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Broke hydralic line, tractor is dead down in the back field

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Out mowing the field. Land Pride 72" mower on the 3pt hitch. Ran over something and about 100 feet further down I notice the steering is no longer responsive. Get the tractor slowly maneuvered out into an open spot and it stops moving.

Engine is fine. No problem with that.

Get off, look around, I see fluic sprayed on the right rear tire, fluid sprayed under the right rear side, but I can't find fluid dripping from any single spot, can't find a broken line or torn hose, etc.

Obviously I broke a hydraulic line but I could not find a break.

Tractor is a BOBCAT which is pretty much a slightly fancier version of a KIOTI CK 35HST. http://www.kioti.com/products/tractors/ck-series/ck35-hst/

Bobcat had a 5 year contract to have Kioti make tractors for them, Bobcat didn't sell enough so technically my tractor is an orphan. Fortunately a large equipmentn dealer started carrying Kioti in my town about 2 years after I got my tractor so I have access to parts and repairs without having to go very far.

Just not sure how to repair it. I have plenty of hydraulic fluid but if I can't find the leak then it might be better to let the tractor sit in the field until I can figure out how to tow it up to the road and load it onto a trailer to get it to the dealer? Going to call the dealer Monday, I'm sure they have rescued more than 1 tractor from a field.
 

Dmorency

Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Trying to find it by yourself could be hard. Take someone with you to look while you move the controls.
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
I had a saddle connector come loose once and spray oil everywhere.. Tightened it up and haven't had a problem since. Worth having someone come and look while you move stuff around or drive slowly. It shouldn't be too hard to see it coming out if it's spraying like you describe.
 

Av8r3400

Gone Flyin'
Have the dealer make a service call to you.

It may cost a couple of $$, but then if the hydro is wrecked it's their problem.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Have the dealer make a service call to you.

It may cost a couple of $$, but then if the hydro is wrecked it's their problem.

That is my plan. Problem is I am tied up until about 2pm tomorrow and then flying to North Carolina early Wednesday morning, then flying to England on Thursday. So I'm hoping to squeeze in a phone call tomorrow morning, and hoping they can make the service call on Tuesday.
 

deand1

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Just a safety note, never deal with a hydro leak under pressure with bare skin. Hydro fluid injected under the skin is very serious and can cause a loss of a limb or worse.

Be safe!
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Just a safety note, never deal with a hydro leak under pressure with bare skin. Hydro fluid injected under the skin is very serious and can cause a loss of a limb or worse.

Be safe!

That's good advice.

Bob, fill the hydraulic fluid tank, start it up and go looking for your leak. Wear gloves and use a piece of white cardboard to find it. Then you might be able to make the best decision of what to do.

I've had 3 or 4 hydraulic leaks over the years but they have always been in the rubber hoses to the FEL. One was actually very pretty. Every time I moved the bucket on the FEL it sprayed fluid. When the sun caught it just right there was a massive rainbow around the tractor. My fix was easy. Yours might not be.

Strange how these things seem to happen just when you are approaching a locked in, can't be rescheduled, drop dead date. Don't worry. It'll still be there when you get back from from your Hadrian's wall trip.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Just talked to the dealership, he is going to TRY to get a service truck out here tomorrow.

They have no way of towing the tractor out of the field, so if they can't fix it while its down there then I need to borrow a tractor from a neighbor, pull it up to the road, get it onto a trailer . . . .
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
UPON CLOSER INSPECTION . . .

Some of you older members who came from that unnamed tractor website may recall that I got all sorts of grief for pointing out that there is a filter that hangs down under the KIOTI CK25 and CK30 tractors. . . at that time there was no CK35 model.

My Bobcat TC 235 is essentially a delux clone of the CK35 tractor, which is just a CK30 with a bigger engine. The same filter, in the same place, dangles down under the TC 235/CK35 as hangs down under the CK25 & CK30.

SO GUESS WHAT I BROKE OFF THE BOTTOM OF MY TRACTOR?

And of course when you break off the filter, the real problem is that the threaded nipple on the filter mount is what actually breaks.

And guess what the dealer does not have in stock?

So I'm going to throw a tarp over the tractor and deal with it when I get back from England.
 
UPON CLOSER INSPECTION . . .


So I'm going to throw a tarp over the tractor and deal with it when I get back from England.

Ahh the blue tarp, also known as the Alaskan Shed, good choice!!

I see quite often the nipple unscrewing some from the base of a lot of filter housings. I check every time I replace a filter to make sure it is screwed all the way back in before putting on the filter. Maybe get an extra one if it is going to be a week spot?
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Well I got a call from Skip the service manager at the local Kioti shop. He has the parts that we both think I need and will have a guy show up here sometime on Tuesday to install it. Hopefully refill the hydraulic oil and I'll be good to go. Assuming that the pump isn't damaged too.

We are having good weather today so I took the lawn tractor and mowed a nice clearling around the disabled Bobcat so the service guy can get to work when he shows up. We stand to get some rain Sunday, Monday and maybe Tuesday. The grass was about 15" tall in most areas down there. At least he can get to it.
 
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