Question for JD Seller and anyone else who knows Deere's

I just posted this on the JD forum but wanted to post again here, too, in hopes someone will see it and I'll have some sort of answer, and/or idea what the problem is, before I've got to work on this machine again tomorrow. If you look on the Deere forum there is a link to Deere's parts site showing the o-ring in question that keeps blowing.

I've got a customer with a 2030 that he uses to do his haying. Last year he called me with a blown o-ring on the pressure regulating valve. The link below shows the valve on Deere's site, as number 8. I replaced it with a new one. This same thing happened several more times with me putting in a new one each time, until we thought the problem was solved...even though we didn't know what the problem was.

This year he has run for a month or so with no problems. Today he called me once again with the same o-ring blown. I replace it this morning and he headed straight to the field. A few hours later he called saying it had blown again.

Now nothing was done to the tractor, that either of us know of, that would have changed anything to all of a sudden make that o-ring blow like it's been doing. I've tried both 70, and 90 durometer O-rings, checked both surfaces for flatness, etc, etc. Basically I've done everything I know to do to insure the o-ring has a clean, flat seat, as well as being of sufficient toughness to insure it seats, and to keep it from blowing, with absolutely no lasting results.

Tomorrow I plan to pull the valve apart and see if I can find anything inside that looks like it might be causing the problem. I'm hoping I find something, but I'm not holding my breath.

That said, has anyone here ever had this problem, and what did you eventually find as a cause? Thanks in advance for any assistance ya'll can provide.

NC WAYNE: I never have had this o-ring fail. I would start with running a full hydraulic system pressure test. I am wondering if your getting a pressure spike that is blowing the o-ring???

I don't have my JD 2030 service manual here at the house. I will check it tomorrow when I get out the farm.

Have had that problem on 300 series backhoe. Have only been able to use jd oring from the industrial JD dealer. It is a white or grey looking o ring.

Below are the spec's for the o-ring. I would recommend to check the pressure control valve housing to be sure it's flat.

Do you know that the pressure regulating valve is calibrated to the correct setting and functioning properly?

Is there a secondary valve or unloader valve in the loop that could be malfunctioning?

Seems to me that when you have fluid flowing and release a control you have this kinetic energy in the moving fluid that has to be absorbed. If the unloader valve, that is supposed to catch this spike isn't or is slow in reacting, like a binding spring or piston or something, the spike could not be subdued and blow out the ring.

When in his haying cycle does it blow? If later after things warmed up that would suggest binding to me. DR 90 is tough but it is rubber and has it's limits.

HTH,
Mark

I've seen it happen when a rubber O-ring was used instead of the OEM urethane O-ring.

I just googled Urethane Rubber coloring per comments on this thread and they use numerous colors in the molding. So you can't tell by the color. So as Jim said, go to the JD house and get the OEM and go from there. Course DR 90 is DR 90. Different rubber compounds could suffer deterioration over time but time doesn't seem to be the smoking gun. I'm thinking malfunctioning/mal adjusted pressure relief valve.

Mark

Jim, I'm not familiar with those tractors.

Is that basically the steering priority valve, similar to what 4020's have up in the dash?

Yes basically the same valve. IIRC theis valve closes at about 1700 psi.