PT 425 tub is leaking

toolz_not_toyz · May 9, 2006

Yes, I mean the actual tub is leaking at the front. It's a slow leak right now (dripping slowly). I noticed something was up when I started to see oil spots under the PT...at first I thought it was just excess lubricant from spraying PTFE. But that didn't make sense since I always do that outside.

Then yesterday, I was getting ready to do a cleanup on the PT (it's been very dry and dusty here) and I noticed there was oil dripping off one of the corners of the tub. My theory (at the moment) is that one of the seams of the tub must have been faulty and that maybe the paint has been holding things tight until now. I can't determine the exact source yet.

Is this crazy or what? I'm at 45hrs. Light residential use. No accidents. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Anyhow, I figure this is the first time this particular issue has come up. This stuff is too thick for a MiG isn't it?

I'll try and post a photo later today. I've put cardboard under the PT just to confirm the source as at first I had theorized it could be a leaking cylinder seal....but it would have been quite a leak to cause fluid to spray onto the underside of the tub! On the flip side, that would have been an easier fix.
/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

bwolf · May 9, 2006

My 422 is doing the same thing. I did confirm that it is leaking from a weld on the hydraulic tank. I wiped it dry, layed on the floor and watched. A few minutes later I saw oil seeping from what looked like an imperfection in the weld. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Called Terry at PT and he said he would fix it if I brought it down to Tazewell. Probably can't do that soon. He recommended taking a center punch to the imperfection then arc welding over it. I don't know too much about welding so maybe one of the experts will chime in. Thanks in advance.

toolz_not_toyz · May 10, 2006

I think Terry's method really depends on what your leak point looks like. I think you need to grind down the area first (you'd have to do that anyway in order to weld) and then re-evaluate. Goes without saying that you need to empty the hydraulic tank first (what a drag). The center punch is probably just to make the hole a bit bigger and more uniform so that the weld will stick.

Here is photo 1 of my issue. This one details what I was looking at when I discovered the problem. That cardboard has only been down there for a few hours.

toolz_not_toyz · May 10, 2006

This photo shows the source of the leak. It looks like a little spot of rust but looks can be deceiving. Who knows how well the paint is managing to hold back a bigger problem.

bwolf · May 10, 2006

My spot is in the exact same spot on the other side of the tractor. A retired millwright friend of mine who loves "projects" came over and looked at it. He said it shouldn't be a problem to fix. I plan on taking it over to his place in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know what we find.

pah · May 10, 2006

Your's is a new machine is it not? Power-trac should simply say " get it fixed, send us the bill." Maybe you could speak to the owner although I asked if I could once and Kristie said in no uncertain terms that he does not take calls from customers.

MossRoad · May 10, 2006

Bummer. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I know this shouldn't happen from the factory, it stinks. You shouldn't have to do this with a new machine and I am not defending the quality control of PT at all. If it were my company, I would be embarrassed and ask you to send me the bill for the repair and probably send you a company jacket or something to make up for the inconvenience.

However, the reality of it is, the repair will take very little time and can be done at home or a local lawn and garden shop or auto shop with a welder.

Do you have a friend with a portable A/C wire welder? If so, just drain the oil into a clean, sterile container with lid. Set it aside. Wire wheel off the area about an inch around the leak. Grind the leak just a bit. Have the welder tack the spot. Grind it down a bit and tack it again just to be sure. The reservoir is not pressurized, so you wouldn't have to penetrate very deep at all. Put the oil back in and test. Shot of primer, shot of JD green and you are done.

If you end up draining the reservoir, remember to bleed the tram pump after you re-fill it just in case the feed hose to the pump sucks air when the tank is drained.

J_J · May 10, 2006

Actually, a good welder would not even drain the tank. The heat will not be on there very long. You will probably not get any more heat in that small area than a cooking pan with oil on high heat. Cost should be minimal.

toolz_not_toyz · May 11, 2006

Well, I did want to get a mig welder for working on the old pickup truck. So this might speed up that plan. My 50 hours is coming up and this might become part of the maintenance.

