BX2350 Loader Attachment Problem

[Ken_O]

My new BX2350 with 60" MMM, Loader, and Grass Catcher was delivered yesterday. I took the loader off and mowed the lawn and it did a geat job. But when I went to put the loader back on, I had problems attaching the hydraulic lines. I was not able to connect the yellow and white lines because the pressure was too high and I could not apply enough force to overcome the pressure in the hoses. I called the dealer and they sent out a service technician. The technician was able to connect the yellow hose with some difficulty, but not the white one. He then pulled out a special tool, a 1/2 inch piece of hardwood dowling, pushed it into the end of the white hose, and then pushed the hose with the dowling inside against the arm of the loader, which caused the pin inside the hose to push in, releasing some hydralic fluid out of the hose and reducing the pressure. Then he easily attached the white hose now that the pressure had been reduced.

He then told me this was a typical problem with the new BX tractors. The hydraulic lines remain pressurized when they are detached, and they are difficult to reconnect. He said there was nothing I could do, other than release the pressure in the hose before I can reconnect it.

Is anyone else having this type of problem? Am I doing something wrong when I detach the loader. Is there some easy way to relieve the pressure in the hoses to make it easier. I got the impression that it was easy to take the loader on and off, and I had planned on taking it off when mowing the lawn, but now I am having second thoughts.

Thanks for your help.

Ken....

 

[ChuckinNH]

Ken, your service guy was both right, and wrong. When you take the loader off, shut down the tractor, and cycle the loader joystick through it's full range of motion a few times before disconnecting the hoses. That will relieve the pressure on the hydraulic lines. Sometimes, however, if you store the loader in the sun, or the hoses warm up, pressure can build back up in the lines a bit. You can relieve it as the service guy did, wrap a heavy rag over the end of the line, and tap that ball with a plastic hammer, or just wait for the hoses to cool down some later in the day. It is only a problem now, and then, and you will get used to it, and knowing how to avoid it. Go ahead, and take that loader off when you want!

 

[ericecon]

I had that problem one time recently. A friend suggested putting the loader lever into float position to relieve the pressure then trying to connect it again. It worked great.

 

[Ken_O]

To clarify my original post, the technician released the pressure on the loader side hose, not the tractor side. Thats the female connection. He inserted the dowl into the female hose connection and tapped on the dowl which pushed in the pin to release the pressure.

ChuckinNH, when cycling through the joystick after shutting the engine down, will that cause the loader to drop down when releasing the pressure. The technician tried to show me how to prepare the loader to be removed. He fiddled with the joystick controls for a while, tilting the bucket somewhat to release the pressure off the mounting pins. Then he removed the mounting pins, and then used the control lever to lift the loader side frame out of the receiver. So now the loader frame is sitting above the receiver a few inches. At this point if I shut the engine down and cycle the joystick to release the pressure, will the loader drop back down into the receiver.

I am not sure I've got the fiddling technique figured out yet. I guess it will take some practice. I thought this was going to be easy .

 

[JJPP]

Try just lowering the 3pt with the engine turned off instead of messing with the loader lever I tried this yesterday for the first time and it seemed to work. I just lowered the 3pt all of the way and then tried to move the loader lever to see if the was any residual pressure and there wasn't. I only tried it once but give it a try.

 

[rpoage]

ChuckinNH is right on IMO and I'm sure after you attach and detach the FEL several time you will soon be a old hand at it. When I first got my BX it took a couple of try's but now it a 3 min job. I suggest you keep both the tractor and loader on flat level ground as the job does get more interesting when things are not level or on soft ground.
Don't force the pins in or out as they will fall in place if the alignment is correct. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Berniep]

. So now the loader frame is sitting above the receiver a few inches. At this point if I shut the engine down and cycle the joystick to release the pressure, will the loader drop back down into the receiver.

.

No it will settle higher from the receiver if anything.
And your dealer was wrong about it being a problem on newer bx tractors.
I have had this problem on 40 year old tractors. Just keep a little piece of dowel or I use a brass punch. Make sure the end is in good condition so you don't end up with debris in the coupling.

 

[Volfandt]

This happened to me once, back when I was newbie
It's not a BX thing, it's a " disconnected the FEL lines without 1st releaseing the pressure 1st, on any tractor thing".
I didn't use a dowel, I used a 3/8ths socket extension with a shop towell wraped around it to poke into the female end of the FEL to relieve the pressure.

I always cycle the joystick around several times after I've shutdown and before I disconnect the lines. I've not had this problem since (4 yrs).......

I also drop my FEL onto a dollie so I can wheel it around for storage. This causes it to sit higher which inturn makes it a little trickier to mount/dismount on to the tractor. But, I always hook the lines up 1st then let the hydraulics do the fine adjusting needed to mount/dismount. It still only takes a few tool-less minutes and I've done it so much that I don't even break a sweat.
Works good, lasts along time

 

[Ken_O]

Thanks for all the input, everyone has been very helpful. Sounds like an easy fix and I will test it out tomorrow. I have the loader on now and I just tried cycling the hydraulic control valve through the different settings with the engine off, and I can see that the FEL just relaxed on the floor, must have released the pressure.

Ken...

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

its not unusual do need to do that with any implement with hydraulic hoses. It happens if the cylinders are under pressure, leak down, sits in the sun, etc, etc. Just pop the coupler with a screw driver, dowell or whatever.