers to operate switches. Really nice when its all working just right, a royal pain to trouble shoot
and repair and certainly not as reliable.

 

[4tillingdirt]

I didn't see that steering video when I went looking. Interesting, and definitely not right. If I load the (huge!) bucket on my MF, and try to turn at a stop, it won't always turn, but I've also never tried to hog on the wheel at that point and turn it more, since it wouldn't do any good... I don't think I can though, or at least not as easily as the OP is turning it... His LS was not even trying, with almost no extra weight on the front...

Sounds like the dealer fixed it, but I really doubt the fix was the slightly bigger cylinders they supposedly installed. (They don't look any bigger to me...) The xr4155 that I test drove last fall had no problem turning the (ag) tires with a full bucket of sand, and I really doubt that it had bigger cylinders installed... I'd bet the relief pressure was really low, or there was an air leak somewhere, and they fixed it along the way...

Well, as usual, YMMV.

LS XR4155 steering issues - YouTube He has 2 or 3 of them about the steering