Ford 3000 Three Point hitch slow to raise

[DiggerAtl]

I have a 1965 ford 3000 Diesel, the Hydraulics are slow to lift the three point. just looking for some advice on where to start to Diagnose the problem . Listed below are the things I have done. Any help would be welcomed. and Thank you in advance for your help and comments. New to Tractors

1) Changed Hydraulic Fluid (previous fluid was slightly milky )
2) Verified fluid level
3) Adjusted Flow control knob on Right side of Tractor (Returned to original setting)
4) Bleed air from Hydraulic pump ( Loosen Hex Screw on Pump NO Air Present)

* Lift will start lifting in 10 - 15 seconds
* Holds under weight ( Added a plow and let it had no leak down at all

:confused2:

 

[Dave M7040]

I have a 1965 ford 3000 Diesel, the Hydraulics are slow to lift the three point. just looking for some advice on where to start to Diagnose the problem . Listed below are the things I have done. Any help would be welcomed. and Thank you in advance for your help and comments. New to Tractors

1) Changed Hydraulic Fluid (previous fluid was slightly milky )
2) Verified fluid level
3) Adjusted Flow control knob on Right side of Tractor (Returned to original setting)
4) Bleed air from Hydraulic pump ( Loosen Hex Screw on Pump NO Air Present)

* Lift will start lifting in 10 - 15 seconds
* Holds under weight ( Added a plow and let it had no leak down at all

:confused2:

You need to provide more info:

Pictures are always a good idea. Of tractor, of pump and any other detail + overall photos
Do you have power steering, rear hydraulic remote outlets, a Front end loader. Top and tilt cylinders for implements.

History of tractor. Have you owned it when it was working normally? Did the current condition appear suddenly.

Dave M7040

 

[rScotty]

I have a 1965 ford 3000 Diesel, the Hydraulics are slow to lift the three point. just looking for some advice on where to start to Diagnose the problem . Listed below are the things I have done. Any help would be welcomed. and Thank you in advance for your help and comments. New to Tractors

1) Changed Hydraulic Fluid (previous fluid was slightly milky )
2) Verified fluid level
3) Adjusted Flow control knob on Right side of Tractor (Returned to original setting)
4) Bleed air from Hydraulic pump ( Loosen Hex Screw on Pump NO Air Present)

* Lift will start lifting in 10 - 15 seconds
* Holds under weight ( Added a plow and let it had no leak down at all

:confused2:

Do you have anything else being powered by that hydraulic pump? Somewhere else for the fluid to go? Like a proportioning valve that favors power steering, or an internal leak in a bypass valve or the 3pt actuating valve?

Does the 3pt hitch have good power but just slow?

In general a slow steady hitch means either most of the fluid is going somewhere else or else the pump is worn. An erratic jumpy lift means that there is a air leak in the suction line to the pump.
rScotty

 

[Tx Jim]

Due to the fact the 3000 Ford tractor has a separate power steering pump whether it has PS or not won't affect 3 pt operation. My 1st guess is filter(key 50) needs changed if it hasn't been changed in a while. IIRC to access filter one needs to remove rockshaft housing. Filter part number is 84277192

 

[Texasmark]

I have a 1965 ford 3000 Diesel, the Hydraulics are slow to lift the three point. just looking for some advice on where to start to Diagnose the problem . Listed below are the things I have done. Any help would be welcomed. and Thank you in advance for your help and comments. New to Tractors

1) Changed Hydraulic Fluid (previous fluid was slightly milky )
2) Verified fluid level
3) Adjusted Flow control knob on Right side of Tractor (Returned to original setting)
4) Bleed air from Hydraulic pump ( Loosen Hex Screw on Pump NO Air Present)

* Lift will start lifting in 10 - 15 seconds
* Holds under weight ( Added a plow and let it had no leak down at all

:confused2:

Mine is slow to raise if rpms and pump gpm are low. At PTO rpms it comes up and holds just fine with a heavy load....over 1000#. Pumps in those aren't all that high in flow volume. Lifting capability is in foot-lbs. The lbs are in "area of the cylinder" x hyd. pressure. At low flow rates (low rpms) it takes awhile to fill the tube with fluid and pump up pressure.

 

[nathan7884]

Mine is slow too.

 

[rScotty]

Mine is slow too.

Well, there you go DiggerAtl, we now have 3 of the same model tractor showing the same symptoms and Tx Jim pointing out that with a separate power steering pump (and manual tranny) there just isn't anywhere internal that the pressure could be going.
Add to that the 3pts staying up well & we've eliminated internal 3pt leakage as well.
And it's a safe bet that the 3pt didn't move that slow when originally built.

This old mechanic is going to bet the cause is just what Tx Jim says: the internal filter is clogged. He posted an exploded diagram showing the filter a couple of days ago and it just makes sense.

What doesn't make sense is that it would require taking the rockshaft off to get to it, but it would explain why apparently nobody ever cleans it. And so we get Ford 3000s doing the same thing. BTW, in my experience on other machines those type filters are typically of the "clean it" type rather than "replace".

Oh....and something else just occured to me. Yanmars of the 70s & early 80s had a similar problem and yes, they had a similar internal metal cleanable filter - although with slightly better access., but still not very obvious. So it rarely got attention.
Their problems usually showed up in the hydraulic power shifting clutches first (on models that had that feature), and otherwise in the 3pt lifting speed.
Problem was due to oil starvation, and cleaning the cleanable filter fixed the problem.
The problem often showed up some time after the owner found that the hydraulic fluid had gotten "milky". Milky means water in the hydraulic fluid, and Yanmar published a tech bulletin on it blaming the water ingress on a poorly designed shifter boot on the gear shift lever. You probably know the lever & boot that I mean. It's the gear selecter and in lots of old tractors it mounts on top of the tranny between the driver's feet. Yanmar redesigned the boot, and that fixed the problem. I've even got a copy of that bulletin around somewhere.
Do the 3000 Fords have a similar place that water could get in? Is milky hydraulic fluid common in them?
Good Luck,
rScotty

 

[Texasmark]

Due to the fact the 3000 Ford tractor has a separate power steering pump whether it has PS or not won't affect 3 pt operation. My 1st guess is filter(key 50) needs changed if it hasn't been changed in a while. IIRC to access filter one needs to remove rockshaft housing. Filter part number is 84277192

Thanks for the PN Jim. You are probably right on with your assessment (as usual). Mine is at about 5700 hrs and going to bet you that it's never seen the rockshaft cover off. I think I'll live with mine, not that bad and to get the cover off, I'd have to undo remote hoses and canopy and seat and then cover.

I have a Branson 2400 now as my last purchase with a FEL. I use it mainly as my portable lift. This time, if I choose to go after the filter, maybe this winter, I can hook a chain to the seat mounting studs and lift it out with that. Will make it so much easier rather than manhandling it alone like I've done in the past......just may do it.

 

[rScotty]

Thanks for the PN Jim. You are probably right on with your assessment (as usual). Mine is at about 5700 hrs and going to bet you that it's never seen the rockshaft cover off. I think I'll live with mine, not that bad and to get the cover off, I'd have to undo remote hoses and canopy and seat and then cover.

Luckily your Ford 3000 doesn't sound like it is as plugged up as the one that DiggerAtl is dealing with. The problem with restricting suction flow is that at some point that will cause cavitation and erosion in the hydrauic pump.

Accessing that stock suction filter looks like a pain to do. I wonder if there is anyway to provide an alternative fluid path to the suction side of the hydraulic pump? Where is that hyd pump anyway? With any luck that pump is external and has easy access to the suction port.
It's worth thinking about.
rScotty