Loader Help

[catldavis]

Hello everyone..I bought a Long 350 tractor that has a loader. I have very limited experience with tractors, and even less with a loader. One of the hydraulic hoses for the tractor was leaking so I need to replace the hoses. My question is, it appears the hydraulic reservoir is in one of the uprights? Could this be correct? How do I check and change the fluid?

 

[catldavis]

Hello everyone..I bought a Long 350 tractor that has a loader. I have very limited experience with tractors, and even less with a loader. One of the hydraulic hoses for the tractor was leaking so I need to replace the hoses. My question is, it appears the hydraulic reservoir is in one of the uprights? Could this be correct? How do I check and change the fluid? View attachment 131866

Hello everyone..I bought a Long 350 tractor that has a loader. I have very limited experience with tractors, and even less with a loader. One of the hydraulic hoses for the tractor was leaking so I need to replace the hoses. My question is, it appears the hydraulic reservoir is in one of the uprights? Could this be correct? How do I check and change the fluid? View attachment 131866

Hello everyone..I bought a Long 350 tractor that has a loader. I have very limited experience with tractors, and even less with a loader. One of the hydraulic hoses for the tractor was leaking so I need to replace the hoses. My question is, it appears the hydraulic reservoir is in one of the uprights? Could this be correct? How do I check and change the fluid? View attachment 131866

 

[Jim.ME]

The upright is the reservoir.

Different manufacturers used different methods to check the fluid level. Some had a dipstick attached to the fill plug in the top of the upright. Some had a level check plug somewhere in the side of the reservoir. Several pictures of the entire upright and loader valve on the right side (the one the hoses and filter are connected to) instead of the one on the left side, you posted, might have revealed a plug.

I would estimate the upright should be about 3/4 filled, you may be able to measure it with a wire through the fill/vent opening, which I am guessing is in or near the top.

 

[Tx Jim]

I agree with Jim.ME. While changing hose & hyd oil I'll also suggest to change FEL filter.

 

[catldavis]

The upright is the reservoir.

Different manufacturers used different methods to check the fluid level. Some had a dipstick attached to the fill plug in the top of the upright. Some had a level check plug somewhere in the side of the reservoir. Several pictures of the entire upright and loader valve on the right side (the one the hoses and filter are connected to) instead of the one on the left side, you posted, might have revealed a plug.

I would estimate the upright should be about 3/4 filled, you may be able to measure it with a wire through the fill/vent opening, which I am guessing is in or near the top.

Thanks for the info. There is a plug on the upright, down low. I looked at it closely, and I thought it might be welded in, but that doesn’t really make sense. I wonder if I should just put some serious strain on it to see if it will back out?

 

[Jim.ME]

Thanks for the info. There is a plug on the upright, down low. I looked at it closely, and I thought it might be welded in, but that doesn’t really make sense. I wonder if I should just put some serious strain on it to see if it will back out?

A level check plug would be halfway, or higher, up on the upright. No need to disturb that plug unless you want to drain it.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Trace the hoses. If the system is self-contained, the hose should go from the lowest point on that upright, to the pump, from the pump, up to the control valve, from the control valve, back to the upright.

I would expect the upright to be approximately 3/4 full of oil. You may need to use some creativity to check the oil level if there are no obvious level check or fill plugs higher up on the upright. That would be, close the ball valve on the suction line, disconnect the return line from the control valve, and once the initial "blurp" of oil comes out of the return line, hold it against the upright and keep moving it down until oil comes out.

I would also expect here to be a fill plug and or vent on the upright.

That low plug is the drain. If that were the level check plug, there would only be about a gallon of oil for the whole system, which is not nearly enough.

 

[catldavis]

There is a vent on the upright, high up. I’ll see if I can back that out and fill from there.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

There is a vent on the upright, high up. I’ll see if I can back that out and fill from there.

That's EXACTLY what that is for. If you're lucky it will have a dipstick on it, but if not you will have to figure out how far down to leave it, because when the oil heats up it will expand and overflow out the vent. Definitely DO NOT fill it right up to the top.

I suppose you could fill it right up to the vent, then run it and let it seek its own level, but that's messy...

 

[Martin Seebach]

Hello everyone..I bought a Long 350 tractor that has a loader. I have very limited experience with tractors, and even less with a loader. One of the hydraulic hoses for the tractor was leaking so I need to replace the hoses. My question is, it appears the hydraulic reservoir is in one of the uprights? Could this be correct? How do I check and change the fluid? View attachment 131866

Have a 75 300 Industrial and your inlet side looks a lot like mine including the ball valve. Yes the upright can be part of hydraulic reservoir. Some models have a big nut on bottom of frame member heading towards front. Others you can drain most from the filter below feet area. On ours the uprights are factory attached/welded so no bolt heads. Although the bolts won't do diddly plop with the welding behind, adjacent and in front of said bolt heads. One thing I've learned is how to pour s-l-o-w-l-y, mostly from soaking jeans with oil. A funny thing happened one day but I don't remember which hose cut loose. I got a warm oil shower, what a freakin' mess. Anyway, good luck, peace and out from California.

 

[catldavis]

As an update, I was able to get the lower plug and the vent plug out. I drained the vanilla milkshake out of it in preparation for new fluid.

Thank you everyone for all of your help.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Did you look underneath that post/ reservoir and see if there is a plug on the very bottom? Doesn't make much sense to leave a quart of water in there during an oil change....

 

[flying belgian]

There is a vent on the upright, high up. I’ll see if I can back that out and fill from there.

I would say that "vent" is the level plug. Check it with the loader down.

 

[showcrop]

I would want to drain it and get the water and rust off the bottom, then drain the water off annually by just loosening the plug.