As for not draining the oil, are you absolutely sure about that JJ? If oil is pushing out isn't that going to cause a bit of a problem when you want the surface to be as clean as possible? That would be my concern, not fire.

J_J · May 11, 2006

Clean is good if you can do it. With what I see, I think a good welder with a MIG can fix that small spot in about 30 sec.

Prep will take the most time. You might try what Terry suggested, take a center punch and see if it will stop the leak, or ball peen that area. I would only take action while at the welding shop in case it gets worse. Whether it does stop the leak or not, you can still weld it. If you have done any welding before, you will notice that the heat will burn paint and char oil, and just about burn anything in the way. They can weld under water and into crud much worse than this.

toolz_not_toyz · May 11, 2006

I see. I'm pretty sure I'm going to put this on my things I wanna do myself to learn something list. Haven't done any welding since junior high but like I said, I did want to get a small wire welder like Hobart 140. It would be handy if/when something else breaks on the PT. Or I could always make garden art! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Part of the attraction of the PT was that they are fixable in the field since they are so, ahem, crudely built. I guess one man's ugly is another's pretty.

Nice thing about steel is you can always fix it by welding in more.

J_J · May 14, 2006

What was the outcome on the leak on your machine? Did you get it welded?

J_J · May 14, 2006

What did you do to fix your leak?

bwolf · May 15, 2006

JJ
Nothing yet. I am waiting for my friend to help me out. He told me we might do it this weekend. I'll let you know what we do.

bwolf · May 15, 2006

JJ
Nothing yet. I am waiting for my friend to help me out. He told me we might do it this weekend. I'll let you know what we do.

toolz_not_toyz · May 17, 2006

( What was the outcome on the leak on your machine? Did you get it welded? )

I haven't done anything to fix mine yet either. It's not a big enough leak to be that concerned about yet. A positive way to look at it is that this is probably the most active of all leaks right now. The gas tank leaks at the cap (probably as pressure builds in the tank) and I can see this because the tank gets all dusty and it becomes quite visible where fuel runs out. I never run with an absolutely full tank. The hydraulic oil tank leaks all the way around the seal. Again, you can see the seepage around the edges especially well as the PT gets dusty. I have read that both of these issues (fuel tank and hydraulic tank leaks) are common.

Of course, then there's the hydraulic hose that was leaking from the day I took delivery. And I could add that to the mower deck that wasn't assembled properly..... But I digress. At the moment I'm contemplating a Hobart Handler 180 mig for eventually fixing that leak, taking on any future repairs, and possibly assisting me with the restoration of my '78 f150.

Funny how once you have a PT you have even less time than you did before because a long project list just gets longer. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

toolz_not_toyz · May 17, 2006

( What was the outcome on the leak on your machine? Did you get it welded? )

I haven't done anything to fix mine yet either. It's not a big enough leak to be that concerned about yet. A positive way to look at it is that this is probably the most active of all leaks right now. The gas tank leaks at the cap (probably as pressure builds in the tank) and I can see this because the tank gets all dusty and it becomes quite visible where fuel runs out. I never run with an absolutely full tank. The hydraulic oil tank leaks all the way around the seal. Again, you can see the seepage around the edges especially well as the PT gets dusty. I have read that both of these issues (fuel tank and hydraulic tank leaks) are common.

Of course, then there's the hydraulic hose that was leaking from the day I took delivery. And I could add that to the mower deck that wasn't assembled properly..... But I digress. At the moment I'm contemplating a Hobart Handler 180 mig for eventually fixing that leak, taking on any future repairs, and possibly assisting me with the restoration of my '78 f150.

Funny how once you have a PT you have even less time than you did before because a long project list just gets longer. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

bwolf · Jul 1, 2006

JJ
We tried to fix the leak today. Drained the oil, took a grinder to the paint. Then we heated up the the area we were going to weld with a torch to dry the inside of the tub. Then we arc welded the bad spot. So far everything looks good. After it sits for a night and still shows no sign of leaking I will be happy.