45 loader bleeds down on 60

[Fred from MO]

Ok I am trouble shooting this here and I believe I have figured this out but wanted to run this by you all. My 45 loader has had the cylinders rebuilt a couple of years ago, so I don't think there are the problem. The loader is plumbed with a ball valve that allows me to fill the cylinders with oil, then shut the valve, holding the loader up, while I use the rockshafts hydrualics to do other work with the 3 pnt. I used to be able to keep this valve open too and the loader would maintain its fixed position (unless obviously I used the control rod to operate the hydraulics). Over time, when I leave this valve open the loader has slowly started dropping because the hydraulics are bleeding back down to the power trol unit. The bleed down rate has gotten worse over time to the point now that I have to fill the cylinders in the loader, shut the valve, just so I can move the tractor. The rockshafts wont stay up very long either. I don't have a pressure gage to stick in the line to check pressures, but I know they are low-they have to be. My guess is the oring in the main cylinder of the power trol unit is bad. See picture. I wish I would have replaced this when I had the back end off the tractor last summer when I took these pictures. Your thoughts? Thanks

 

[NW MO Poppers]

Also replace the gasket around the cast cylinder that is shown in the picture. It will show all the same symptoms as the packing o-rings itself, and you don't want to have to do it a third time... Not too bad of a job, but you have to take it all apart to do it.

 

[Mike M]

You can change that rockshaft cylinder o-ring without pulling the whole housing off. I did my 50 by pulling the valve box off and then pulling the piston out the back.

 

[Fred from MO]

Hey that sounds a lot simpler. Maybe I will try that route instead? Thanks!