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First time removal of H120 loader from 1025R - had problems and need advice please.

13K views 33 replies 24 participants last post by  vincentrose 
#1 ·
Yesterday I removed the loader for the first time. I've had the tractor for over a year, and I wanted to use my RC2048 rotary cutter with front weights. Well, the loader came off without any drama, and the hydraulic couplers were just a little hard to hard to free up.

Overnight the loader frame had lowered itself about a foot. It was so low I didn't have clearance to drive the tractor under it. I decided to use a pair of floor jacks and some 4x4 posts to raise it back up. I figured that once I got the hydraulics re-connected I'd use them to replace the jacks and that re-connection would be easy.

Two hours later I was still struggling to connect the hydraulic "quick-connects." It ended up taking way more force than I'd anticipated. It didn't help that I was sitting on the floor underneath the loader frame which was balanced on two wood posts. Once I finally got the hydraulics back, the loader frame seemed like it had spread apart side to side about an inch, so I could line up one side but the other wouldn't mate. Finally, another hour and success.

How can I keep the loader from dropping down, and is there a trick to re-connecting the hydraulics?
 
#2 ·
Make sure you extend the loader stand out until the locking levers flip themselves back into the locked position. Also, before disconnecting the hydraulic hoses, move the lever in all directions. This is should relieve the pressure and make it much easier next time.
 
#8 ·
Make sure you extend the loader stand out until the locking levers flip themselves back into the locked position. Also, before disconnecting the hydraulic hoses, move the lever in all directions. This is should relieve the pressure and make it much easier next time.
This is done after you shut off the tractor. Another thing I do is after it's disconnected I lock the joy stick so it can't be moved after starting the tractor because this will pressurize it again until you shut off the tractor and move the joy stick in every position again.
 
#3 ·
The connectors should be a cinch unless there is pressure in the lines. In which case, they are damn near impossible to put together unless you are really ripped.

Relieve the pressure in male connectors by using a pair of water pump pliers to depress the ball in the center of the coupler. With female connectors, use a small screwdriver to depress the valve inside. In either case, use a rag or something similar to protect your hand. A fully pressurized system (not likely in your case but safety is a habit) can be a couple thousand PSI and will inject fluid through your skin if you are not careful.

Al
 
#4 ·
Happened to me the 1st time I see mine down. I was too tentative and didn't pop it up far enough. After a few times you will have no issues.
 
#5 ·
As said above make sure you extend the parking stand all the way when you take off the loader and make sure your bucket is flat to the ground. To reinstall the loader pull up close enough to have the hoses reach the connections points. Sometimes I have had to take the hoses out of the hose retainer clip on the loader side to reach down. Turn off the tractor and play out the joystick in all directions to release pressure on the tractor side. If you took off the loader in cooler conditions and now it is warmer you will need to release the pressure on the loader lines. I have a rag that I put around the end of the line and press it against a brick to bleed off the pressure on each of the liens one by one. Do not try and do it without covering the ends of the hoses otherwise you will have hydraulic fluid all over yourself. Not fun. Did once and learned quick. I always have had problems trying to get the yellow line connected just because of the angle. Dirt builds up behind the pull back collars on the tractor connections sometimes making it hard to mate the hoses as well. Make sure they are clear of debris.

Good luck.
 
#6 ·
Ditto on getting it all then way extended. I put the bucket down flat and take the pressure off the loader frame and I clip the two green clamps then raised the arms up till the clamps snap back down. Unhook hydraulic hoses back away. To reinstall is take the male ends with a rag over them and push them on a solid surface then install them.
 
#12 ·
Is the bucket supposed to slide forward along the ground like shown in this video, or is the bucket supposed to stay stationary while the support unfolds to support the frame? Or do both happen together? I was trying it on a concrete floor and there was a lot of sliding going on. Is it better to remove the loader outside in the dirt?
 
#11 · (Edited)
Another member has a post on a stand he constructed from mainly lumber. It went through a few revisions and looks well thought and tried out now. He made it so the stand's bucket platform and the loader stand platform can telescope, so it saves the paint. He has pins that drop in when the load stand is fully vertical, so 1. You know you're vertical and 2. The pins prevent the stand from settling and creating the pressure in your hydraulics, as you experienced.

Of course, the big plus is being able to roll the FEL around your building when it is off.

I'm going to build it later this summer, when things on the "to do list" even out.

Here is the link:

http://www.greentractortalk.com/forums/implements-attachments/33121-dolly-h120-front-end-loader.html

So what is your doctorate/practice? I have a few friends that are docs. To be honest, a screwdriver in their hands is a lethal weapon. You really don't fit the standard mold for an MD.
 
#14 ·
Removing the loader creates distance between the tractor and the bucket. I slowly back up as I park my loader and slowly creep in as I mount it. Another tip I have is the manual advises to tip the bucket slightly forward when you prepare to lift the front wheels to detach. After I have the loader "reset" in the park position, that is the latches have closed on their own, before I disconnect the hydraulic lines I level the bucket on the ground using the joystick. This has helped me keep the disconnected lines from building much pressure after the loader has sat and settled over time.
 
#17 ·
After I have the loader "reset" in the park position, that is the latches have closed on their own, before I disconnect the hydraulic lines I level the bucket on the ground using the joystick. This has helped me keep the disconnected lines from building much pressure after the loader has sat and settled over time.
This is a huge mistake I made just a few weeks ago when reinstalling the loader after winter. My bucket was still tilted slightly and must have been creating some pressure in the lines. No problem, I get out my little wiz-bang pressure release tool and attach it to the coupling. The moment I depressed the plunger on the fitting about a pint of oil shot out as the bucket went to the rest position. It made a huge mess on the floor. NEXT TIME I encounter a similar situation I will be sure to put a small catch pan under the pressure release tool. Ugh!
 
