Loader leaking down.

[Scaper]

I had a deer hanging form my loader bucket overnight and when I got up the next morning the deer was half in the wheel barrow I had under it. Why or should the loader leak down like this? Do I have a bad valve or is this normal. I did have the lock on the loader control stick so I know it wasn't hit by anyone? Can someone give me a clue as to why this is happening? Scaper

 

[ibnxe]

What you are experiencing is not unusual. My loader will sag, over time, with a load in it. If I don't pin my backhoe, the arm will be on the ground the next day. It wasn't that way when the tractor was new, but with a few hundred hours on it, the hydraulics do leak down.

 

[gwdixon]

It is fairly normal for that to happen as ibnxe states.

You could have new seals put in the cylinders but that won't guarantee it won't happen again. Having a weight load accelerates the process.

My L48 had the seals in three rams replaced and they continued to leak down but at a slightly slower rate.

Probably half of the cylinders leak down on all of my equipment. When I was looking at BHs a new L59 at a dealership had its arm on the ground. The dealer said that it happens to most.

 

[Westendorf-RR]

Actually it is not normal for a loader to settle. There is oil bypassing somewhere in the system. Either past the seals in the cylinders or in the hydraulic connections at the loader manifold, valve or rear of tractor. To tell if it is in the loader or in the tractor, you could put the loader up, disconnct the hoses connecting loader to tractor and see if the loader drops or settles overnight again. If it does, it is in the loader cylinders, if it doesn't it is in the tractor or hose connections/valve etc.

 

[KWentling]

All spool valves leak some. Some worse than others. The spool has to have enough clearance in the valve body to move. This clearance is where they leak. They leak more as they wear. What you are seeing is normal.

Kim

 

[leonz]

Yes it is normal for sure, as wieght and gravity are working hand in hand here. Your deer carcass added more wieght and it simply slowly leaked by the piston packings back into the reservoir as it is an open center hydraulic system which is normal anyway AS YOU LEFT IT ELEVATED WITHOUT BLOCKING THE BOOM UP WHICH IS NO, NO!

Saying that if you had "pilot operated, 2 way check valves/ position control/ lock valves you would have a problem but since you do not no worries.


The only time you will have to worry is if you are scooping loose materials and the boom drops after you release the gimbal control or the individual hoist cylinder valve handle as most like the spool valve is shot and needs to be replaced with a new one.


:thumbsup:

 

[bigbull338]

your cylinders need new seals an repacking as said.i never leave amy of my loaders up in the air,because if they leak down they could bust the cylinders when they leak off.

 

[Happyman]

your cylinders need new seals an repacking as said.i never leave amy of my loaders up in the air,because if they leak down they could bust the cylinders when they leak off.

I am far from an expert, but how could a "leak-down" situation bust a cylinder? Doesn't make sense to me. You may be right, but explain how.

 

[KWentling]

Its possible the cylinders leak by too, depending on how much use/abuse they have seen, but spool valves do leak by. Even new ones.

Kim

 

[Willl]

Scaper, normal stuff, no worries.

bigbull338, I'm calling BS, need back up.

 

[LD1]

Scaper, normal stuff, no worries.

bigbull338, I'm calling BS, need back up.

I'll back you up. It is BS. The cylinder normally sees in excess of 3000psi just under normal operating conditions. Just the weight of the loader causing a little bleed down isnt going to come anywhere close to that at all.

And I agree with the general consensus here, totally normal. There is probabally a spec that will tell how far it is allowed to drift over a given time with a given load. But I dont know that spec, maybe your dealer will. But with a load on the FEL, and it only blead down ~ 1/2 way over night, no big deal at all.

 

[RTII]

Actually it is not normal for a loader to settle. There is oil bypassing somewhere in the system. Either past the seals in the cylinders or in the hydraulic connections at the loader manifold, valve or rear of tractor. To tell if it is in the loader or in the tractor, you could put the loader up, disconnct the hoses connecting loader to tractor and see if the loader drops or settles overnight again. If it does, it is in the loader cylinders, if it doesn't it is in the tractor or hose connections/valve etc.

If the hoses are unplugged, where is the oil supposed to go to allow the loader to drop, even if it bypasses the cylinder seals? I may be wrong but seems the oil would need to go to a void or tank?

 

[LD1]

If the hoses are unplugged, where is the oil supposed to go to allow the loader to drop, even if it bypasses the cylinder seals? I may be wrong but seems the oil would need to go to a void or tank?

That is correct. Unless the piston seals as well as the rod seals are both leaking. But in this case, you would see oil weeping from around the rod.

 

[Tx Jim]

I agree it's not good to leave loader boom in the air or 3pt either. as stated it's either cyl packings leaking or worn control valve spool/housing.

I too would like to see some documentation of bigbull338's cyl breakage statement.

 

[bigbull338]

well for 1 thing if it hitts the ground hard enough it could crack an bust the cylinder.an then youd have to replace the whole thing.now i may not be very smart.but alot of cattlemen respect my knowlage.an they dont mind asking me equipment repair qs.

 

[LD1]

well for 1 thing if it hitts the ground hard enough it could crack an bust the cylinder.an then youd have to replace the whole thing.now i may not be very smart.but alot of cattlemen respect my knowlage.an they dont mind asking me equipment repair qs.

We are talking about a SLOW bleed down here. So how is it going to hit the ground hard enough to break a cylinder???

 

[KWentling]

That is correct. Unless the piston seals as well as the rod seals are both leaking. But in this case, you would see oil weeping from around the rod.

In the scenario of unplugging hoses to see if the loader settles, the loader could leak down if the seals on the piston(s) are bad, and leak no oil out. The oil simply leaks from one side of the piston to the other. (Air will make up for the difference in volume) I wouldn't do this test. Unplugging hoses under load is not a good idea and you will have to take the load off or somehow bleed the pressure off to get the hoses plugged back in. There are some quick couples that can be coupled under pressure, but not likely found on a tractor loader.

Kim

 

[timswi]

My MMM, stabilizers and BH bucket leak down after sitting..Normal I'd say. No counteracting pressure when the tractor is sitting.

Mine has done this since 04 and hasn't gotten any worse..Nature of the beast.

 

[Willl]

the loader could leak down if the seals on the piston(s) are bad, and leak no oil out.

You could take the piston completely off the shaft, stuff the shaft back into the oil filled cylinder and it still wont leak down (as long as the shaft seal isn't leaking).

 

[art]

I recommend cutting some angle iron to sit on the cylinder rod and fasting it on with hose clamps or good size zip ties and letting it down onto the angle iron. Then they won't go any lower then that.

The amount that many manufacturers say is okay is quite shocking depending on which one but a couple of inches an hour is nothing!