Just picked up an Ex120-2 and excited to get to work on it, so it can work on our new homestead It has leaks and a few quirks, but I have to say, spending time on here reading over the posts gave me the confidence to make the purchase. One item though popped up that the owner didn’t mention. The Boom up is painfully slow. You pull back on the stick, and you can hear a valve or something staving for oil. If you push down on the boom and slightly pick the machine up, then the boom up function will work, but you have to go down to go up every time. It’s a farm machine, it has sat for a bit. The last service recorded on the air filter was 3/2016 and it has only about 130hrs since then (currently 5630) and I would imagine a good chunk of those have been in the last 6 weeks that the owner has been clearing trees and brush. I’m imagining that something has 1) varnish/sludge has gotten stuck or 2) o ring has degraded. I’m mech inclined, I ran equipment for about 20 years before Great Recession forced me to change professions. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
After more digging, have a few things to try. Picking it up today. 1 thing is for sure, I need to wrap my head around how the systems work.
Well, here she is in all her glory so to speak.
Sounds like your boom circuit holding valve is sticking. I believe it is item #88 on pg W02-05-21 in the Hitachi manual.
Thanks! Giving it a bath today and will trace that down and see what I find.
Gave it a bath today. You can see a few new hoses and looks like there was and issue with step motor at some point as it has a deere mount in it some tin is gone underneath and a few pieces on top. Previous owner has no idea where it’s at, so will be in the hunt
Few more pics
And more pics
If you do need any parts for hitachi let me know how i can help
new or used?
Have only new and original parts for hitachi
I'm assuming the solenoid is for the thumb?
Yeah, it goes in here for Hammer plumbing as soon as I get some leaks fixed
Picked up a hammer
Hydraulic thumb and coupler !..I'm jealous haha
Those were must haves here in rock world. Everything is rock. I dream of spinning tiltrotators only to know that they would last a few days before we’d have half of it ripped off or destroyed.
Hammer got some new ears and the grading bucket received a facelift on the sides. Previous owner thought the grading bucket was used to pound things into oblivion
I just did the 2000 hour service on our John Deere 120, it was not too bad a job. Happy to give any pointers there. I did the tracks too, and going for some bushings next.
I’m following your bushing thread to gain insight. The machine I have is really tight, only slop at this point is from the bucket pin being to long so there is lateral movement. Need to get some washers to take up slack. It’s a slow process. I’m starting from scratch on a machine that has been sitting.
Nice that it is tight to begin with. I like that area, I have flown into the Redmond airport to attend the draft horse sale with my father in law long ago. They had a loaner Taurus wagon at the FBO I could take and just fill up with gas when I brought it back.
Been the the sale many of times. Lived here our whole lives. Rock, rock and more rock!
How many total hours on your machine? You mention 2000 hour service, is that the standard 2k service done every 2k
9030 hours. It was about 500 hours overdue, and the oil change? I was appalled. The 2k is the 500 plus 1k plus whatever is added. My machine is a bit newer, so the volumes and procedures may vary a bit. Engine: Oil change, adjust valves, and hook up to a computer to check throttle function. It functions, I skipped that. 4 gallons of engine oil. Drain and flush coolant. Check serpentine belt. I had just changed it. 6 gallons of premix coolant. Drain and change final drives. " " pump drive. " " swing gear. The above took a little less than 3 gallons of GL-5 Drain and change hydraulic oil. 20 gallons Replace pilot control hydraulic filter. replace in-tank filter. Nothing to see there I gave it a good look. Clean and inspect suction screen. A fir needle there from poor practices adding oil some time ago. Probably in the funnel That is where you can find bits of cylinder packing and bad things.
Sounds like what I have been preparing for. I’ve bought most fluids and filters. Because it’s new to me, I wanted to start off with me knowing everything. The last “service” indicated was 130 hours ago, but 4 years ago. Great advice here said to wait on Hydro change till most the leaks fixed. So I will run the machine and sort leaks. With the hammer heating up the oil, I do want to get quality oil in the hydros as soon as I can
IF it had a 1000 hour just 130 hours ago I would just check it all out carefully. No need to go crazy for those long time oils like finals and hydro, and you can pull that screen up and check it without changing the oil. At least I can.
I’d much rather not do to much. What do you think, it’s got 5600 hours. I don’t know what exactly was done at last service. As much as this machine has been leaking, And who was running it when I got it, I don’t think quality Fluids were high priority. It been sitting over in Portland for the last 4 years at a farm. Was fired up and I can tell they started on all the leaks. Boom cylinders both repacked and numerous new hoses. But still hydro fluid was just pouring out of the machine. It’s getting better with each new seal.
" I don't know what was done the last service" Yeah that's kind of a problem Pull the dipstick on the swing gear. If it has been done recently it won't be black. The pump gearbox will look clean with many thousands of hours on it so don't go by that. Check the finals.
