Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
Picked up a '67 550 Oliver four or five years ago, everything working great except the front end loader no longer goes down. No specs on loader anywhere....has two one way cylinders and a cable to dump bucket. Lifts just fine, but had to turn off to lower bucket...now it keeps going up very slowly when running. Suspect the controler unit is leaking around O rings or something similar..anyone ever seen or heard of a comparable loader or controler problem. Would sure like to have some controler specs before tearing into it...but no lables/plate on it anywhere...
Thanks
 

I don't think it is a factory loader....I know what you mean about the one's that run off of a forward PTO sort of arrangement, this one has a controller on the fender to the right of the driver and hoses run down the hyrdaulic pump under the seat...please see picture. Thanks.
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Have added a couple of pictures....am pretty well convinced that the problem is in the controller as it goes down nicely with the engine off...but will not go down at all with the engine running and in fact slowly goes up a bit...just would like to have some sort of schematic or diagram before tearing into the darn thing.
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I know its your preference but please consider taking the yellow away. That old girl deserves better than that.

In all seriousness though, it sounds like the hoses are plumbed to the hydraulic unit itself or are they hooked to remotes?
 
OH I am going to have SO much fun painting this 1020 Deere of mine Meadow Green and Clover White and putting Oliver 1255 decals on it! Revenge is sweet!
 
Can you get a picture from the other side showing where the hoses are connected to the tractor and of the valve itself?
 
Tractor came with the Deer colors.....NOT my preference...not sure the previous owner even knew it was not a Deer. Really is a pretty decent paint job...if you can get past the color choices...so repainting it has been a low priority. Hoping to replace salt water in tires with anti-freeze this winter and will repaint wheels then.
Hoses come right out of the tractor's hydraulic pump and run to the control and back to the tractor... controller has only four lines...the two going to and from the tractor's pump/system and then one hose to each side of the front end loader, e.g, no return line from the loader hydraulic cylinders...... the controler only has two levers...one to each cylinder...pull back on both and bucket goes up...used to be if you pushed down, the pressure released and gravity lowered the bucket depending on how hard/long you pushed....no markings on controler either... was just hoping someone might recognize the loader...and everyone would ignore the paint job... thanks for the interest will get pictures of hoses and controlers tommorrow....
 
Can you get a picture? I can't figure where those hoses and coming in and out of the tractor. As far as a lever for each cylinder? What kind of nut job was the guy who cobbled that up? At the very least both cylinders should work off one lever with a T in the hoses.
 
I agree with your analysis of the controller setup... but now you know why I was hoping to find someone who recognized this arrangement or I could get some idea what to expect when I tore into this thing........ recently rebuilt the Marvel Schebler TSX-811 this thing, so am not afraid of challenges....this thing just appears to be more magic than engineering... will get/post pics tomorrow afternoon/evening...thanks for the interest.
 
So you have each cylinder plumbed separately. Each has its own lever. You have a loader moving up so you are putting more fluid into the cylinders to move them. Somewhere you are building pressure.
I'll let the experts chime in but I bet it will involve a pressue guage.
 
Hopefully these pictures will explain what I am dealing with...the only markings on the controller are IN and OUT. The lines attached to the two lower fittings lead back to the tractor and appear to be 1/2" or 5/8" fittings. There are two 3/8" hoses coming out of the top of the controller and each runs directly to a cylinder on the loader arms. Pushing the single lever lifts the bucket. Pulling on the lever used to release pressure and bucket went down. Now it will not go down unless you turn the tractor off...suspect maybe leaking O rings or something, but would sure help if I had some diagram/schematic of the controller before I tear it apart as have never seen a setup like this before. Please see close up picture of controller, might help explain what I have.
 
Wait a minute. If you read what I wrote before I edited it,don't pay any attention. I looked at the picture again,that was all wrong. I honestly don't see how that ever worked. And you say it did though?

What's happening there is that if you have single acting cylinders (no down pressure,one hose to each cylinder and only at the bottom),when you raise it,you're putting pressure to one cylinder,then when you try to let it down,you're putting pressure to the other.

You need to put a pipe plug in the top port closest to you and a pipe T in the other and plumb it so both cylinders are getting oil from the same port. Hook both hoses to the T. You don't need a return to the valve,when you push the lever it will let the oil from the cylinders back in through the valve.
 
(quoted from post at 06:36:06 10/19/13)
I wonder why a new coupler to one cylinder? Also two hoses hooked to the bottom?

