L1200 loader issues after replacing hose

[chriscraw]

I have a L1200 loader on my L245DT that had some really nasty rotted hoses. I was clearing snow this spring and one for the loader bucket tilt finally sprung a leak. I parked the tractor for a couple months, and recently replaced all 7 hoses between the controls and pump, as well as the bad one on the bucket (the rest on the bucket looked OK). I made sure to labeled them all and took pictures, everything is back in the same place. Then I topped off fluid, cycled the hydraulics for several minutes to try and get any air out, and made sure fluid levels are still good.

Now that it's back together, the loader is really weak. The bucket arm only goes up about half way, and the bucket tilt barely does anything but clunk a little. I can convince the bucket arm and/or bucket tilt to move if I add slight pressure to the other lever, (in addition to fully opening the lever for the operation I'm trying to use). But even still, operating like that, it's very weak, and won't pick up a bucket more than half full of wood chips. Before this all started it was strong enough to lift the tractor. 3pt hitch hydraulics are still very strong, and PTO is working fine.

Any thing else I should try?

Some pictures of how it's set up...

Controls:

Pump:

Bucket:

 

[woodman55]

Does the main pressure line flex when you try to raise the boom ? I think you have it labeled as #4. If it does try to move then that indicates it is pressurizing, which is good. In which case you must have two lines swapped, if it does not, then it is on the pump side of things.
Also see if any of the other lines flex when you try to move something.

 

[chriscraw]

Yes, #4 (labelled IN on controls) does flex. I tried swapping the #2 and #3 (labelled OUT on controls), but that seemed to make things worse.

 

[TheOldHokie]

Yes, #4 (labelled IN on controls) does flex. I tried swapping the #2 and #3 (labelled OUT on controls), but that seemed to make things worse.

Number 3 is tank return and goes to fitting on top of transmission
Number 2 is pressure return (power beyond) back to tractor.
Number 4 on valve is pressure IN from tractor.

First thing you need to do is verify that plumbing.. Number 4 should go to front port on hydraulic outlet and number 2 on valve to the rear port. Diagram below is for the L1730 loader but it shows the port assignments on the L245 hydraulic outlet block.

Dan

 

[woodman55]

I am thinking the four going out to the cylinders may be mixed up. Each set in line with a control handle, should go to a set of cylinders. Looking at your picture, the inner two should go to the boom cyls and the other two to the bucket cyls.

 

[chriscraw]

You're absolutely correct! I feel like an idiot. My paint marker writing was so bad that the D looked like an A, and I had them in backwards. It's working great now.

Thanks for talking me through my stupidity!!

 

[woodman55]

You're absolutely correct! I feel like an idiot. My paint marker writing was so bad that the D looked like an A, and I had them in backwards. It's working great now.

Thanks for talking me through my stupidity!!

Awesome. You are by no means the only person to do that, including fully trained experienced mechanics.