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Sovereign issues


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I have a later Sovereign that had its Kohler twin ruined so I put a 12HP Iron Briggs in it just because I had one and the tractor was given to me. I have it running and the lift, power steering and the rest of the hydraulics work. The issues are that it goes very slow in forward but goes fine in reverse. The lift seems quite slow and the steering seems to react pretty slowly as well.  I have only ever used a hydro tractor once but don't remember it being like this. I understand that when the clutch is in the steering and lift won't work and probably they all work like that, as annoying as it is.

Fluids have been changed and has a new filter. I have no experience with hydraulics so don't know where to look for the problem.

Thanks

 

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The first thing I'd check out are the "freewheel" valves.  Make sure they are both moving up and down freely.  If one is sticking part way open, that could be the issue.  

Since you say the lift and steering seem slow, check the hi pressure relief valve, it might be hanging open and bypassing fluid.  See these posts for info:

https://simpletractors.com/forums/topic/18034-checkvalves-for-hydrolift/

https://simpletractors.com/forums/topic/65773-sundstrand-pressure-checking-recovered-article/

https://simpletractors.com/forums/topic/37699-calibrating-hydro-pump-pressure-on-917h/

 

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Hello, I have had several sovereigns , One time I was unable to buy a Napa oil filter for the hydraulics,

  so I bought a STP filter that was supposed to be a cross match to the proper filter  .

The tractor hydraulics was poor and I was frustrated . After I replaced the filter with one from Napa,  It was a world of difference !

Hope this Helps 

Thanks Ken in Mi

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The linkage has a spring in it. Sometimes it doesn't move all the way. You could put a hose clamp on the front and back of the spring on the linkage to keep it steady.

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While refilling the hydro with fluid, did you pull up or remove the hydro vent on the LH side to check the the fluid level? If not, the fluid level could be low.

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Make sure that the pulley on the main drive belt that the clutch pedal moves is moving freely so that it puts enough tension on the belt to tighten it up so that it doesn’t slip. 

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My 3 suspects would be 

 

#1   Wrong  and too restrictive oil filter. Had sevaeral 

Ran into this with Fram oil filters a long time ago when they switched from solid orange to the orange with black handgrip design.  Tractors with said filters displayed same symptoms as you are decribing with the hydro lifts and\or PS being the most obvious symptoms. I have used either OEM Simplicity or NAPA crossovers ever since. Same as whats been already described above.

#2    Someone used the belt clutch and it did not completely return to properly tension the pump drive belt - due to the bushing and sleeve the idler arm rides in being rusted and dried out with no lube on them. Disassembly, cleanup and lube needed to rectify that.  Same as whats been already described above

#3   Push valves on top have been pushed in to push the tractor by hand and then they ( one or the other or both)did not pop back up properly.  As described by others above.

 

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Question for @SmilinSam and others with the great answers above.  

Have you experienced a tractor "goes very slow in forward but goes fine in reverse" without the issue being hydraulic? 

I would think a loose drive belt, restrictive filter, etc would effect all hydraulics equally. 

What am I missing?  

 

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2 hours ago, PhanDad said:

Question for @SmilinSam and others with the great answers above.  

Have you experienced a tractor "goes very slow in forward but goes fine in reverse" without the issue being hydraulic? 

You're taxing my increasingly bad memory Bill&:)

I "think" the 720 I had would go in one direction noticably slower than in the other, and the hydraulic lift would hardly work at all. I believe both directions were affected  to some extent though. That probelm was fixed by removing and throwing away the Fram filter and replacing it with the correct Napa. filter.

3 hours ago, PhanDad said:

I would think a loose drive belt, restrictive filter, etc would effect all hydraulics equally. 

What am I missing?  

 

Well, I would think the same thing really. Thats why I like your suggestions as well.dOd

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4 hours ago, PhanDad said:

Question for @SmilinSam and others with the great answers above.  

Have you experienced a tractor "goes very slow in forward but goes fine in reverse" without the issue being hydraulic? 

I would think a loose drive belt, restrictive filter, etc would effect all hydraulics equally. 

What am I missing?  

 

That's what makes diagnostics so much fun (NOT!). If it made sense everyone would do it.  Just guessing here, but if it is so that restrictions affect different functions differently maybe it could make a difference where in the circuit it is. 

Wish I had a dollar for every time I thought " That can't be right, it shouldn't work that way."

Thanks everybody This gives me a direction to explore.

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Hello, An oil filter is easy to check, with a replacement,  those sunstrand hydros are pretty bulletproof.

I dont remember the Napa filter # but I can look tomorrow.

Thanks Ken in Mi

Edited by maxwood
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11 hours ago, PhanDad said:

Question for @SmilinSam and others with the great answers above.  

Have you experienced a tractor "goes very slow in forward but goes fine in reverse" without the issue being hydraulic? 

What am I missing?  

 

That is linkage adjustment.   

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Yeah, I just replaced the car quest filter I had on it with the simplicity filter. It seemed to smarten it right up.

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 It seems you have found your fix, Congratulations. But for the sake of others I wanted to share what I found on my Agco.  Pretty much exactly the symptoms as you describe but with an altogether different cause.

 To make a long story short, On mine the trouble turned out to be in both the lift and the shift handle linkage. Both of these control arms have a pin that passes through the frame and has a double "D" on the end where the linkage connects. That linkage had worn on mine (female part) to the point that the double "D" looked almost like an "O". The handle moved but the linkage only moved for part of the stroke.

  1650358SM link and 1667261SM Bellcrank

 The link is NLA . If anyone has either or both of these parts from a 7100 they wish to sell, please PM me.

Thanks

 

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