GT-1848 lift not working, but tractor will move Forward/Reverse

[davem1111 2,030]

I'm not sure if this is something that would be entirely or at least partly due to very cold weather, or if my Eaton 11 hydro is just worn and tired.  It seemed to be working fine back in summer/fall, driving and lifting the deck.  Now I have a snow plow blade on the tractor, and even after running for about 15 minutes, it still won't lift at all.  It was about 14* F this morning.   If I remember correctly, last weekend it was maybe about the same temp or a little warmer, and after a 10-15 minute warmup the lift worked fine.  Prior to that I had checked the oil level and it was a little low so I added some.  I have *not*, however, changed the oil or filter since I got this tractor over a year ago, and there's no telling how long it sat with this oil in it. So, I know I should change those soon, but in the meantime, I wondered what the known causes for this behavior might be. I don't notice any belt slippage, although the idler seems to be "hopping" a bit. 

 

If this trans is showing signs of being shot, I have a 416-H I picked up for a really good price, that I was going to fix up a bit and sell. But if I need to poach the trans from that one, at least I have a spare. 

[kpinnc 12,100]

It's probably ok. Change the filter, and try it again when temps are much higher than freezing.

 

I'm not sure that tranny will even get warm in 15 minutes with temps that low.

[pfrederi 17,741]

Old flluid probably has water in it which is now ice crystals...Who knows were they are blocking something....

[Handy Don 12,237]

If you are getting driving motion (i.e moving at least several feet in each direction with good control), then the oil is circulating. Probably through the charge pump and certainly through the hydro pump/motor combo. (The charge pump feeds low pressure oil to the hydro pump.) The charge pump circuit also includes the plumbing to/from the lift control valve.

 

So then if it isn’t lifting, then it’s either within or beyond the control valve.

 

My first reaction would be to disconnect the plow lift and see if the lift cycles with no load. Listen for the usual squeal when you move the control to lift or drop and the cylinder reaches its limit. No squeal equals no flow OR a stuck open pressure relief valve. Let us know!

[davem1111 2,030]

1 hour ago, pfrederi said:

Old flluid probably has water in it which is now ice crystals...Who knows were they are blocking something....

 

This would make sense. I'll do a full filter/oil change as soon as I can.

 

10 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

If you are getting driving motion (i.e moving at least several feet in each direction with good control), then the oil is circulating. Probably through the charge pump and certainly through the hydro pump/motor combo. (The charge pump feeds low pressure oil to the hydro pump.) The charge pump circuit also includes the plumbing to/from the lift control valve.

 

So then if it isn’t lifting, then it’s either within or beyond the control valve.

 

My first reaction would be to disconnect the plow lift and see if the lift cycles with no load. Listen for the usual squeal when you move the control to lift or drop and the cylinder reaches its limit. No squeal equals no flow OR a stuck open pressure relief valve. Let us know!

 

I have a chain holding it up near a front 2" hitch receiver that's on the front, but not pulled up tight. Even after warming, there was still no upward motion, which I would expect to see some upward motion if the lift was working at all. I don't hear any squeal at all. 

 

If I drain the trans from the usual place, which I'm guessing is on the bottom of the axle (I've only done this to the smaller Eaton 700 and an 8-speed), will it drain the lift cylinder also?  Guess I need to read up on dealing with these 1100's.  And I'll make sure I do this when it's been well above freezing for a while, so if there's water it will come out.

[Handy Don 12,237]

2 minutes ago, davem1111 said:

This would make sense. I'll do a full filter/oil change as soon as I can.

I have a chain holding it up near a front 2" hitch receiver that's on the front, but not pulled up tight. Even after warming, there was still no upward motion, which I would expect to see some upward motion if the lift was working at all. I don't hear any squeal at all. 

 

If I drain the trans from the usual place, which I'm guessing is on the bottom of the axle (I've only done this to the smaller Eaton 700 and an 8-speed), will it drain the lift cylinder also?  Guess I need to read up on dealing with these 1100's.  And I'll make sure I do this when it's been well above freezing for a while, so if there's water it will come out.

Condensation inside the transaxle is common when these machines are used in cool/cold weather for short periods where the oil doesn’t get warm enough to evaporate out the water (the curved end of the dipstick is hollow--that’s the vent). If you are seeing froth or brown foam on the dipstick, there is moisture in the oil.

No squeal when holding the lift control in either direction for a five seconds means no flow (likely) or the pressure relief valve is stuck open (not too likely).

Not knowing for sure where the blockage is, I would not run this machine until it’s well thawed out.

[c-series don 8,724]

@davem1111 Please put me on the list of people who would like to know the outcome of this! 

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

56 minutes ago, c-series don said:

@davem1111 Please put me on the list of people who would like to know the outcome of this! 

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,048]