L225 3 point hitch

[kbeatty-L225]

I recently purchased an L225 with 3000 hours on it. This is my first tractor so I am asking this with limited tractor experience and first hand knowledge!

I believe I am having a failure with my 3 point. It raises and lowers fine without load but when it has any weight hung from it, it will not lift.

For example I have a 4 inch posthole auger from Everything Attachments that has never successfully augured a hole because it just corkscrews into the ground as there is no resistance offered by the hitch. I have had to dig the auger out on each of the 4 posts I tried to set.

I have a boom pole that I connect to it and tried to use it to pull some metal fence posts from the ground. It failed but I was able to pull the posts by hand with little effort.

When I apply lifting pressure with the 3 point hitch it makes an unpleasant whining sound and does nothing when there is more than a few pounds to lift. I have checked the hydraulic fluid and it is full. The tractor was completely serviced by a Kubota dealer before I bought it.

Suggestions? Does the pump need rebuilt? I do not have access to tools to check the pressures of the hydraulics.

Thank you for any input.

 

[meanjean]

Call the dealer.
Hopefully they can offer some sort of warranty.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Doubt it will be under warranty, the L225 was built in the late 70's and that warranty has long expired!

 

[kbeatty-L225]

Yep, that warranty has long since expired but I do appreciate that you took the time to make a suggestion. I really appreciate that.

I did check the fluid level and it is full. Is it worth draining all the fluid to check the screen filter?

Also, I have noticed that when I lower the hitch it drops a couple inches "free fall" before it appears the hydraulics catch the implement and lower it smoothly. When I raise the hitch it "jumps" after a moment of stall. The lift capacity seems greater some days than others but that might be in my imagination.

Any other thoughts for me to consider? I appreciate your attention to my problem.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Any idea when the hydraulic fluid was changed? Maybe be a thing of needing fresh fluids and thats why its weak.

 

[kbeatty-L225]

Any idea when the hydraulic fluid was changed? Maybe be a thing of needing fresh fluids and thats why its weak.

The hydraulic oil was replaced immediately prior to my taking possession of the tractor. It was replaced by a certified Kubota dealer with Kubota oil.

Is it possible that air is getting introduced into the system some way? I think it is an important clue that the implement "free-falls" for a moment before the hydraulics take control. Even if I completely close the valve that controls the rate of fall for the hitch, the hitch still drops a bit when I move the hitch lever to the drop position. When using a boom pole or auger, the implement drops several inches before the hydraulic pressure "catches" and the implement continues to fall at a controlled drop rate.

Thanks for your sharing your ideas with me.

 

[hodge]

If a dealership serviced the hydraulic system, they should have checked the pickup screen- if they didn't, they should go back and do it.
I would bet that they did clean it. I doubt that is your problem.

 

[kbeatty-L225]

I would bet that they did clean it. I doubt that is your problem.

That was my thought as well. I guess I was grasping at straws. I really do not know where to go from here.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[olthumpa]

Do you have a front end loader on the L225? If you do check the priority valve. Also check the pressure relief valve to make sure it isn't sticking and releases at the appropriate pressure.

I had this same problem and it was caused by the priority valve sticking.

 

[kbeatty-L225]

Do you have a front end loader on the L225? If you do check the priority valve. Also check the pressure relief valve to make sure it isn't sticking and releases at the appropriate pressure.

I had this same problem and it was caused by the priority valve sticking.

Unfortunately I do not have a front end loader with this tractor. I would guess the priority valve is only installed on a tractor with front end hydraulics. Is that correct? If I have a priority valve and you give me some idea where to look for it I will certainly check it out!

Is the pressure relief valve the valve I refer to that actually holds the 3 point in place when screwed down? On my tractor it looks like an outdoor water valve.

If so, it behaves very strangely. I have to turn it many turns before it begins to close to "trap the fluid" to hold the implement. But when I open the valve to release the pressure I have to turn it many turns before the valve feels like it moves internally and the implement begins to drop. I can then control the rate of drop with just a partial turn of the valve. Of course my control is very limited because it is so touchy to adjustment after the initial several (many) turns.

Thank you for jumping in and joining this conversation. Your input is very helpful to me.

 

[olthumpa]

Unfortunately I do not have a front end loader with this tractor. I would guess the priority valve is only installed on a tractor with front end hydraulics. Is that correct? If I have a priority valve and you give me some idea where to look for it I will certainly check it out!

Is the pressure relief valve the valve I refer to that actually holds the 3 point in place when screwed down? On my tractor it looks like an outdoor water valve.

If so, it behaves very strangely. I have to turn it many turns before it begins to close to "trap the fluid" to hold the implement. But when I open the valve to release the pressure I have to turn it many turns before the valve feels like it moves internally and the implement begins to drop. I can then control the rate of drop with just a partial turn of the valve. Of course my control is very limited because it is so touchy to adjustment after the initial several (many) turns.

Thank you for jumping in and joining this conversation. Your input is very helpful to me.

On the l225 I believe that the over pressure relief and flow priority valve are located under the left side of the seat where your high pressure line from the hyd pump enters the trans.

The valve that you are referring to, if I understand you correctly is located directly under the front of your seat and is used to control the amount of pressure supplied to the piston that raises and lowers the 3pt hitch. This is used to compensate for the different weights of implements you attach to the 3pt hitch. You decrease the pressure to prevent a light implement from slamming to the top when raising it and increase the pressure in order to be able to raise a heave implement and prevent it from slamming to the ground when lowering it.

It is possible that the seals in the piston are warn allowing fluid to leak past them not allowing enough pressure to build up to lift the 3pt hitch and need to be replaced.

Just a thought. Good luck.

 

[Battered Sav]

The valve in front of the seat is to control the 'drop' to accommodate different weights of the implements.
My 225 has always had initial freefall drop of a couple inches when lowering an implement.

When trying to lift something heavy (an auger loaded with dirt for instance) there is a very noticable whine from the hydraulic system as you described.
There have only been a couple of occasions when it wouldn't lift the auger out of the hole and that usually involved a rock poking out the side of the hole.
Yours sounds as though maybe there is a pressure valve letting off a little early, I'll have to check the manual when I get home to see if it has anything to offer.

As a little tip, when the auger gets stuck in a hole, use a pipe wrench to 'uncrew' the auger out of the hole, seems a bit easier than digging it out.

 

[kbeatty-L225]

All the suggestions given me are every helpful and I am very appreciative of each!

Recently the tractor has developed a new problem that must be linked to the 3 point hitch failure. It began making clicking sounds in the rear axle every once in a while, followed in a few days by a significant hydraulic leak in the rear axle on the left side of the tractor. The hydraulic fluid shoots from the axle seal or what I believe to be a seal.

I will post photos very soon so you can see what I mean.

So, does it make sense that the problems are related? Hydraulic pressure leaking off of an unseen seal failure that later blew and became very noticeable?