First of all, I'm sorry about this novel. I know that it's going to be a lot to read but really appreciate any help or advice from anyone.
I just purchased a Terramite T5B last week. I posted an ad on the Facebook marketplace looking for one. I was contacted by a guy asking if I would be interested in one that needed a little work. Thinking that I would be able to end up saving some cash overall, I told him that I was interested.
The seller described it as having ignition problems with the engine but said that he had recently had the hydrostatic transmission completely rebuilt (Flint hydraulics, Memphis Tennessee) and that he had replaced the torquemotor (not the exact original part but said that the hydraulic shop matched it to the replacement that he used) and most of the hydraulic lines on the tractor. He told me that if I got the engine running or replaced it that it would be ready to go.
To make it short, he never really mentioned the fact that he had replaced all of those parts because the tractor had a problem about not wanting to move. When I got there to look at the tractor, he told me that "sometimes" the tractor would not move in that air would be trapped in the hydraulic system. He said that as long as you used it regularly that it was never a problem but if it sat for more than a couple of weeks that he would have problems.
He showed me where he had flipped the torquemotor upside down so that the lines were pointing towards the ground because he thought that maybe air was being trapped at the top of the lines where they curve up and then back down into the transmission.
I went ahead and bought it anyway and just figured that there had to be a leak on one of the lines somewhere that was allowing air to get into the system. I paid the guy $2500 for it and figured that with a freshly rebuilt transmission, brand-new torquemotor, and a brand-new engine that I should have a pretty good machine.
I replaced the engine completely with a Predator 670 from Harbor freight. The conversion wasn't too difficult and I got it done in a couple of days. I got it running yesterday and sure enough, it won't move. I've yet to try and bleed the system and before I started to mess with it, I figured I would ask for some advice about the situation.
Last night, after putting 2 and 2 together, I realized that the guy had probably done all of this work because of the problem that the tractor wouldn't move. I messaged him and basically just asked him if the tractor ever drove correctly since he bought it. He said no, and that he had done the transmission rebuild, motor replacement, and replace all of those lines because he was chasing the issue. Basically, it didn't drive correctly the entire time that he had it. That's the reason why he ended up selling it. Figures! You know how people are when they are trying to sell something.
He later went on to describe to me that his method of bleeding the system was to raise one side of the the rear of the tractor with the outrigger, loosened one of the lines on the transmission, and then spun one of the rear wheels over by hand until he got a steady stream of fluid. He said after bleeding it this way, it would pull just fine.
All of the attachments seem to work just fine. I raised the front bucket last night and it stayed put all night long. I raised the boom on the backhoe and it did drop overnight though.
I guess what I'm wanting to know is, where should I start?
Could a leaking seal or line that runs to the attachments let air into the system or would the problem be only associated with the torquemotor circuit?
Would it be possible for me to cap all of the outputs on the transmission that run to the attachments to see if I could bleed the system and see if the airlock still develops?
Could the air be introduced into the system in one of the low pressure lines from the tank?
I know that I can't rule out a problem with the motor itself, like some kind of crack or leak in the case but it seems unlikely since it was replaced in an attempt to fix this problem.
I do know to run only 15-40 oil in the hydraulic system.
I just purchased a Terramite T5B last week. I posted an ad on the Facebook marketplace looking for one. I was contacted by a guy asking if I would be interested in one that needed a little work. Thinking that I would be able to end up saving some cash overall, I told him that I was interested.
The seller described it as having ignition problems with the engine but said that he had recently had the hydrostatic transmission completely rebuilt (Flint hydraulics, Memphis Tennessee) and that he had replaced the torquemotor (not the exact original part but said that the hydraulic shop matched it to the replacement that he used) and most of the hydraulic lines on the tractor. He told me that if I got the engine running or replaced it that it would be ready to go.
To make it short, he never really mentioned the fact that he had replaced all of those parts because the tractor had a problem about not wanting to move. When I got there to look at the tractor, he told me that "sometimes" the tractor would not move in that air would be trapped in the hydraulic system. He said that as long as you used it regularly that it was never a problem but if it sat for more than a couple of weeks that he would have problems.
He showed me where he had flipped the torquemotor upside down so that the lines were pointing towards the ground because he thought that maybe air was being trapped at the top of the lines where they curve up and then back down into the transmission.
I went ahead and bought it anyway and just figured that there had to be a leak on one of the lines somewhere that was allowing air to get into the system. I paid the guy $2500 for it and figured that with a freshly rebuilt transmission, brand-new torquemotor, and a brand-new engine that I should have a pretty good machine.
I replaced the engine completely with a Predator 670 from Harbor freight. The conversion wasn't too difficult and I got it done in a couple of days. I got it running yesterday and sure enough, it won't move. I've yet to try and bleed the system and before I started to mess with it, I figured I would ask for some advice about the situation.
Last night, after putting 2 and 2 together, I realized that the guy had probably done all of this work because of the problem that the tractor wouldn't move. I messaged him and basically just asked him if the tractor ever drove correctly since he bought it. He said no, and that he had done the transmission rebuild, motor replacement, and replace all of those lines because he was chasing the issue. Basically, it didn't drive correctly the entire time that he had it. That's the reason why he ended up selling it. Figures! You know how people are when they are trying to sell something.
He later went on to describe to me that his method of bleeding the system was to raise one side of the the rear of the tractor with the outrigger, loosened one of the lines on the transmission, and then spun one of the rear wheels over by hand until he got a steady stream of fluid. He said after bleeding it this way, it would pull just fine.
All of the attachments seem to work just fine. I raised the front bucket last night and it stayed put all night long. I raised the boom on the backhoe and it did drop overnight though.
I guess what I'm wanting to know is, where should I start?
Could a leaking seal or line that runs to the attachments let air into the system or would the problem be only associated with the torquemotor circuit?
Would it be possible for me to cap all of the outputs on the transmission that run to the attachments to see if I could bleed the system and see if the airlock still develops?
Could the air be introduced into the system in one of the low pressure lines from the tank?
I know that I can't rule out a problem with the motor itself, like some kind of crack or leak in the case but it seems unlikely since it was replaced in an attempt to fix this problem.
I do know to run only 15-40 oil in the hydraulic system.
