guys ive been running this 540b for about 4 mos with no problems other than the blade speed was slower than my 440a. now it sounds like the hydraulics are labored. like its low on fluids but it isnt. when i start off it is barely noticeable but by the 3rd trip it has slowed everything.. i have changed all the fluid with hygard and new filters again, checked the high and low pressures on the pump and they both test great. i have noticed the brake pedal doesnt have much change once the engine starts.. any ideas guys???
Are you sure that the brakes are not the problem?
no, not sure. the brakes still stop the machine. i just cant remember if the pedal got easier to push once it starts (before issue). and the brake valve isnt getting warm..
When you changed the filters did you clean the transmission pump intake strainer screen? Could the transmission pump be going out ? I don't know much about 540B s, they have much more complicated hydraulics but on the 440B the trans pump sends oil to the main hydraulic pump.
Or maybe a relief valve is failing?
yes, intake screen is spotless. i checked the transmission charge pump and it has 70lbs idling and 100lbs hi idle.. well on hi side of deere specs.
Hmmm if the pressure is on the high side of specs check the fluid temp after it has been running hard and you are experiencing the symptoms. Maybe the pump is adjusted wrong and it is overheating the fluid...just a thought but it would explain your symptoms.
If it is running hot here is a link that talks about a pump being out of adjustment and causing heat. http://crossfluidpower.com/blog/3-common-causes-hydraulic-overheating (http://crossfluidpower.com/blog/3-common-causes-hydraulic-overheating)
the pump and cooler will warm up, im guessing to maybe 100 degrees (8-30 degrees out) and the oil on the dipstick is cold or very cool. brake and diff valve cold. im thinknig a bypass valve or relief valve? i have learned alot about this machine and still alot i dont know! haha
Quote from: thumper on December 27, 2015, 07:52:14 PM
yes, intake screen is spotless. i checked the transmission charge pump and it has 70lbs idling and 100lbs hi idle.. well on hi side of deere specs.
Isn't the transmission supposed to be in the 185psi range?
perhaps the trans is 185.. but the jd book here says pump inlet pressure 5-25 low idle and 80-115 hi idle and 2300-2400 on hi side.
Quote from: dnash on December 28, 2015, 06:26:59 PM
Quote from: thumper on December 27, 2015, 07:52:14 PM
yes, intake screen is spotless. i checked the transmission charge pump and it has 70lbs idling and 100lbs hi idle.. well on hi side of deere specs.
Isn't the transmission supposed to be in the 185psi range?
I was always told 185 high idle pressure
Quote from: cutter88 on December 28, 2015, 08:50:42 PM
I was always told 185 high idle pressure
Transmission pressure and pump inlet pressure are two different things and two different specs.
I hav a John Deere 540B that I recently bought. Seems to run fine at first but seems lik when the hydraulics warm up the blade and grappler all slow down. And the steering gets hard to turn. And ideals?
Check for sump screen or strainer plugging up.
Priority valve is sticking is my guess. Had the same issue on my 440, internal springs were all to spec but the body was worn and the gland would stick. Gutted it and the machine ran fine.
So to check the sump screen and strainer where do I look? And on the priority valve where would I look?
The priority valve was pretty much right behind the steering wheel on mine. Lines went to the brake, turn, and blade along with feed and case drain.
Would u happen to have a picture of it?
Mike where is the strainer screen at ur talkn about?
I have a 540A and there is a screen inside a tube (a flange with two 9/16 bolts) next to the right of the transmission hyd oil filter. you should get the books for your machine, they have helped me a tremendous amount.
Quote from: Tmg80 on September 25, 2021, 09:53:07 PM
Mike where is the strainer screen at ur talkn about?
i have never even drove a skidder. just giving generalized troubleshooting advice. a machine that plugs up in time is often a case of debris which settles in a hydraulic sump, then is slowly drawn up and blocked by a sump screen, which cuts flow and causes a pump to start cavitating and whining, worsening as you go because more and more debris is filling the strainer holes and lowering the flow into the gears which go under vacuum and start to squeel.
if youve got a sump screen, cross that possible fault off the list by checking. if you dont then its likely a low pressure condition cause by a short circuit bank to tank without doing work, downstream of the pump. this is basically an internal leak condition, not a dripping on the ground scenario. fluid bypassing its job because of some alternative route back to tank. priority valve internal issue would fit that description but i dont know your specific machine in any way. just general hydraulic principles.
I'm not sure on your skidder but on John Deere tractors of that vintage they are under where your feet are when sitting at the very bottom of the rearend housing and go in horizontal, plug is removed with a 1/2 ratchet I believe. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be along.
What kind of hydraulic fluid goes n a JD 540 skidder??
@snowstorm (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=12565) @Oliver05262 (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=24291)
https://jdparts.deere.com/partsmkt/unsecured/document/english/featbene/hygardsalesbrochure.pdf
Hygard is Deere's trade name for the hydraulic oil they specify. A number of suppliers make oils that they claim to meet that spec. In a newer machine with highly loaded components, it probably is advisable to stay with the manufacturer's oil, but in an older machine such as yours, perhaps not so much.
If the oil you choose says on the container that it meets Hygard specs it is probably a safe substitute. JD 303 is an older specification that you might want to take a pass on.
The friction modifiers in the Hygard spec oil work well with the wet brakes and the power shift clutches in the transmission. Problems with off-specification oils can be seen in grabby or noisy brakes and/or aggressive shifts in the tranny.
Can you even buy 303 any longer? It's not around here now. If you think Hyguard is pricey you don't want to be around my Super 70 when I break a hose, it calls for a special multi-viscosity oil with gold flakes in it or something, $300 a 5 gallon pail.
Nope.. 303 is all gone around here. Used to get it for $19 a pail in 2018 or so. Cheapest thing i can find now is $30ish.
I was just reading there's a class action suit going on in regards to 303 and the problems it created from using it.
Tractor Supply has it around here. It isn't good for a whole lot more than the AW32 or AW46 hydraulic oils, but people read the John Deere name on the labeling and use it where they shouldn't.
Quote from: Southside on October 08, 2021, 10:18:54 PMIf you think Hyguard is pricey you don't want to be around my Super 70 when I break a hose, it calls for a special multi-viscosity oil with gold flakes in it or something, $300 a 5 gallon pail.
Hyguard is actually cheap here, 95$ a bucket (5gal), i put Mobil DTE Exel 68 in my excavator, last time it was 1400$ a drum (140$ a bucket)