TC30 hydraulics quit

[FrankRichards]

Over the course of last week the hydraulics (bucket primarily) on my TC30 were weak, and finally quit completely over Friday night.

I had ascribed this to cold weather, our first of the winter: There were similar issues last winter, but running it for a while always fixed them. Friday was our first night below zero. However, it's warmer today, and even after half an hour of warming up, neither the bucket nor the hitch will twitch.

Is there some spot that could be frozen still? is there some other simple thing it could be?

Thanks,

Frank

[agmantoo]

There should be no place that is frozen! Hydraulic oil may become more difficult to flow but it is not going to freeze. Have you ever changed the hydraulic oil filter? A clogged filter is what comes to mind with your problem.

[unioncreek]

I would change the filter like Agmantoo said. I have had water get in my hydraulics and freeze up. When you get them working again add some gas line antifreeze. It will not hurt the hydraulic fluid and will take care of the water.

Bob

[tinknal]

Dumb question maybe but did you check fluid level?

[FrankRichards]

It was indeed frozen. Another half hour of wasted diesel thawed it out. I had my wife pick up a filter in town, so that's now high on the to do list.

Thanks all for the help.

[oneokie]

If you have enough water in the hydraulic system to freeze, one filter is not going to remove enough water to eliminate ongoing problems. Water suspended in the hyd. oil will cause wear on the hyd. pump. Don't ask.

[agmantoo]

If I had enough water in a hydraulic system to freeze I would get the tractor warm and drain the system. Once I was satisfied that the system was free of water I would replenish the hydraulic oil with clean water free oil and new filter. Hydraulic oil is rather expensive but it is still a lot cheaper than hydraulic components. I would also attempt to determine the source of the water and make a significant effort to prevent the water from recurring or building up in the system. Have you checked the fuel tank on the tractor? It probably has condensation in it also.