1989 series one 580K 4wd, extend, 4:1, wayne roy with a few buckets with about 6500 hours, bought used with 3500 hours. Operation is good, machine reasonably tight, things are maintained. Q: Should I replace the hydraulic pump as preventive measure? Oil analysis annually since purchased shows no metal or problems in the hydraulic system. I want to keep machine reliable. No noise or any symptom such as leaks - just wondering how long a pump can go? Will have to keep machine for a while for two reasons: due to economy and only a Tier IV final will be allowed in this state (CA) after about 6 years. Tier IV final has not been built in the TLB sizes yet so don't know what I will replace it with - one idea is to keep it for under 200 annual hours (legal max limit for low use) and maybe get a mini x for trenching jobs - trouble is, every time we need a mini, we need a different size. This is another problem to be solved another day, a day after the phone starts ringing again. Should I notice any improvement in operation cycle time (machine loader or hoe arm speed) after replacing pump? Thanks
I would wait for symptoms to appear. I have a Super K, with about 10,000 hrs, no pump problems yet.
How strong are the hydraulics when lifing a bucket full of dirt? Can you lift easily or does it struggle? My 580SE struggles at times with a heavy load and I question the pump also.
The hydraulic power is strong and there is no sluggishness .....
then your fine. you mentioned the economy, and a clean oil sample. no sense fixing what isnt broke, i also have a k in excess of 10000 hours (although i only just recently acquired the machine there is no doubt that it hase the original pump) and its hydraulic power and response are good.
I was remembering some of the folks reporting their pump suddenly went out, they never took oil samples and were saddened by the sudden big leak at the pump seal, although I wondered how it got so big so fast. The local hydraulic repair shop sais that if the pump is an aluminum case or is bushed then it cant be rebuilt. I keep all leaks fixed, clean & wash and look the machine over all the time from top to bottom so maybe my good inspection program will allow me time to plan the (inevitable?) pump replacement. This why I do my own greasing - so I get time to look at things. Thanks
that's a good routine, and will keep your machine honest for some time (including your hydraulic pump). but as i said before you maybe chasing ghosts, if the machine has hydraulic power then your good to go, i personally am not aware of sudden hydraulic pump failure, i believe usually the machine will show symptoms of hydraulic failure before it actually occurs
if it aint broke,fix it till it is. lol