Can anyone tell me what could be causing the hoe to not have good down pressure? Using the extendahoe lifts the machine just fine, but the hoe by itself makes an attempt and then right back on the ground when you release the control lever. Outriggers will not pick up machine either, but will hold it up after raising with extendahoe. This is actually on a Deere 555G trackloader I am looking at on auction tomorrow, hoping someone here has experienced this on other machines and may have an idea how big of a $$$ problem this can be. Thanks for any replies and for the great site. Mike
Could be a number of things, dirty filter, nasty fluid, bad seals, weak pump, how old is the machine, and what is the overall shape?
How much power does the frontend loader have ? Did you roll the front bucket and put the cutting edge straight down and raise the machine ? That would tell us more about the condition of the hydraulics. Also you can dump some big money into the tracks if they are on the verge of being worn out.
The machine is an '88, overall looks pretty good. UC shows very little wear, I would say it's at least 75%. The front bucket seems strong, picks up the machine fine. Outriggers will not extend all the way to lift the machine unless you raise it first using the extendahoe, then they will go down all the way. Otherwise they just go down to the ground but will not exhibit any down pressure.
I had a similar problem with air in the lines after changing a hydraulic hose on my backhoe.
Is the lever pattern correct? It might be possible somebody has changed the pattern incorrectly (swapped hoses) and the reliefs are not serving their proper function. Also possible the piston seals are leaking, the cylinders WILL hold the machine even if they are leaking and not go down as expected-dangerous see "intensification". It wouldn't hurt (since you haven't bought it yet!) to hold the stabilizer in the down position for 30 seconds and see if you can find a warm spot on the cylinder, pump or valve. if not then hold it for a full minute. Do the same for the other stabilizer and the hoe boom down. It doesn't sound like the pump is bad if the front bucket picks it up, and the extendahoe picks it up, neither is supposed to have as much force as the down on the boom of the hoe and the stabilizers. It would sure be nice to be able to pull the screen and/or filter for a good look, but probably not practical at an auction. You can at least go over it with a fine tooth comb, paying special attention to any new filters, covers/fittings that have been removed (paint scraped off the bolts etc.), and especially fresh paint or pressure washing. All signs somebody tried to fix it and failed, or covered it up. No experience with track loaders here though. I've got a similar vintage JD TLB and love it, clunky enough that you're sure it's a Deere, but modern enough for my similar modest use.
Thanks for all the suggestions you guys. I am heading out now to the auction, will give the machine another going over. I would sure like to have it but funds are limited, especially if it's going to need some repair in the near future.
And the Verdict is ??? Guessing not? Joe H
"Sold for 21k, a good 5 more than I wanted to pay." From his other thread.