hydraulic pressure to lift

[Charles Kutrufis 0]

Hi, My name is Charley Kutrufis, I'm new to any forum, this is my first. I hope I'm not stepping on any toes asking this question in this area. I have just aquired my first Wheelhorse, a C 160, model 1 0481. My question concerns the lift cylinder pressure, there is some flow from the transmission lines but no pressure. I have the lines from the top of the transmission going to the lift valve disconnected and stuck in a bucket. The tractor moves and drives fine in forward and reverse. No noise, studdering or other problems other than the lift cylinder does not move. There are a couple pipe plugs on top and a couple at the rear of the transmission. I was wondering if there is a bypass or something not working. There is flow through the lift valve and the welded cylinder works well with air pressure. I think the lift cylinder is leaking but I should be able to repair or replace after I get oil pressure. I did notice the cylinder will need to be cut and welded, will probably go to Ebay for another cylinder of some kind. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank You, Charley

[Rock farmer 41]

Hi Charlie,

Welcome to RedSquare! It sounds to me like you may have

Air in your system that needs to be bled out.

I'm sure some will be along to tell you how to do that!

Joe

[midnight rambler 36]

welcome, if you need any parts for your 160 send me a msg i have 2 parts machines with good hydros. enjoy

[kpinnc 10,823]

It sounds to me like you may have

Air in your system that needs to be bled out.

There is no need to bleed the hydraulics. So long as there are no significant leaks, and the fluid level is normal, the system will bleed itself.

I've never measured the amount of fluid that moves through the system during the stroke, but given the speed of the cylinder movement it should be quite a bit. If you have a small amount of fluid coming from the "open" lines, you may have trouble in the pump or spool valve. The fluid should almost "squirt" from the open line. The spool valve itself uses o-rings that are replaceable, and it's a good idea to replace them anyway. I would start there, rather than going into the transmission first.

As far as cylinders go, they always show up on Ebay.

[Charles Kutrufis 0]

Hi , Thank You for the welcome and the replies. I just got in from the shop after removing all the shuttle valves and check balls to see if anything was sticking. Everything was free and clean. The lift valve or spool valve appears to be ok along with the hoses ( none were collapsed internally). I had the hoses from the pump disconnected from the valve. A straight shot from the pump into a can. I read on this forum the oil pressure should be in the 500-1000psi range. I could hold the oil back in the discharge hose with my finger.Seems to me the problem must be in the pump. Anyway I dought I'll go much farther after an oil and filter change tomorrow. Got a great engine and deck but after looking it over I don't think I'm going to spend any more on it if the oil change does not help. There are just too many things that need to be replaced to get reliable service out of it. Again thanks for the help. Charley

[Trouty56 565]

Charles....the hydro lift is nice but you always could set it up with a manual lift if all else fails.

[SousaKerry 500]

Did the tractor come with Hydraulic lift originally? Adding one later is not as simple as removing plugs and installing lines as one may think IIRC there is a different part needed on the transmission pump housing.

There is a service manual available for the Hydro transmissions in the files section that has some good troubleshooting guides.

[Charles Kutrufis 0]

Hi, Yes sir, the tractor did come with a lift and it worked in the past. I found the shuttle valve you are talking about. It was free and clean along with the checkballs and springs. I noticed it in the diagram someone had published on the forum. Sorry I can't give credit, I don,t remember who it was. Things have changed for the worse since I changed the oil and filter, the tractor no longer moves, along with the original problem of no cylinder pressure. I have worked on the Sears hydro mowers I have now, generally you have to purge the air after they are refilled with oil. I don't know the proceedure on the Wheelhorse. I tried jacking it up and letting it run in forward and reverse. The wheels would eventually start moving in forward with the engine at idle. Increasing the motor RPMs did not help, in fact the wheels would not begin to move until I lowered back to an idle. I think I've been whipped, I really don't want to go into the pump. Thank You for your interest. Think I'll just move on to the other hundred projects in and around the shop. Unless somebody can think of something else to try. I did go thru the troubleshootings guides when I saw the hydro oil diagram. Charley

[can whlvr 991]

just one other thought before you give up check the pulley isnt loose to the pump.but unfortunatly it sounds like pump has gone bad,thats exactly what happened to my 160 auto,but i had a very solid machine otherwise so i had the pump rebuilt professionally,and now shes good like new