I had a hose start leaking really bad at one of the crimped fittings...when i went to take the old hose off, I found both ends of the hose were actually fixed...e.g., neither end had any sort of swivel fitting..not sure how it was ever put on in the first place....so i cut the old hose off and put a quick disconnect fitting on the end connecting to the controller to make putting new hose on easierpossibe. The two bottom hoses connect to the controller ports labeled IN and OUT and run back to the tractor's hydraulic ports just under the seat...in the configuration picture one of them has a six inch or so loop in it... I assume one provides pressurized fluid and the other is the return line.
 

You described the setup perfectly...one hose to each cylinder...push lever and up the bucket goes....lifted some big stuff, too... never really went down well unless you had significant weight on it, otherwise it would just go down nice and slow...with only the buck weight, it was actually very slow...but it did go down...now it does NOT go down at all and in fact sort of creeps upward real slow...only way to lower the bucket now is to shut tractor off and then when you pull the lever the bucket goes down as fast as you want it to...
Understand what you are saying about blocking one port and running both cylinders off the other port... even if the controller is designed to work two cylinders simultaineously, that seems like a good fix....and maybe if there is a problem with an internal o ring or such, maybe one port will let the bucket drop better than the other...just really hate the thought of tearing something apart that handles that much pressure not knowing what it should look like inside... Thank, will try replumbing the outlets tomorrow!!!
 
Those 2 ports aren't made to run 2 cylinders at the same time. It's made to run a 2 way cylinder. One port raises,the other port is down pressure on the same cylinder. If you had two way cylinders on the loader,you would need a T on both ports. One side to the bottom of both cylinders,the other one to the top of both cylinders.

It CAN'T work the way it's hooked. You're raising one side of the loader moving the lever one way,the other side of the loader when you move it the other way.

The more I think about it though,I'd put the plug in the port away from you and the T in the one closest to you. I THINK that will let it raise when you pull,lower when you push. Don't mess with the hoses in and out of the sides of the valve going to and from the tractor,those look right. Just change the ones in the top like I said to.

Whoever sold that thing to you needs to be horse whipped. I sure hope they haven't cobbled anything else in the tractor they way that loader valve is cobbled.
 
I agree, but were would the oil from the pump go during the lowering cycle if you plug one out let? creating heat.[u:da03c72c00]Over the relief valve [/u:da03c72c00] Best to tee that port into the return line to the tractor reservoir, (out hose on the control valve)and tee the the two cylinders together, as rrlund suggested.
 

The front end loader was always slow coming down...and has gradually gotten slower and slower coming down to the point it does not come down at all now until you shut the engine off, basically turning off the hydraulic pump and letting the oil drain back to the tractor sump.... Both of the hoses to the cylinders would have had to have been providing pressure to the cylinders because I lifted some huge loads of dirt, firewood, etc., and if they both were not providing roughly the same pressure seems like the whole frame would have bent itself to pieces..... It has always worked going up just fine....I am thinking that both lines out of the top are pressure AND drain lines depending on which way the lever is moved...but maybe there are some "O" rings worn out or junk blocking the drain holes somehow that is creating too much pressure to allow the lines to drain while the pump is actually running now days... Do you think that might be possible?
 
There are no return lines to plumb. When you move the lever to the down position,it opens the port and lets the oil return,simple as that. He has to T those hoses and put a plug in the other hole,simple as that.
 
Plumb it like I told you. There's nothing on that valve but notches in the spool that mover over the holes where the hoses are hooked.

Do you want me to post a link to this on another forum so others can see it if you think I'm wrong?
 

Have never seen anything like this before so was just trying to explore all possible options before tearing into this thing... Appreciate your expertise, will replumb it with a T fitting as you suggested... thanks for the help...
 
Looking at your pictuers, and description of the problem, I think you gotta put a t in the line between cylinders. Feed both cylinders off the same port on the valve. Plug off second port.
That"s how my JD/New Idea - Horn works. rrlund is the local Oliver expert. Forgot more"n I"ll ever know "bout "em. Listen to him.
 
One thing that comes to mind is that valve might be an old three way valve, meaning only one port has pressure and the other is return only. IF it is a three way valve the cylinder hooked to the 'return' or forward port on the top of the valve never did do anything. I have one of those old valves in the store room and it looks physically just like this one in the pic.