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#16 ·
Removal of the loader looks easy in the promo videos, personally I have found it to be a very messy, time consuming and muscle straining process. Those quick connects seem to gum up even without being pressurized ( I run my joystick through range
Of motion a few times before I connect or disconnect).

I like to leave my loader off for lawn mowing - easier maneuverability and if my extended family want to help out mowing it drives similar to their lawn tractors. What a pain though. I used to just mow leaving my artillian frame on because I dreaded taking off the loader.

For anyone who finds the loader disconnect as grueling as I do, do yourself a favor and invest
In a single point hydraulic connection. Search this forum for single point. It has a mechanical lever that connects the four hydraulic lines in about 2 seconds total. The part is about 700 and my dealer (big shout out to Landpro Lakeland Equipment in Avon NY!!!!!) installed for about 300 - not cheap but worth saving all the frustration. The newly designed 2 series come standard with this feature. Truly plug and play. No grease rags, pliers and screwdrivers to QUICK connect.

By the way.... a pressurized hydraulic fluid injection (2000 psi can pierce the skin) requires emergency surgery and can be limb and life threatening very frequently. Most commonly injected body part: the hand.
 
#18 · (Edited)
For anyone who finds the loader disconnect as grueling as I do, do yourself a favor and invest
In a single point hydraulic connection. Search this forum for single point. It has a mechanical lever that connects the four hydraulic lines in about 2 seconds total. The part is about 700 and my dealer (big shout out to Landpro Lakeland Equipment in Avon NY!!!!!) installed for about 300 - not cheap but worth saving all the frustration.The newly designed 2 series come standard with this feature. Truly plug and play. No grease rags, pliers and screwdrivers to QUICK connect.
While it is available on the new 2-series, it is an option (BW16970 $708).
 
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#20 ·
I've taken it off and put it on about 15 times now, and through my own bumbling, "discovered" some things, most of which are in the manual. :)

1. Lift the front of the tractor off the ground before disconnecting the latches (or at least put pressure on it).

2. Release ALL of the pressure after turning of the tractor before disconnecting the hoses. Move the stick in every direction, then push it forward and left and leave it there until the bucket stops moving, then leave it there some more. If you forget, the male ones are easy, as others here have described, but you don't need to relieve the female ones...just use the loader joystick with nothing attached to it. It's all connected.

3. Position of the loader before hookup is irrelevant as long as you can hook up the cables. Then it will move where you want it.

4. Take it off in as flat and level a spot as you can find. If you don't have one, make one. You have a loader!

MOST IMPORTANT:

4. When reconnecting, make sure you use the curl function and just the lift function to position the connection points and make them go all the way into position. I did it like 8 times before realizing that, and it was hard to get on because I don't have a flat level spot and the one I made kinda sucks. Once I started using the curl function to pop the connections into place, things became super easy. It beats driving forward and shoving it into place that way.

Hope this helps.
 
#24 ·
The only time I have a problem with hydraulic lines having pressure buildup is if I uncoupled them when it was cool outside and then go to hook them up after it's gotten hot outside causing the oil in the cylinders and lines to expand a bit.
 
#30 ·
To me, this is a key point. And I know it is not always possible, but if you can disconnect the loader when it is warmer, and hook it up when it is cooler, it makes a great deal of difference.

If I know I am going to want to hook up the loader in the near future, I might get up early one morning when it is cooler out and hook it up rather than trying to do it during the warmer part of the day.

It makes more of a difference than you would think...
 
#26 ·
Not sure if anyone mentioned it but you should also make sure you take off your front weight bracket before putting the loader back on.
 
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#32 ·
Not sure if anyone mentioned it but you should also make sure you take off your front weight bracket before putting the loader back on.
And for those of us with a "Front-Quick-Slick-E/Z Tatch Jiffy Adapter" for plows and blowers, etc... Don't forget to take that little "E/Z 2 Forget" bugger off. Otherwise... lots of cuss combinations will be made!:laugh:
 
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#29 ·
If you don't have the fancy pliers simply put a rag over the end of the hose and press the nipple onto something hard. I usually just press it on the mast. This will allow the pressure to be relieved. Don't skip the rag or the fluid will spray out in all directions....don't ask me how I know.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
 
#33 ·
Well, today's removal and replacement went much better than the first time. Off was no problem, and on took about 10 minutes.

What I did different. (1) Parked outside on dirt to minimize slippage I had on concrete. (2) That also gave much better physical approach to the connectors. (3) Hosed the grit off of the female connectors so slip rings were much easier to retract. (4) Made sure I could release fluid from each male end before attempting to re-connect. (5) Removed zip ties from the hose bundle so I could deal with just one hydraulic hose at a time.

Thanks to everyone for the advice and suggestions.:clapping:
 
#34 ·
The weight of the loader resting on the ground can cause pressure to build up in the lines, along with changes in air temperture or barometric pressure too, making it almost impossible to hook the lines back up, but here are a few thing you can do to minimize this problem.

1. If you can, park the loader in the shade, out of direct sunlight, therefore the sun wont be able to heat up the fluid in the lines and cylinders and build up pressure
2. After you have disconnected the loader from the tractor but BEFORE you disconnect the hydraulic lines, with the tractor off, move the joystick in all 4 directions until the bucket doesn't move anymore, this will relieve all the pressure by taking all the weight off the cylinders and lines and thus will taking gravity out of the equation.
3. When you go to hook it back up, if you still cant get them to connect, use pliers or push the male connectors against a clean solid object, like the frame to relieve the pressure, us a rag to minimize hydraulic fluid splattering everywhere, then they should go in without a problem.
 
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