Case 442 minimal movement

[IBC]

I just started my recently put back together 1969 442, let it run for a minute or two then moved the lever forward and back to find it only moves slightly, I can hold the tractor from moving at all when engaging the lever.
Everything seems to be working fine on the directional valve, I have 4 qts of 15w40 and 1 qt of 10w30 in the hydraulics, 3qts of 10 w 30 in the transmission (rearend). The machine has been sitting in my shed disasembled for 18 years with no oil in the hydraulics at all, the fittings covered with tape. The union from the motor to the pump has play in it and seems to be missing the "spider". I never took the pump off the motor though and it moved fine 18 years ago. Ed

 

[Tom Arnold]

Without a spider in the LoveJoy, the coupler halves will quickly destroy each other. You can't have metal on metal.

18 years is a long time for a hydraulic system to sit in a dry state. Moisture in the air can cause things to rust, especially when the temperatures drop to the point where condensation takes place. If the gears in the pump became badly rusted, then the pump may not be capable of delivering the proper GPM and pressure.

If I were you, I'd buy a glycerin-filled 3000 PSI pressure gauge, some fittings and hose so I could connect to the drain port on the underside of the travel/lift valve. With the tractor chained to a good solid tree or some other immovable object, you can run the motor at wide open throttle and then advance the travel lever while watching the pressure guage.

If you can't get 2000 PSI showing on the guage, then you have a pump problem that will require buying a replacement pump.

 

[IBC]

Tom, took the pump off today and the lovejoy was running metal to worn metal with a worn and broken spider doing nothing.
The inside of the pump (looking in the ports) looked surprisingly clean and appeared to be meshing fine. Now that I've got the pump off do you think I can take it somewhere like Parker or Livingston Haven Hydraulic store and see if they can test it?
Before I took the pump off..... I jacked up the rearend, started the motor, revved it up and moved the lever to forward and reverse. The wheels turned but I could stop them with my hands, in Low and High range. Ed

 

[Tom Arnold]

Any hydraulics shop can test it on their flow bench and tell you in five minutes how close the pump comes to meeting the published specs.

Get that done, report back here with the results and we'll go from there.