Bucket not working correctly

[retiredrich]

That is a very step by step for me to do it. It doesn't sound near as tough now. Will it be okay if I only do the bucket cylinders? The loader and rear blade seem to work well.

 

[J_J]

You don't need to disconnect any hoses unless you want to actually see the flow into a bucket.

For ordinary purging of air, just cycle the cyls to full extension and full retract. The air will exit the cyl into the return circuit.

If you have cycle the cyl many times throughout this thread length, there should be no air in the system.

The only thing that I can think of that would stop a cyl from fully extending or fully retracting, is if the return circuit is restricted, meaning there is no place for the fluid to go.

Is the FEL relief going off while extending the curl cyl's, and if so, that means you are working at relief pressure. There is no logical reason for the cyl not to function, unless something downstream is blocking the flow, or a worn spot causing the cyl seals to leak near full retracted position..

Is there a switch or lever you have to move to a certain position, maybe it is half way or something.

If you continue to get air in the cyl, check for a suction leak on the pump.

We haven't seen any pressure readings yet.

 

[retiredrich]

The guy I bought the tractor from had put all new hoses on the Paulson loader.
The loader had not been on the tractor for about 10 years he said. The two original bucket cylinders leaked bad and were not repairable so he bought two new ones from the Surplus Center in Lincoln, NE. I mounted them along with all the new hoses he had gotten. From that time on, the bucket has not worked well. I thought maybe a new transmission filter and new fluid would fix it. Not so and so now I am where I am. I have tried operating the loader and bucket many times to purge the air but it has continued not to fix it to work well. Because of that, I am ready to try purging them as you guys have stated.
I also noticed the couplers on the tractor were using poppet style and the hose ends were ball so I changed the hoses to poppet also. That also did not help.

 

[J_J]

Are the cyl an exact match for the old ones. Perhaps the stroke is longer that the others and the mechanical action will not let the cyl fully retract.

Is the bucket hitting a mechanical stop?

 

[retiredrich]

A hydraulic shop picked them out from the Surplus Centers website so I think they are very close. I don't know of any mechanical stops. They eventually close all the way but it is just very very slow to do it.

 

[J_J]

You said the lift cyl work fine,

Have you switched the hoses between the lift and the curl circuits just to see if there is any difference.

When you curl up, does the relief activate?

What pressure is on the cyl in the last 2 in of retract/curl up and fully retracted ?

It should only take several hundred psi to curl an empty bucket, and when you hold the lever in full retract, the pressure should go to the FEL relief pressure.

Install a 3000 psi hyd gage with a 1/4 in female QD in a tee in the IN port of the FEL valve. It will tell you the pressure in the hyd system for the implement circuit at any time the engine is running.

 

[retiredrich]

I thought about switching the hoses but they are not near long enough.

How do I know if the relief activates?


I haven't put a pressure gauge on yet (need to find someone with one).

 

[cashiocons]

If all hoses were removed, check plumbing to assure it is correct. If a Line is crossed you can have limited operation. If a line is crossed you will also notice excessive hose flex while operating.

 

[J_J]

I thought about switching the hoses but they are not near long enough.

How do I know if the relief activates?


I haven't put a pressure gauge on yet (need to find someone with one).

When you max out the cyl, they will squeal or whine .

Do you hear a particular noise when you hold the lever to long?

 

[retiredrich]

JJ, I'll check for the noise/whine this week end when I bleed the air.

 

[retiredrich]

Bucket not working update.
Back when I was having this problem in about April/May, I bought a new poppet valve and spring for the bucket control valve. I finally got around to putting the valve and spring into the control valve sometime in June/July. The new poppet valve and spring made the bucket quit 'jerking' when opening or closing and allowed the bucket cylinders to retract all the way (which they did not before the poppet valve) only extremely slow. It was so hot this Summer, I let it sit until this week before trying to figure out why it was working so ex...t..re..me.....l...y slow. This week I found the problem. Three of the swivels had a small hole ( about 1/8 inch or less) instead of a 7/16 inch hole like the other swivels have. The guy I bought it from must have bought new ones when he replaced the hoses and didn't notice the holes. I drilled the small holes out to 7/16 inch and now the loader and the bucket work nice and fast. In summary, it was a combination of the poppet valve in the control valve causing the jerking and the small holes in three swivels making it work in slow motion. Moving snow this year will be much better with the loader working and also having a rear blade. Thanks for all your advice/thoughts.

 

[J_J]

Thanks for the update.

Those restrictor are designed to limit the flow.

 

[retiredrich]

AND LIMIT THE FLOW THEY DID! Sure works great now without them!