New 790 - FEL issue

Stretch · Apr 19, 2006

Took the new tractor out in the yard the other night, wanted to see what it could do. I bought pallet forks and decided to see what it would lift. I have some small 4' round bales left over from last year and slid the forks under it. Lifted it up no problem, but wouldn't curl it back all the way. Dropped the bail and it curled all the way back, but not with the bail. Thought it might be air in the lines so I ran the FEL through a number of motions, checked the fluid levels, checked the connections. Is this normal, or should I call my dealer?

Thanks

ruglad03835 · Apr 19, 2006

It could be one of two things. Either the bale is too heavy or the loader hydraulics are cavitating. My dealer at his last open house asked me if I was having any issues with my loader stopping while dumping a bucket of material. He said there has been some issues with cavitation of the hydraulic circuits on the 300 loader.

Stretch · Apr 20, 2006

I'm going to do a similar test this weekend with feed bags. I know each bag is 100lbs so I can estimate the lifting and curling capacity.

2kpsd · Apr 20, 2006

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( It could be one of two things. Either the bale is too heavy or the loader hydraulics are cavitating. My dealer at his last open house asked me if I was having any issues with my loader stopping while dumping a bucket of material. He said there has been some issues with cavitation of the hydraulic circuits on the 300 loader. )</font>

I have noticed that the few times also when I have been dumping the bucket - it goes almost to full dump but stops for a few seconds before finishing. Sometimes even have to let go of the joystick, and re-engauge it to dump the bucket. So is there a fix for this concern with the cavitation??

Stretch · Apr 20, 2006

I am going to call my dealer and see what he knows.

I also ordered the shims suggested on another thread.

Stretch · Apr 27, 2006

Just spoke with the service guy and he stated that the hydraulic suction hose was flattened. It was only allowing about 1/3 of the flow. He believes this occurred during shipment. When I pick it up I will get more details.

ruglad03835 · Apr 28, 2006

Guess what!! I crawled under my 790 today and found the same thing!!!! The pick up tube was kinked at an elbow as well as flattened. The dealer is going to pck it up Monday and replace the pickup tube. Everyone should crawl under their tractors and check this out.

Stretch · Apr 28, 2006

New hose came in today and it was flat out of the box, it is flat by design. It turns out that the 300/790 lifts 547lbs. That is sand in the bucket. less weight of the bucket. Thanks to RockyRidgeFarm for the data.

I will pickup the tractor tomorow from the dealer. We are talking about changing to a 3X20. More to come

beenthere · Apr 28, 2006

I think that is the 'regenerative' circuit working. There have been several discussions of that circuit on the forums, and a search should get you into most of them (if the search function is working).
The regenerative circuit is an extra feature that has to do with dumping the bucket quickly. Sometimes, when not fully loaded, the bucket will 'hang up' and it's a direct result of moving the joy stick too far to the right. Better explanations of this circuit than I can offer, if you do the search. The manual will tell about it as well, but not as good as this forum.
It's a great feature, but can cause some anxiety at times if not knowing what is happening.

rockyridgefarm · May 1, 2006

Glad to see that you are getting this sorted out, although I am sorry t hat your new machine may not be up to your intended use.

Before you jump off on a 3x20, I would suggest that you make sure it is up to the use, as well. It should be fine for SMALL round bales. On the 4310, the size is limited to 48" round. (this mostly a visibility concern; you can't see around lartger bales...) I couldn't find any spec for the 300 series loaders.

Here is what I did find:

Bales are expressly not allowed with the 300 and 300X.

A bale spike is required when using the the 300CX for bales. Forks aren't.

The safest way to transport bales is on the rear. You should have one there if you are moving them with the loader, too. I never carry them with the loader, but only use it to lift them.

You can't go too big when moving bales. Maybe skipping the 3x20s and going to a 5103 would be a better choice... Round bales are widow-makers...

See your dealer for details, your mileage may vary. If your dealer doesn't have a clue on bales, time to trade dealers, maybe.