Rookie question on John Deere 2150

[45er]

OK, behind the 8 ball here because (1) the tractor is 100 miles away and (2) I'm pretty "new" to this old tractor. However, I thought I'd chase a wild goose and ask for some help here.

My sons were up on our place and my oldest son decided to use the tractor for the first time, shredding some pretty mild grass/weeds. He tells me all went real well until he was returning the tractor to the shed. He needed to lift the shredder up to cross a small creek bed. He'd lift it and it would go back down. It would not stay up. He's real new to tractors of any kind and he did tell me that the knob on the floor board seemed to put some tension on the hitch, at least to the point he got the three-point to stay up long enough to cross the creek bed. He said it didn't stay up but he got it back to the shed where it's resting now.

He checked the hydraulic fluid and it was full. Can anyone explain what might be going on with the three-point not being able to keep the shredder up? Is there an adjustment that needs to be made or is the problem a bigger one (like the hydraulic pump going out). There doesn't seem to be any leaks anywhere.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[beenthere]

Plan to do some pressure readings when you get to the tractor. That will sort out some of the possibles, such as the pump.
Good luck..

 

[jd110]

Did the lever stay up when the hitch was moving down? There are some friction washers on the hitch lever to help keep the lever where you put it. May need some new ones. If the lever was staying in place, then most likely the seals are bad on the valves and/or piston. Three point housing(rockshaft) needs to be removed to replace seals if needed. Not very expensive if you can do it yourself.

 

[Tx Jim]

Ditto I'll agree with what jd110 stated. I'll guess control lever isn't staying at location on quadrant when operator releases lever.

 

[45er]

Did the lever stay up when the hitch was moving down?

Just asked my son and he said the lever stayed up while the three-point/shredder went down. He also said the entire tractor shook rather violently when the three-point was trying to raise the shredder.

 

[Tx Jim]

How long since hyd filter was changed & trans sump screen checked/cleaned? If 3pt control lever stayed in same position then either the control valves or piston seal are leaking. Repair of either or both requires removal of rockshaft housing. After seal R&R I recommend checking hyd stand-by pressure which should be 2250 psi.