Edit, maybe I should add if it's a three way or single acting valve the front port should be plugged. It should be plugged if it's a four way (or two way, whatever you want to call it) valve the front port should also be plugged, usually a 1/2" pipe plug will do the job. if you don't plug it you'll shoot oil up into the sky when you push the lever ahead. Jim
 
rrlund,IF that is a two way valve??,then he will have to plumb the return(down) side of valve back to the sump or else he will be having pressure that can't get away.IF it is a one way valve then no problem as you say.
 
Like the man says, single action cylinder have to be run off the same outlet of that valve. T them together. Some control valves similar to that one have a plug inside them you take out when using it on single action cylinders so the pump is not dead headed (working under pressure) when you lower the cylinder. If that plug is out then you would not build pressure in that direction and that might be why it seemed to work hook that way at one time. Anyway, hook both cylinders together on same hose and let her rip.
 
It is plumbed for the returning oil. Look at the pictures. The oil that comes back through the hoses going to the cylinders goes back to the tractor reservoir through the return hose coming from the "out" side of the valve. He has a hose coming from the "pressure" port of his power beyond and the return line from the other side of the valve going back in to the sump. He has that part correct. That's why I told him not to mess with the hoses going in and out of the sides of the valve.
 
You are maybe right,but unless that valve can be changed switched inside like pete23 said,that is a double acting valve with pressure to both ports and needs(should have)a pressure (return line)on that unused port because the pump is trying to put oil someplace it can't go.The loader will go down fine like you are saying,but if that other port is still powered,he still has a problem unless that valve has a float position,then forget what I said because your idea will work fine.
 
Run one hose from the bottom of one cylinder to the bottom of the other cylinder. At that cylinder put a "T" fitting. Connect one hose from that "T" to the port on a new control valve designed for one way cylinder operation (cheap). The valve you have is for 2 way action (push pull) and will not be satisfactory for one way use. Jim
 
Jim, I thought about mentioning running one hose down from the valve and teeing off at one cylinder but I didn't want to add to the confusion. LOL. If this is a double acting valve one of the top ports, my choice is the front one, could have a hose running to a tee in the line going back to reservoir so the oil would have somewhere to go when that port is pressurized while the lever is pushed ahead to lower the loader. This would save from squealing the relief valve every time the loader is lowered. The fittings would cost half the price of a new single acting valve and besides, it'd be even more complicated so for this case it's probably not a wise choice.

I still have a slight suspicion this is already a single acting valve. If it is, the loader would be twisting and jerking when it's raised. Jim
 
That valve looks likea Gresen model 300. Notice the pipe plug above the valves spool. If so, the rear port needs to be plugged. A model 300 is only made to run a single acting cylinder. The spool is machined on one end along with the internal passage blocked by that plug to allow the flow to go to tank. There is also a plastic check ball that goes in there but it probably has been close to 15 years since I looked at one. Look real hard for some casting numbers or letters. I am out of town and can look in my Gresen parts list when I get back home. J.
 
I can see what you and fixerupper are saying,but let's get the loader working before we totally confuse him. The relief valve will bypass the oil. Once it's working,let him post about the squeal when he lets it down,then we can get in to putting a T in the return line and running a hose from the other top port.
 
While I agee with rrlund and others that this thing seems cobbled in the way it was plumbed originally; the fact is that it did work that way for several years.

Out of curiousity did this problem happen immediately after you installed that quick coupler in your one pic when you made that hose repair?

If yes, then my guess is that the ball in the Pioneer quick could be acting like a check valve. Some of those quick coupler fittings are only designed to flow one direction. Simply exchange the fittings. In other words move the Pioneer male to the female location and move the Pioneer female to male location and see if operation returns to normal. This switch is easy and will take less than 5 minutes. If it still does not work properly, but your symptoms change from current status in some way then my guess would be to eliminate that quick coupler and install a simple union there that will allow flow in both directions like you had before.

If the problem did not happen when those fittings were installed then disregard my recommendation entirely and re-plumb as instructed by the other guys posting in this thread - your are lucky in that several knowledgeable people are posting replies.
 
Bought tractor in summer of 1999...bucket has always gone up fine. I always thought it went down slower than it should but things were working so I left it alone. Bucket started going down slower and slower over the years...hard to back track to a time line, but the more I think about it am pretty sure it really got worse when I blew that hose and put that quick disconnect in because I remember being concerned that it might be a result of getting air trapped in the system and I needed to bleed it off some how....never did figure out how to do that other than leaking some/fluid and air out of the furthest fitting from the controller.
I think you may have hit the nail on the head....perhaps getting rid of the quick disconnect AND rebuilding the controller are the answer. Controller has the horizontal lines of the Gresson 300 that was mentioned, need to remove a half inch of paint to see if I can find any other marking so I can get a diagram and rebuild kit... Wow, this is great..sure wish I could get on this ASAP, but have some medical stuff scheduled for this week...going to be a long week waiting for tests results AND waiting to check out this theory on the dang thing...thanks for the second, third, fourth, fifth, etc., sets of eyes and all the recommendations...sure know a whole lot more about hydraulics than I when I started out. Thanks a lot to all, will let you all know the final chapter.....
 
