I am new to the forum and looking for some help. I have an '03 Gehl 4635 SXT skid steer. Today I was pushing on a mesquite tree attempting to break it off when I heard a deep pop come from somewhere under the seat. The motor still runs fine but I have lost all hydraulic drive and bucket power. I immediately shut the machine off and found hydraulic fluid pouring out from underneath the skid steer. Any ideas on what I broke and a rough estimate on cost to repair? Do I now have a 6,000 lb paperweight? I dont think it was a hose. Any help is appreciated.
Probably just blew a hose, depending on which hose it could be 50 to 200 bucks....
Why not tilt the cab and start looking around?
I just got back from doing that this morning and was unable to see where the fluid was coming from. I can do a few basic things but I'm definitely not a mechanic. I build metal buildings for a living. I didn't look yesterday because it happened at about 9 p.m. in the south Texas mesquite brush where we have plenty of rattlesnakes. It was dark and I didn't have a flashlight with me so I was worried about stomping around there blind, not to mention I couldn't have seen anything anyway. I'll call a mechanic in the morning but I was just trying to get an idea what might be wrong in the meantime.
I'll bet it was a hose. You are going to have to do some digging to find it though. Shouldn't take more that a couple of standard wrenches and oil to get you going though. Open it up and see if you can see an origination point. Wet in one area and not the other. Can probably start and shut it back off and open the cab and find it quick. Don't let it run though.
Thanks for the advice, I hope you're right. I looked for a busted hose this morning but it's pretty tight under there and I was unable to find one. I'll try again tomorrow.
I don't know the particulars of that machine, but many also use steel lines in places that could have ruptured. Take a look at those as well.
jlwest, these machines aren't really that complicated... they just look like it at first like catmech says dig in and see what you can find... make sure you take along some hydraulic oil,rags and gloves also, when hoses burst they usually do so near the ends or where the hose rubs against something else like an edge of metal or another hose. any good tech that works on skidsteers will have a remote start wire harness they can start the machine while the cab is up, this makes finding leaks a breeze but it can be done without that tool just clean off most of the hydraulic oil you see on hoses and near them then make sure there is still plenty of oil in the tank for the hydraulics and start it just for a couple seconds...then get under there and see if you can spot fresh oil appearing. Do you know if the leak is on the travel motors of the bucket/lift arms? I guess you can find out while testing for the blown hose if you don't remember which circuit lost power after the pop. Be careful when cleaning the hoses off if you are sliding your hands down them to find a leak/bad spot they can have very sharp wires protruding from where the break is in the hose also !!! NEVER !!! do this while the machine is running!!! as the high pressure hydraulic oil from a leak can and WILL penetrate your skin like a saw blade and risk blood poisoning/ loss of limbs/ etc....
I'll second that. I've seen so many machines with a couple inches of dirt in the bottom belly that the rain cycles will keep the dirt moist (don't know about TX) so that the steel lines rust and get thin-walled and rupture. Always good to keep the belly clean!