Dan in North Houston
Member
I recently picked up a JD 830 (3 cylinder) as I needed a small utility tractor with a horizontal muffler for bush-hogging near trees, mowing near the stock
tanks, etc. It is a 74 model, hours unknown, good tinwork and rear tires, fair maintenance. I bought it from the son of the original buyer. I like it because
it has no plastic or computers, and relatively easy to work on. It will need an in-frame overhaul, but I want to get some other bugs worked out and make sure
there are no other major problems that need addressed during that major project.
I've already replaced the load shaft & seals, finally got that leak stopped, thanks to the help I got here earlier. By the way, I drained the hydraulic fluid
(slightly milky, but not too bad), cleaned the screen (surprised that it was not very clogged at all), and replaced the filter. I had a slight leak around the
PTO seal, so replaced it, and while that was open, cleaned out the bottom of the housing as best as I could. There was some sediment at the bottom, but
considering the age of the tractor and assuming it has probably never been touched, it was not bad at all. Got out about a half a cup of sediment overall.
Now for the hydraulic problems.
1) Steering column needs new seals, leaks out the top. u-tube videos show it to be a relatively straight forward project, probably biggest problem will be
getting the steering wheel off. Steering is hard at low rpm but generally - but not always - very light at higher rpm.
2) At startup, 3 pt hitch is usually non-responsive for several seconds - you raise the quadrant lever, but nothing happens for a while. This gets better as
tractor warms up, usually works normally but occasionally it does lag. I've mowed several acres with it and the 3 pt responds normally most of the time.
3) If you leave the bush hog raised and shut it off, the 3 pt holds it up very well - It takes several days to leak down.
4) Setting at an idle with bush hog raised, it occasionally tries to pick it back up like it has leaked down slightly. If it is leaking down, it is too slight
to notice. This is almost a random event, usually holds it up steady with no problem
I had hoped that the hydraulic fluid clean out and new filters would help the problem, but it made no difference. Is this pointing to a hydraulic pump problem,
or perhaps something in the 3 pt linkage worn or out of adjustment? Of course the steering column leaks are due to worn seals, but I am assuming that the hard
steering at low rpm is a worn seal problem also. This tractor has the dual hydraulic pump setup where there is a larger pump for the hydraulics, and a smaller
pump on top of that for steering. There is no filter at the pump, as is found on some JD setups. Any comments welcomed.
tanks, etc. It is a 74 model, hours unknown, good tinwork and rear tires, fair maintenance. I bought it from the son of the original buyer. I like it because
it has no plastic or computers, and relatively easy to work on. It will need an in-frame overhaul, but I want to get some other bugs worked out and make sure
there are no other major problems that need addressed during that major project.
I've already replaced the load shaft & seals, finally got that leak stopped, thanks to the help I got here earlier. By the way, I drained the hydraulic fluid
(slightly milky, but not too bad), cleaned the screen (surprised that it was not very clogged at all), and replaced the filter. I had a slight leak around the
PTO seal, so replaced it, and while that was open, cleaned out the bottom of the housing as best as I could. There was some sediment at the bottom, but
considering the age of the tractor and assuming it has probably never been touched, it was not bad at all. Got out about a half a cup of sediment overall.
Now for the hydraulic problems.
1) Steering column needs new seals, leaks out the top. u-tube videos show it to be a relatively straight forward project, probably biggest problem will be
getting the steering wheel off. Steering is hard at low rpm but generally - but not always - very light at higher rpm.
2) At startup, 3 pt hitch is usually non-responsive for several seconds - you raise the quadrant lever, but nothing happens for a while. This gets better as
tractor warms up, usually works normally but occasionally it does lag. I've mowed several acres with it and the 3 pt responds normally most of the time.
3) If you leave the bush hog raised and shut it off, the 3 pt holds it up very well - It takes several days to leak down.
4) Setting at an idle with bush hog raised, it occasionally tries to pick it back up like it has leaked down slightly. If it is leaking down, it is too slight
to notice. This is almost a random event, usually holds it up steady with no problem
I had hoped that the hydraulic fluid clean out and new filters would help the problem, but it made no difference. Is this pointing to a hydraulic pump problem,
or perhaps something in the 3 pt linkage worn or out of adjustment? Of course the steering column leaks are due to worn seals, but I am assuming that the hard
steering at low rpm is a worn seal problem also. This tractor has the dual hydraulic pump setup where there is a larger pump for the hydraulics, and a smaller
pump on top of that for steering. There is no filter at the pump, as is found on some JD setups. Any comments welcomed.
