Hydraulic question...

[MosesAtwood]

Well, I recently acquired a tractor - a 1989 Massey Ferguson 1045. 30HP, 4WD, with a factory original FEL and a generic 7' brush hog. Something strange happens when I have the bucket raised and the brush hog raised. I can raise and lower the mower no problem, but the bucket only goes up, not down. Whether I push or pull the lever, the bucket only goes up! (Specifically,when I push the lever to lower the bucket, it goes up instead of down...) If I set the mower on the ground, then the controls work normally. Any ideas why it does that!?

[fordy]

Originally Posted by MosesAtwood

Well, I recently acquired a tractor - a 1989 Massey Ferguson 1045. 30HP, 4WD, with a factory original FEL and a generic 7' brush hog. Something strange happens when I have the bucket raised and the brush hog raised. I can raise and lower the mower no problem, but the bucket only goes up, not down. Whether I push or pull the lever, the bucket only goes up! (Specifically,when I push the lever to lower the bucket, it goes up instead of down...) If I set the mower on the ground, then the controls work normally. Any ideas why it does that!?

............When , you push forward on the handle , the fluid in Both cylinders on the FEL is supposed to flow out those cylinders into the body of the tractor . Those cylinders are Bidirectional...........they should have a hydraulic hose on each end of each cylinder . IF , the FEL is not lowering as it should.......then the fluid is NOT being allowed to return to the reservoir in the tractor, either the flow is being blocked in some fashion OR some kind of static pressure is pushing against the cylinders .
.............I would check the fluid level in the body of the tractor and make sure it isn't Overfilled ! Hyd. fluid expands as it's temperature increases
and too much fluid could pose a problem ! I have no explanation as to the cause and effect of the 3pt. being on the ground vs. the action of the FEL. , fordy

[Old Vet]

Check your hoses where they hook to the tractor. One of them is unhooked.

[1shotwade]

Not sure if it's connected but the 7' bush hog may be to much weight.We have a MF 1250 (30 hp) 4x4 and it struggles with a 6' bush hog so we went back to 5'.Can you actually use that bush hog without straining the tractor?


Wade

[MosesAtwood]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check the fluid and hoses. I brought the tractor into the garage so I can work on it. It's c-c-c-cold outside! And we're supposed to get more snow this weekend.

Yeah, that bush hog is waaaay too heavy. I'm going to trade it to a friend for a smaller finish mower.