IH 434 / safety chain inside hydraulic lift

I have the hydraulic lift apart on my IH 434 and found that the safety chain P/N 3070768R91 (item 13 in attached image) is in pieces. external_link has it for $108. Yuck.

My understanding of the function of this chain is when using draft control, if the lift comes all the way to the top, the chain tightens and shuts down the hyd pressure. I think the chain is intended to "break" as the links are just aluminum... furthermore, the end link is not even closed (as designed).

On my tractor, there is no safety chain hose (short or long) in the hydraulic reservoir so I think these components were never installed.

My questions are:
1/ can I cobble something together provided it"s the same length and includes a similar "break away" feature? Part of the original alum chain is still intact, so I could use that.
2/ what function do the long and short hoses have? Do the hoses just constrain the chain and keep the links from catching on anything inside the reservoir?

I"m thinking I could use a cable to make up the length where the links are damaged. or maybe just replace with steel links... as they say, the chain is only as strong as the weakest link.

Had similar problem on 364 which uses same control unit. On this one the draft control spool valve attachment point for the chain broke. The chain was in intact but several links had a lot of wear.

We just replace a the chain with a hardware store chain of similar length and link size. make sure you replace the protective sleeve over the chain to protect it from wear. You may want to inspect the draft control spool valve chain attachment point for wear or cracks. If you have removed the unit it is pretty much in pieces you may want to replace the o rings and seals to ensure smooth operation. For the 364 there was a couple part numbers for rebuild kit with the seals and orings.

Also you may want to consider replacing the gasket on the bottom plate to prevent the unit from leaking hydro. fluid into the transmission housing if you have to pull the hydro unit.Thats a hard leak to fix once it back to assembled again.The factory manual has excellent descriptions on how the control functions and service/troubleshooting info.

good luck/ be patient /and extra clean and you should ok.

(quoted from post at 21:43:41 01/13/11) Had similar problem on 364 which uses same control unit. On this one the draft control spool valve attachment point for the chain broke. The chain was in intact but several links had a lot of wear.

We just replace a the chain with a hardware store chain of similar length and link size. make sure you replace the protective sleeve over the chain to protect it from wear. You may want to inspect the draft control spool valve chain attachment point for wear or cracks. If you have removed the unit it is pretty much in pieces you may want to replace the o rings and seals to ensure smooth operation. For the 364 there was a couple part numbers for rebuild kit with the seals and orings.

Also you may want to consider replacing the gasket on the bottom plate to prevent the unit from leaking hydro. fluid into the transmission housing if you have to pull the hydro unit.Thats a hard leak to fix once it back to assembled again.The factory manual has excellent descriptions on how the control functions and service/troubleshooting info.

good luck/ be patient /and extra clean and you should ok.

Click to expand...

I don't have the factory manual and found the same problem when doing the hydraulics on a IH 444. Chain was attached at the cylinder head end but the other end was rattling around with the final link sitting in the sump. Where does the chain attach at the lift arm end ?