Regular Maintenance Anonymous

My name's jhilyer, and I am not very good at regular tractor maintenance.

(Hi jhilyer!)

A week or so ago, I posted about my JD 5303's hydraulic system "stuttering", like there was air in the line. Some of you recommended changing the hydraulic filter, some of you mentioned the pump intake screen, and some said maybe it was the type of fluid I was using.

Last Saturday I drove an hour to the closest JD dealership and plunked down just over $200 for a new filter & ten gallons of HyGard, as well as a new ball cap (impulse purchase).

(Deep breath) This last Tuesday, I finally had time to tear into it. I drained the old fluid. I drove a screwdriver through the old filter to get it off. And I...I...

...I took out the pump intake screen and...oh man this is so hard...it was CAKED with gunk. Just caked. There, I said it. How any fluid was getting through that, I don't know. I cleaned it as good as I could (which was pretty good) by scraping and using wd40, then reinstalled it, the new filter, and the new fluid. It now runs like a champ. Problem solved.

They say you only hurt the ones you love, and JD 5303, I love you. You do so much work for me, I'm so sorry. This week I will be installing the new fuel filter I got and also give you an oil change (I HAVE done that before!).

It's interesting to note that there are only TWO more payments before the 5303 is paid off!

My name is jhilyer, and I am not good at regular maintenance. But by God, I'm going to get better!

Hi, jhilyer!

That's funny and a bit too familiar to me....

Paul

Welcome ! And a great story ! Isn't it nice when a major problem is resolved with a simple fix ? I wish that would happen more often.....

(quoted from post at 13:10:30 06/26/14) My name's jhilyer, and I am not very good at regular tractor maintenance.

(Hi jhilyer!)

Click to expand...

You may not be a good maintenance man, but you are a good writer. Thank you for the grins!

Love your writing.

Now exactly what kind of gunk was on it ? I'm not so sure on these newer ones but on the older models if you have metallic particles that spells BIG TIME problems usually from the brakes.

To make you feel better, I had one do that in 60 days after changing and cleaning. JD hygard also. Worked as a mechanic for a large construction company for 20 years and changed lots of hydraulic filters when the temp got over 104. Hyd oil would seperate and plug the filters. JD techs say it can't happen, but they don't say that much after they see it happen. No rhyme or reason to it either. Hours on oil, use of equip, Brand of oil or equip, when it stays consistintly over 104 and long hours, we would have hyd filter problems. Wix filters.

I was using a disc mower for hay, on an IH 574 that I had recently bought at an auction. With just a few rounds to go, the 3 point lift got weaker and weaker. But I had a plan- Not really necessary to lift a disc mower at the end of a row (just makes for a little neater job), so decided just to leave it down and bull it through.

Then with 2 rounds to go, the PTO quit! Hey, what's up with that? Now the PTO clutches are gone? I left it in the middle of the field and walked home, with visions of $$$$$$ dancing in my head. Went and found the manual that I had bought for a previous 674, and found (to my great relief) that the PTO clutch was held in by hydraulic pressure, so that explained why PTO quit when hydraulics ran out of steam.

Decided to leave it in the field overnight, and hopefully when the hydraulic fluid was cold, I could get one more lift out of it, to get it home. That worked, and sure enough, when I got into it, filter was clogged, and everything worked great after replacing it (and the fluid, of course).

Decided at that point that it would be a good idea to check/replace all filters when I got a strange tractor whose history I didn't know.

Better late than never, nice hearing from you.

(quoted from post at 14:20:08 06/26/14) changed lots of hydraulic filters when the temp got over 104. Hyd oil would seperate and plug the filters. JD techs say it can't happen when it stays consistintly over 104 and long hours, we would have hyd filter problems. Wix filters.

Click to expand...

I've never witnessed Hy-gard oil failing at ambient temperature over 104 degrees. It sure hasn't happened to my JD tractor I bale hay with on a 104 degree day. Plug in orbit motors such as a Vermeer hay rake utilizes and that will give the hyd oil a HEAT TEST that a 104 degree day can't even begin to warm up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Like I said, no rhyme nor reason, just something we experienced when it was hot. Filter would be full of a parafin like substance. Had a JD 4200 that the screen had plugged with the same stuff. HyGard 60 days old. Was running a hydraulic powered finish mower, 7 ft wide. Grass shoulder high and hot. Didn't happen a lot but have had it happen.

Good job. I had a 2010 JD with sluggish or no hydraulics after I cleaned the screen. JD dealer said screens were difficult to clean and to get a new screen, which I did and solved my problem. Glad you got yours to work. I have heard that you can boil them out with something to get them clean.

Cousin has a 4000 Ford with similar hydraulic issues. He told me there was a filter that was accessed from the top of the transmission and a screen at the bottom of the transmission that required splitting the tractor to get to. Based on my experience with the 2010 and the difficulty of getting to the screen, I advised getting a new screen which they did, and with a new top filter the tractor works fine. I didn't see any of the project.

KEH

I'm sure a asphalt laydown machine running 300 degree asphalt on a 108 degree day, all hydraulic plus hydrostatic would equal most hayfield operations. The steel wheel roller rolling that 250 degree asphalt will get equally hot after 10 hrs of that. Never a problem at 100 or less. All was documented was how the pattern was noticed.

I have a Kubota L2202 grey market, and it's hydraulics got slower progressively worse... I really didn't want to throw $ 60 into a hyd filter. I measured the threads, and threaded a cut off piece of metal pipe with the metric thread, and went through about 75 different filters, at TSC, one rainy day, finally found one that matched up on the gasket diameter, and the thread. It was an import car motor oil filter. Cost me $8, if I remember right...