Hi, Thought I'd share recent pics from last dumping of snow here in Nova Scotia. I'm using a v-plow on the 257B2. In the V or scoop position its more narrow than the track width. So the spill over snow gets driven over. And in deep snow it can cause problems of snow build up. Especailly the snowman-making type snow packs quickly. And I learned that fast. Luckily I stopped in time before the track fell off completely. It just took a few minutes to clear the sprocket, drive back and forth ever so carefully and it went right back on. :drinkup I had arranged to bring the v-plow to a local welder to add 18" to each side. Problem I am having is the QA will not disengage to remove the plow. The plow blade has been on since the fall. And in the fall I was using the QA bucket off and on a couple times a week, no problems then. I've pressed the rocker switch several times. Nothing. I checked the fuse. It didn't look bad but I swapped it out anyway for a new one. Nothing. The welder is kind enough to stop by tomorrow morning for a look at the work that needs to be done but I'd like to be able to deliver it to his shop. I'm a newbie to owning this type of machine. Anybody have some advise?
The QA cylinders and linkage can freeze up as well. Raise the loader and look at the cylinders and the cam levers that they activate to move the pins. You should be able to see it all while sitting in the cab. If it's packed with snow/ice you're going to have to thaw it out. With the blade straight, can you get out the door if you tilt the blade all the way forward and set it on the ground ? Will greatly help access to the linkage.
Hi, Thanks for the reply. I store the machine in the garage and clear away snow when not in use. All the hyd on the machine work except for the QA. I can see the QA cylinders from inside the cab and raise to eye level so that I can watch them move. I even tilted the blade at an angle so that there was little to no stress on the two pins. In this instance, they are not moving at all. I'll admit I don't know what the red button on the QA cab switch does, but I've tried all combinations of positions. Usually I just have to press the rocker switch and the QA moves.
Lift the loader arms up enough so you can see the small cylinders that move the quick attach pins. Move the switch and see if its wiggling the cylinders at all. They don't have much power and sometimes need a tap with a hammer while holding the button to get them to come out of the over center linkage position.
Yesterday I did try something similar. While I did not tap on the with a hammer, from within the cab I pushed on them with a piece of steel. I do know that the cyl are a little slow to respond. Usually requiring to hold on the switch for about 2 sec before the right one pulls in and then the left one. But I'll try to find someone to help me tap them with a hammer (working solo at the moment).
As mentioned above, these cylinder are not very powerful. I believe they are just activated by the pilot hydraulic pressure - the same as used for the joystick controls. The switch just activates a solenoid to direct pressure in each direction as needed. Even if they are stuck/frozen, you should see some movement by the cylinders when you reverse the switch as the slack is taken up in the linkage. High throttle will also max the pressure while you rock the switch. If you don't see any movement, you might also check the solenoid and its connection. I don't have a B Series schematic so I can't tell you exactly where it's located, but follow the lines as they come out of the tower at the engine compartment. There are also zerk fittings on each pin. Make sure you grease these frequently with grease appropriate to your climate. If you can get a helper to tap/hit the bottom of the pins while you are activating the switch it will help along. Just be careful when they release in case the blade dislodges from the coupler.
Thanks. I do grease at reg intervals (8hrs). And yes, I do recall that there is some slack but I'm not seeing that movement either. So I'll tap with the hammer after lunch to see if it has an affect. I'll also try with a throttle increase too and see what that does. Appreciate all the help here, I'll let you now what happens.
I suggest you read the operators manual concerning the red button. In order to release the QA, you have to slide the red button down while rocking the lower portion of the switch toward the cab. This will release the QA. To lock the QA, just rock the switch up without using the red button. I do hose by QA cylinders and mechanism out from time to time with hot water to clean out the ice and snow. I have a high flow snow blower along with a 7' cat light material bucket I use for moving snow with my 289D CTL. I had just over 100" of snow so far this winter, how much did you get?
I did get it to work this morning. It just worked for some reason. There was no snow or ice in the mechanics of the QA so that wasn't the issue. Maybe the switch in the cab is started to go, the machine at +4700 hrs. I've only had it for the last 50. We got in our local area maybe 36-48" in total for the winter. Other areas double and triple that.
As BigBob said, the red bit on the switch is a safety, so you can't release the QA pins without pushing it up.