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Powermax hydraulic line blowout ...


HerbP

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Was moving some top-soil around with the DIY johnny-bucket a couple weeks ago when my crotch got suddenly 'warm'... I looked and there was hydraulic oil everywhere... Shut it down immediately... Now, a few weeks later, I finally get a chance to look at the problem... The drive shaft from the back of the engine to the hydraulic pump lost a bolt (there's an isolation joint there consisting of a sheet of fiberglass... One of the bolts came out of the sheet of fiberglass.. So the shaft was not running true causing the shaft to rub against one of the hydraulic pipes that comes from the tank and goes to the valve assembly. It rubbed right through...

So, I'm not sure I can get in there to remove the pipe without pulling the shaft and for that, I think I need to pull the motor. Can anyone confirm or deny that? It's the thickest pipe if that matters. It wants a 7/8" wrench to loosen the fitting but there's too much in the way to get the wrench in there...

Once I magically remove this pipe, is the replacement generally available or is it unobtainium?

Wondering if this whole wobbly shaft thing can explain the engine oil that's been gushing out the front of the engine... Wonder if it's trashed the front seal....

sigh.

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Can you cut the tube and install a compression coupling in place of the damaged section? Is there such an animal for hydraulic pressures?

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Herb,

Check with Brenda at Sandy Lake Implement, she will probably have a used tube for you and maybe even a brand new one.

John U

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quote:Originally posted by Brettw

Can you cut the tube and install a compression coupling in place of the damaged section? Is there such an animal for hydraulic pressures?


id="quote">
id="quote">Latest standards for pressure lines, oil, etc.. Is the abandonment of compression fittings, in favor of flanged fittings IE brake lines.
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I'll probably try to use my double-flare kit and make a new line.. That's a good idea... I have to figure out how to get the old one out first... Looks like I'm pulling the engine for the 6th time.

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Herb,

I think you will find if you remove the dash tower sheet metal you will have access to the control valve without removing the engine. It all comes apart fairly easily.

Have you considered having a hydraulic hose made up with the correct fittings on the ends to replace the metal pipe?

John U

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I can see how I can get the one end off at the control valve but the other end the input shaft is in the way of my 7/8" wrench...

I'll check the routing and get a hose made if I can route it without having it rub on the input shaft (hydraulic pump shaft)..

The tractor got stuck on the driveway and it's been raining so I haven't spent any quality time working on it... Plus the mosquitoes are particularly ravenous these days..

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Herb,Your last post caused me to go out in the rain and take a look at a Powermax I am currently working on. It has to the the rear PTO shaft that is causing problems getting to that 7/8 nut. The unit I have in the shop does not have the rear PTO at present, and the 7/8 net is clear to get a wrench on. You may have to remove the PTO shaft. To remove the PTO shaft pull the gas tank and get the oil cooler out of the way, you should then be able to disconnect the shaft from the engine. We are talking about the 7/8 flare nut in the picture below, right??

DSCN1484.JPG

Good Luck.John U

DSCN1484.JPG.9017d5fbb3c3786082bc279b526dc4c2.JPG

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Thanks for going out in the rain, John.

you're correct. That's exactly the one. I only vaguely recalled the shaft in question would slide forward a bit but not come off completely when unbolted from the fiberglass plate up front... That's why I thought I'd have to pull the engine, to get the shaft off completely...

It's still monsoon season here so I'm not sure when I'll be able to take a better look.

And yeah, Ben..I think the bottom one on the listing is the one I need. One of the drawbacks to living in Canada. Ebay reports shipping and import to be another $25 over top of the sale price.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just as an update ...

Monsoon season has ended and now we're firmly into Mosquito season... So I had some wrench time this weekend and pulled the hydraulic line... I decided I'd try welding it first and see how it runs... The metal was fairly thin where it wore through so I burned through and had to build it up.. So I got some blobs on protruding into the line... I hope that doesn't diminish flow too much..

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  • 1 month later...

Yesterday, I bought yet another Powermax class tractor, this time an Allis Chalmers 620.I noticed a lot of oil saturated grass cuttings everywhere and generally a lot of oil in the area under the tunnel cover. Today, I had to remove the oil line that Herb was referring to so that I could tighten the bolts holding the steering box to the frame.When I put the oil line back on and started the tractor, I had a flood of hydraulic oil, much like Herb described.Lo and behold here is what I found.

DSCN1835.JPG

It was the rear PTO shaft that wore the tube. It must have been leaking a small amount for a long time, when I removed the tube the stress was enough to create a gross leak.Does this look familar Herb???John U

DSCN1835.JPG.65ce02a940e2999b75381b4fb82f1d74.JPG

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John nice catch! What part of the rear pto shaft wore the hydraulic line? Is that spot on the line visible while the parts are on the tractor?

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  • 3 weeks later...

pretty identical to mine, really... Slightly different place.

I eventually fixed it by removing the line and welding it... I put some locktite Blue on the PTO shaft bolts so they wouldn't come out again.

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