Wayne,WHY are you so intent on opening the valve up until you replumb your cylinders like rrund said and see what you have then.You are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill.15-20 mins.work and you will know.
 
This whole post has been a good on-topic discussion about hydraulics on a TRACTOR, of all things. I've enjoyed every minute of it. I think all of us would like to meet at the site where the tractor actually sits, with our wrenches in hand. Jim
 

Certainly did not mean to offended anyone. Tractor and front end loader has always and is still going up just fine, no twisting or jerking, etc.... Mr. Lund was pretty clear that there was no way that it could work at all the way it was plumbed with the type of valve he presumed it to be. It has been getting worse and worse about going DOWN over the years but still goes up, and lifts huge loads, just fine. So reading all the comments....my thought was I may well have two problems...the quick disconnect may be in backwards. Got it at Tractor Supply and do not recall seeing any sort of installation directions/guide..seems like it may have been the last one and stapled shut if I remember right...if it is and when I reverse it, it starts going down again...really, really slow like it was before it stopped going down at all....well, strikes me the next step would be getting a rebuild kit....and if that does not work, probably replace the controller. Just my thought process....certainly didn't mean to appear to be unappreciative...again, my thanks to all and my apologies to anyone that has taken any offense.
 
On most valves of that type, the spool and valve body are a matched pair, and not repairable, only seals, "O" rings and springs can be replaced. My only suggestion is to remove the end cap, opposite the handle end, and check for rust, and corrosion of the centering spring as that could cause the spool not to center and not let it (the spool) move far enough to allow normal lowering speed. Otherwise just replace the valve. What you need is shown on the link below.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200311691_200311691
 
Wayne, you can buy a swivel fitting to put in there in place of the Pioneer coupling if you have a hose that doesn't have swivel ends. It's just a little fitting with male threads on one end and female on the other and it swivels. It's cheaper than a Pioneer, gives a lot less trouble, doesn't impede flow, and it isn't prone to dripping and leaking. Jim


edit; I looked at the pic of the valve again and there is a swivel at the valve on one of the hoses coming up from the pump/reservoir. Get one of those and put the Pioneer coupling on the shelf somewhere. I still can't figure out how that thing works if it's plumbed at the bottom of the cylinders the way I think it is.
 
Some times you just have to walk away. Years ago fellow calls me out to his corn planter hooked up to his 756 Farmall. Says it worked fine lifting yesterday but today it will not. I said you have the hoses hooked up wrong. He had a Case tractor near by and on them the couplers are positioned top to top and so he had hooked the IH that way. I unplugged the one hose and plugged it into correct coupler and it worked fine. He still did not want to believe me as it had worked fine day before. I figured out he actually had the one valve in float position and was using the other valve to raise and lower. I don't think he ever did believe me that he had hoses hooked wrong. His wife did though.
 
Got to work on tractor yesterday....and you were very close. After removing about a half inch of paint, the valve says GRESEN 550 and in smaller font 8/12/68.
Pulled both hoses off the cylinders and put in a bucket so could watch them side by side. When I pulled on lever it looked like an identical amount of fluid came out of both hoses..when I pushed on the lever, the hose connected to the port closest to the lever actually had a small amount of oil come out of it at a slight pressure; nothing came out of the port furthest from the lever. Put the hoses to a T on the port closest to the lever...loader went up fine, but would not go down..actually kept creeping up a bit. 300 pound son could stop and get it to come down real slow. Putting T on port furthest from the lever, loader again went up fine, but would not go down...didn't creep though and son was able to easily make it go down. With the T in either port, the loader went down nice as you please with the tractor shut off... So, looks to me like controller is unique to this loader/tractor and is shot, I now know more about hydraulics than I ever thought I would at this point in my life. I know what a replacement controller would cost and a friend and I are going to take the controller to a place in Richmond tommorrow and see what it will cost to rebuild this one...would love to keep this thing stock, but am not a purist when it comes to too much money. Thanks to all for the help, suggestions, and recommendations.
 

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