TO30 Hydraulic stopped working

I had to replace the head gasket on my TO-30. Now
that it's all put back together she runs great.
Starts right up and goes. The only issue I have now
is the hydraulic stopped working. PTO engages just
fine but I push the lever up or down and nothing. I
can manually lift the 3 point hitch and it will
drop down. So there is no pressure in at all. This
all worked before I replaced my head gasket. I had
to remove alot of stuff including manifold and
carbonator. Is it possible that I bumped something
or have something not connected correctly? Iv
checked the wires and they are good. Has a new
battery and the transmission fluids are full
according to the dip stick.
 
I will say this is the first time starting it in the cold. I'm in the upper peninsula of Michigan and we currently have 2 ft of snow on the ground. It's cold but not in the negatives yet. When checking the dip stick it looks pretty runny. I found the troubleshooting guide and it could be a number of things. It sat idle for about 3 months while I replaced the head gasket. Iv ran her a couple times to test drive and check the fluid levels. should I be letting the tractor warm up more before asking for the hydraulics to work? I checked the giant spring right below the seat and I cannot compress or move the spring as iv seen a loose spring could be the culprit.
cvphoto141049.png
 
In the cold the hydraulic/transmission oil gets thicker and it may take a while for the pump to be able to move it. Try starting the engine, letting it warm up a bit while the PTO is turning, then idle it way low and see if the 3 point will lift. It might be slow and a bit jerky until the oil warms up so it flows better.
 
Any water in the transmission oil? Ice might block any oil intake to the pump. Just spitballing here.
 
I'll go ahead and try this today. I ratched up a makeshift sway bar and lift with ratchet straps to plow the driveway and clear up some area. I am leaking coolant as well and I think it over heated. So I have a radiator on order to fix that issue. I've refilled the reservoir and I'm gonna let it sit for a couple hours before starting it back up again.
 
Pull of the side plate and make sure the control fork is connected to the T shaped rod on the control valve. WITH THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN< you may have to stick your hand below the fluid level to feel if it's connected. While you are there, push and pull the control valve stem. It should move in and out about an inch total. It's not uncommon for it to stick and cause your problem. Remove you hand from the hydraulic compartment, start the engine and move the lift lever up and down and look for movement of the control fork to actuate the control valve.
look at the area of the pump to see if a side plate gasket is blown. It will have a lot of agitation of fluid if it is. Look forward in the hydraulic compartment with a flashlight and find the tube that runs up to the lift cylinder.to make sure it's not leaking at the Oring. Finally look at the lift cylinder to see if the rings are worn and the you have heavy fluid leakage from the cylinder.
 
Were the hydraulics missing like a cylinder missing on an engine ? I've seen all the pistons in the pump stuck in their bores with varnish from old hydraulic oil. Usually starts with a miss or chattering hydraulics. gets worse then no hydraulics at all. If so, I've drained to oil and refill with new oil. Then add a pint of paint thinner in it to get the pistons to free up and wash the varnish off the pistons in the pump. As a last resort, pull the top cover, pto shaft , then the pump to beat the pistons free with a brass drift.
 
I replaced the spark plugs and ignition coil and now it starts up no problem. But when In neutral I got off the tractor and heard some clanking. After some investigation I could hear a rhythmic clanking coming from just under the seat. This clanking stays consistent if the PTO is engaged or not. I can't tell while in gear because everything is to loud to tell. After running for about 30 minutes with pto on hydraulics still didn't work. So something must be broken in there. Unfortunately this is my only means of snow removal so until I get a snow blower or a plow for my atv I can't take the tractor apart. I did notice there is pressure built up on the finger control. When I pushed it all the way down there was some pressure pushing it back up an inch or so. Does this help narrow it down?
 
Welp i'v been running the tractor every day plowing snow using a come along to lift the blade as needed. All of a sudden the hydraulics start working. Don't know why I bought the lube stuff but never put it in the transmission. I'll be adding it this weekend when I have more time and daylight.
 
(quoted from post at 17:33:24 01/05/23) Welp i'v been running the tractor every day plowing snow using a come along to lift the blade as needed. All of a sudden the hydraulics start working. Don't know why I bought the lube stuff but never put it in the transmission. I'll be adding it this weekend when I have more time and daylight.

Glad that it started working again. It sounds to me that you did have ice in the fluid like wjajr suggested. I've seen photos of broken up pumps that were ran in ice.
 

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