Will do. I hope to get it out this week and get the glass in and final clean up before moving it to our new property.
After I already got it from the Deere dealer, I googled the glass part numbers and found the toe glass for $80 cheaper online. I won't do that again!
found all the glass from an outfit in BC. No local shop wanted to mess with it. Great outfit that was helpful and fast.
Stopped in and checked on the old girl. Pump flow tested great for hammer. Bucket Cylinder getting repacked. Kid coming out to measure missing underside tin on Wednesday
Update: hammer on and working. The hammer has same issues as the machine, worn out o-rings. Few more replacements and the machine can come home for glass, tin parts and clean up
It’s home, did a little hammer before issue with Jones coupler. Hopefully some cleaning today
The good old days!
Nice looking machine. Good luck with it.
The valves are turned the other way on the 120 JD, so the ones coming down the stick are in line with it. I imagine you don't reach into many trench boxes though.
Yeah, no trench boxes. It’s been so long since I had to work with a box. This is just for me to use “around the house” You are right, most outfits here have a dedicated machine just for hammering. So the “digging” machines do not have valves on them. (But always have thumbs) We never really get in a box with a machine. We are all rock, most every trench is shot, so loads upon loads of rock are pulled out. Ditches are wide, very wide. Once we are to a close grade, we set the box on pull it along. Backhoes generally feed bedding into the box for monkeys as they lay pipe.
Took good advise and drained hydro tank today. New sump screen, new hydro filter, new air filters. Question, worth cleaning the hydraulic tank? And how? O-Ring work and motor oil change tomorrow. Going to work on figuring out valve adjustments
Finished the o-ring replacement on the easy items in the pump. Drained motor oil. Painted some Tin I had made up as this one is missing most of the underside and 1 on top
I had to make 2 panels for the underside of my machine also. How do these get "lost"? Makes me scratch my head.
I'm missing that little one over the swing drive drain. I have the top one that you walk on back to the engine off, I have five hoses to change out the look pretty rotten. That's about $1,500 in John Deere speak.
I Know these are not Small, where did you leave it?
Take a 20 Liter pail and hook up a vacuum to the big pour spout with tape. take small stiff line like pex and strap to a straight 3/8 or 1/2 round bar to it with pipe sticking out past round bar by 2 inches. Put other end of Pex pipe into small hole on top of 20 liter pail and seal up a bit. Put pipe to bottom of tank to vacuum around and pick up small dirt While the vacuum is sucking. Some guys even put some diesel in the bottom to help with the cleaning if there is a neck sticking up a bit in the tank to stop the diesel from going to pump. Hope it helps. Simon
I think I follow what you built. I’ll see what I have to rig up to make something similar. Thanks!
That walk one on top is at the shop, leaning against a bucket waiting to go back on The little one on the bottom went missing long ago. It really is a small hatch. The big ones you had made? Mine are all there but not straight by any means. That machine has been in some rough stuff. I hit them with a sledgehammer when I was doing the 2000 hour service.
Yeah I had them made. He missed at least one of them on top and has to make it.
Got the oil all changed finally. Work has been a zoo. Most o-rings on pump replaced and leaks are almost nil. There is a sensor on cab side of pump underneath that hard to get to. I can see it leaking. Sensor is unplugged. Tore into the valves, replaced o-rings and the nylon washers. I was hoping this would fix my “boom up” creepy slow. Still no go. I can put the bucket on the ground same and before and it shoots right up. I’m trying to wrap my head around how the valves work. The body (holding valve) that controls the boom did not have a pool of fluid in it like the others. The springs were fine. I’m thinking the main spool is stuck? Or at least based on all the other o-rings/nylon rings are shot. Or P1 pressure? Any suggestions?
I just watched a John Deere 200DLC that would not hold the arm straight out. It would not raise slowly or would fall down quickly. A new relief valve for that arm circuit was installed and instantly everything was 100%. As the other field tech said. you can take it apart and will find nothing. Not visible to the naked eye, but change for a new one and she is good to go. It reminds me of many a wheel bearing I changed on cars, lots of noize from old bearing, no noize from new bearing. Never seen anything inside. That is my experience. Simon
Was kinda thinking about the relief and holding valve. They are relatively inexpensive.
Trying to follow along as P1 input and shuttle, valve B port, holding valve, relief valve, makes my head hurt
New Relief valves went in for both boom and stick. Stick is still a little fast coming in. Boom is no improvement, though now if I start to swing while still trying to raise boom, it will go up normally. Reading through the Tech Manual, I’ve arrived at bad Solenoid, or VPCV. anyone have any experience with either? The solenoid is an easy fix, I can’t seem the locate the VPCV on any diagrams or parts manual