My stabilizers will lift the backhoe up off the rear wheels, but just barely. If I use the hoe to pick up the rear end and push the stabilizers out, they will hold.....Stabilizers need rebuilt, but aren't externally leaking real bad. Any ideas? Or is this normal...?
No it is not normal. How long will they hold after you put the weight of the machine on them ? Do the stabilizers slowly lower themselves after you put them in the upright / stored position ?
Have you checked main relief pressure, it is typical of older machines to not lift the machine comfortably with the front bucket lowered and holding the weight of the machine. It should raise the rear off easily with the front loader off the ground. It sounds to me like the main relief pressure should be verified and corrected if necessary. if internal packings are good on the stab cylinders it shouldhold the machine up. minor gland leakage has no affect on that.
Melben, Thanks for the reply. Once down the stabilizers will hold the rear end up for several days before leaking down. What is the proper method for verifing the correct main relief pressure?
Just a point to clarify, the cylinder's piston's packing could be missing and it would still hold a load until the pressure caused failure. It would reduce the extension power of the cylinder. Not saying it's the packing, checking the main relief is a good first step. In general get a pressure gauge and tap it info the system, for example on the stabilizer's extension hose, and activate that function. The gauge dead heads the circuit and gives you a pressure reading. A low reading could be a tired pump, faulty relief valve, or a badly leaking valve.
On the large pipe/hose that goes into the outside of the loader control valve there should be a 1/4 in pipe plug, remove the plug and install a at least 3000 psi gage, run the engine at full throttle and work the loader against relief and read the pressure, then go back and try a backhoe furction, the pressure should read the same, if it does not a powerbeyond oring could have failed. Another thing to check is the levers and linkage on the hoe can wear till the levers bottom against the slots and keep the spool from completely opening, I have had to be creative with those slots to keep guys going. The advantage to doing it that way is that you get to check the main relied on the first test and the powerbeond in the second. Nothing wrong with doing what lumberjack says but you can check all circuits the other way. If the packing is at fault as lumberjack says you can with the engine shut off and the cylinders holding up the weight, pull the stabilizer into the raise position and if the machine lowers you have a packing problem, the reason is that the raise position allows for a return from the head end of the cylinder and oil going by the packing has a return to sump, when closed the system becomes a simple displacement cylinder whose displacement is effectively the rod diameter. Sometimes diagnosing this stuff can get tricky. Mel