Sometimes You're Lucky- Tractor Repair

Lud · April 12, 2013, 09:50:07 AM

Back in early December I used my 57' Ford 841 Powermaster and my homebuilt arch to drag a big rock out of the field that had been dug up for me. I had the winch on tension even tho I'd chained the rock up and it seemed to be a hard pull to get it off the field.

Thereafter, the hydraulics weren't lifting as before. Sure the tractor was old but I needed it working right. So I got the manuals off of Amazon and started reading. The pump comes off the tractor and I couldn't remember if Dad or I had ever had it worked on (clear back to 59') so I got it rebuilt for a couple hundred and hoped that would cure the problem. It didn't..... It would lift at about half speed and with no strength. There was another problem. But it got us through the winter plowing, could'nt do any log hauling but when the snow risk went down , it was time to try again. Yesterday I was going to take another crack at it.

After much reading and internetting, the unloading valve was a suspect and I would have to take the whole top of the rear housing off to get at it. Fourteen bolts and break a gasket that hadn't been off in 50 years. I even numbered the bolt heads and took a few pics. I was able to use a manual winch to lift it off and get it on a cart. I was leary about taking all the valves apart. I was looking over the casing where it seperated and then I saw it. An O-ring had an eighth inch break in it. These were the major ports between pump and hydraulics and it must have been spraying internally.

Could that be the problem? Went and got 2 replacements for 5 bucks and reassembled, bled the air out of the lines, hooked up the heavy blade and it lifted like it used to!!

How lucky is that? But , learn the lesson too, First, do no harm, .......and, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! 8)