Long 445 hydraulic/lift problems

[RyanUSMC]

Hey everyone, new member and first post. I bought a long 445(project) for VERY cheap a few months ago. To explain what I've done to it will be a whole other post someday when I've got the time. For now, I've got to get this issue straightened out ASAP. I 瀘 supposed to be moving it and all my 3pt toys this week from nw Indiana to east kentucky!

Cutting to the chase. The lift cylinder was froze. I pulled the lift cyl head, cylinder, and piston. Cleaned it all up(valves, etc.). Honed the sleeve, which had some pitting but doesn't seem to cause any problems. Got it all back together and it worked GREAT! After testing the lift functionality, I installed the top link draft spring assembly. After that, I noticed the rocker shaft wasn't rotating all the way up. I removed the control lever and with some pliers was able to rotate the control lever shaft beyond the upper travel limits of the slot in the control lever cover. Now the lift went all the way up. OK, so the linkage is adjusted out of the travel limits of the cover? I temporarily fixed this by reinstalling the lever on the outside of the cover. Works good and there was no leak down overnight with my heavy 8ft grader blade all the way up.

NOW, there is a new problem. The arms will no longer go all the way down all of the sudden. They stop where the lift arm is about knee height. After sitting over night they drop to the ground almost. When I start the tractor they go back to knee height and not any lower regardless of any weight on them. The lift is still strong, but now I can't hook to my bush hog. Not sure where to start now!

 

[RyanUSMC]

Okay, after some more head scratching and looking at the service manual I realized the linkage was wrong. I got the draft lever in the correct position and it now shifts in and out of draft mode and the arms lower all the way.

This did not correct the issue with the offset travel of the lift lever. That still has me puzzled.

This afternoon the lift started to leak down so much it would only lift my 6ft bush hog at full throttle. Then it quit altogether. So in the morning its back to cleaning the filter, relief valve, and pilot. Im guessing its debris or the pump is going out.

Has anyone upgraded their hydraulic pump to the higher output one?

 

[Harry in Ky]

Have you checked the suction screen again since this new development to see what if any, debris may still be floating around in there? Maybe your tractor is new enough to have a filter instead of a screen?
I'm guessing your tractor has a remote valve, yes/no? Most Longs came with one. Does it work at this point? Can you hear/feel the pump and engine load when you hold the lever? If not then maybe the pump would be suspect. A replacement pump should be available with little problem. Not sure why you would need higher volume unless you have a loader, but if that's what you want, I'm pretty sure there are larger pumps out there that can be made to work with little or no modifications.