I have a L3240 HST and a ways back I was losing power when the hitch was fully raised. I stepped the fully raised position forward and the problem was gone. It seems lately that I have had to cut even further back on the lever to keep from losing power. First of all, what is going on...and then, how do I fix it?
lost power when hitch fully raised
- Thread starter Tuckler
- Start date
North Idaho Wolfman
Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
Most likely a feed back adjustment issue.
If you get the WSM (Workshop Service Manual) it will explain completely how to adjust the linkage properly.
WSM for L3240HST P/N 9Y121-00052
WSM for L3240HST-3 P/N 9Y121-03690
If you get the WSM (Workshop Service Manual) it will explain completely how to adjust the linkage properly.
WSM for L3240HST P/N 9Y121-00052
WSM for L3240HST-3 P/N 9Y121-03690
On one side of the lift arms, there is a rod with a turnbuckle. The turnbuckle is the adjustment.
The adjustment is such that the lift arms should have about 3/4" of "free travel". Meaning, with the lift lever pulled all the way to "up", you should be able to move the lift arms upward another 3/4" by hand, by lifting up on the arms themselves. That is called free play, or free travel.
You'll adjust the feedback rod's turnbuckle until you achieve that free play. Then lock it back down.
It is all in the WSM, as stated....and my 3/4" specification may be off a little...so better check.
What is happening is that either the lift lever is bent slightly, or the linkage has come loose at some point, or perhaps even bent a little. When the lift lever is pulled to "up", the lift arms travel upwards. The feedback rod is telling the position control valve that I'm not to the top yet. The cylinders bottom out, can't travel any further, but since the feedback rod isn't adjusted properly, the position control valve still thinks that it's not up yet...and keeps applying hydraulic pressure to the cylinders trying to lift them up a little further. But they can't so the hydraulic fluid is "dead headed", which puts a big load on the pump, pump driven by the engine, and engine's working harder, which takes power away from, say, a mower or other implement-or the transmission itself.
leaving it like that, where oil is dead-headed, overheats the pump, the fluid, and eventually leads to failure...or in the case of the M8540 I have in the shop, multiple failures.
More specifically the feedback rod and the lift lever need to be synchronized. The lift lever does not have an adjustment externally, so it has to be done with the feedback rod's turnbuckle. If anyone's had the cover off of the top of the transmission and had a looksee underneath it, and how the lift lever is connected to the position control valve, and then how the position control valve is connected to the feedback linkage, it will then become more obvious how it all works in sync with each other.
The adjustment is such that the lift arms should have about 3/4" of "free travel". Meaning, with the lift lever pulled all the way to "up", you should be able to move the lift arms upward another 3/4" by hand, by lifting up on the arms themselves. That is called free play, or free travel.
You'll adjust the feedback rod's turnbuckle until you achieve that free play. Then lock it back down.
It is all in the WSM, as stated....and my 3/4" specification may be off a little...so better check.
What is happening is that either the lift lever is bent slightly, or the linkage has come loose at some point, or perhaps even bent a little. When the lift lever is pulled to "up", the lift arms travel upwards. The feedback rod is telling the position control valve that I'm not to the top yet. The cylinders bottom out, can't travel any further, but since the feedback rod isn't adjusted properly, the position control valve still thinks that it's not up yet...and keeps applying hydraulic pressure to the cylinders trying to lift them up a little further. But they can't so the hydraulic fluid is "dead headed", which puts a big load on the pump, pump driven by the engine, and engine's working harder, which takes power away from, say, a mower or other implement-or the transmission itself.
leaving it like that, where oil is dead-headed, overheats the pump, the fluid, and eventually leads to failure...or in the case of the M8540 I have in the shop, multiple failures.
More specifically the feedback rod and the lift lever need to be synchronized. The lift lever does not have an adjustment externally, so it has to be done with the feedback rod's turnbuckle. If anyone's had the cover off of the top of the transmission and had a looksee underneath it, and how the lift lever is connected to the position control valve, and then how the position control valve is connected to the feedback linkage, it will then become more obvious how it all works in sync with each other.
coachgeo
Well-known member
Equipment
L225 w/woods Few Mowers & Back Blade, D722 in Motorcycle (Triumph Tiger), LMTV
Thanks Lugbolt.
ON my old L225 It's a rod and you adjust by moving a stop on the rod. the stop's set screw was seized so I just removed Rod and now use common sense along with careful use of the lever. Will probably kill myself soon due to this.
North Idaho Wolfman
Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
Thanks Lug bolt for the play by play, I was extremely busy today and didn't have the exact answer in front of me.
Thanks very much LUGBOLT, that was very informative and I think I can solve the issue. When I would have the lift bar pulled all the way back, I lost power to the tractor just as I would if I was driving down the road and raising the bucket at the same time. The turn buckle was cranked all the way up for scraping my drive and though I haven't been outdoors yet, I am quite sure there is no play in the lift arm. I understand the dynamics of the problem and will make sure I don't put undo strain on the hydraulics in the future.
This forum has been very instructive in the past and will be in the future I'm quite sure.
I was beginning to think I had accidentally gotten on a "Field and Stream" forum.....and I don't even fish.
This forum has been very instructive in the past and will be in the future I'm quite sure.
I was beginning to think I had accidentally gotten on a "Field and Stream" forum.....and I don't even fish.
North Idaho Wolfman
Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
Tuckler,
I don't think your talking about the same turn buckle, I think your thinking top link.
Here's a picture of the adjustment for the feed back.
Lugbolt said turn buckle, but it's more of an eye bolt setup on that model.
I don't think your talking about the same turn buckle, I think your thinking top link.
Here's a picture of the adjustment for the feed back.
Lugbolt said turn buckle, but it's more of an eye bolt setup on that model.
Attachments
I took the box blade off and lowered the turn buckle on the right side of the hitch. With the lever pulled all the way back I still had play in the hitch and I don't seem to be losing power to the tractor. I will investigate the other turnbuckle that has been described and see if there is any adjustment needed there. Thanks for the help.......better than a service manual and I still don't fish.