Hyd help - old Erickson 4058 skid steer (Ford CL40)

Steelart99

New User
I've been working on getting an old marginally running Erickson 4058 skid steer working. This is the same as a Ford CL40 skid steer. I've done quite a bit of structural straightening, welding, repacking two hyd cylinders, rebuilt the lift/tilt hydraulic control valve, and lots more. I finally got the engine running ... someone had put in a 4 cylinder Nissan truck engine to replace the original. When I took it out to drive, it runs fairly smoothly when I only use minimal forward/reverse input. However, when I try to increase the speed of the drive input, I get what I'd call "bucking" of the entire skid steer. The engine remains running smoothly, but the wheel drives are jerky. The engine runs a 3 tier hydraulic pump system; two for L/R drive motors and a smaller pump for the lift/tilt cylinders.

Any thoughts on what might be causing this in the hydraulic system? Is there something I could do to troubleshoot this?
Thanks
 
Have you replaced filters and fluid,Sounds like fluid is low,when fluid is low the will fight some also most important do you have all the air out of system.Scott
 
Scott, I've put in a fair amount of fluid, but have not maxed out the tank. I tried to make sure that I'd covered the intake with room to spare but I can't be sure I truly accomplished that. I did replace the old fluids and all filters. I've cycled the cylinders and wheel drive motors quite a bit, so I hope I have all the air out of the system. I'll have to really fill up the hydraulic tank. It'd make me REALLY happy if that simple fix works! Thanks for the suggestion. I'll let you know if that works.
 
Do not fill it too full when fluid is warm it needs room for exspansion.If tank is half or more it should be fine.I would put is to work to get system warmed up good.But before you do that have you opened up chain case on both sides to see if chain case is full of water and chains are not rusty.Scott
 
I've opened up both chain cases, tightened some bolts holding the axles on and added appropriate gear oil. Everything appears to be clean, rust free and the chains properly tensioned. I'd guess that I have about 10 gallons of hyd oil in a tank rated for 14 gallons.
 
My CL40 will buck like a rodeo bull at times. As long as the chains are adjusted properly, you need to get a feel for it. The CL40 calls for 30 weight motor oil for the hydraulics.
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Blackhole49 is correct on bucking sometimes as wheel base very short on those and yours balance will different with a repowered unit.I repowered mine with a 108 perkins and it changed balance when bucket is empty.With use you will get the feel for it.Scott
 
Ahhhhh ... that's good to know. I actually still have both the bucket and rear weights off the unit at this time. That certainly could contribute to the problem! I made a point of getting a seat belt to put on this thing because of the bucking :-D It was missing the seat when I got it.

As much work as thing has been, I'm not sure it's been worth all the trouble. I was driving to work and saw an estate sale ... this thing was buried under all kinds of other 'stuff' and I was told it was not running currently but had been when the owner had brought it home. The owner had passed away; thus the sale. I bought it not even knowing what the heck an Erickson 4058 was for $500 figuring if I could get it running (NOT restored, just running/working) for under $2K I'd be happy. I'm getting close to that :)

Thanks for letting me know your experience.
 
I was surprised when I found out this had some sort of Nissan engine in it. It's been tough figuring out any info on the engine since I could find no markings on it. As best I can figure out, it is a B210 or B310 or truck engine from the late 70's. Seems in fairly good shape. It was locked up when I got it (starter was not installed properly - fixed) and would not start and run except briefly. I rebuilt the carb and still had the same issues. Finally replace the carb and the engine starts and runs now. Wiring sucks. I think the original owner only knew how to use a welder and electrical tape to fix anything on this skid steer ... and he didn't know how to use those very well.
 
With all the work you put in it you still can't find any non running units in my area for less than 5 grand.Running units starting at 10 grand plus.Keep chugging you will have somthing when finished.Scott
 
Hehehehe Yeah, I agree. I'd love having this running to help clear the snow as we live on about 1/2 mile of unimproved, dirt road that county maintenance does not service. I also have have lots of other projects around here where I could use a dirt mover. I'm fairly sure that I'll eventually get this running. It was truly a beat up unit when I got it. Next steps are to strip all the wiring and re-wire it, strip all the excess vacuum lines, pollution control stuff off the engine and do a bit more welding repairs. Oh, and install the bucket and weights. Oh yeah ... and clean and paint it ... sigh.
 
So ... added more 30W oil to the hydraulic tank and fired up the engine and made sure that I was up in the 2500-2800 rpm range (something I'd not checked before). I tried to be more sensitive to any bucking starting and backed off the drive when it did. Result: got a bit more speed out of the unit and felt more comfortable running it. Hopefully I'll get further improvement in the handling/speed once I attach the bucket and rear weights. Thanks for your input guys!
 

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