I will be taking the lift cover off in a few days to work on the lift of my Super Dexta. I have already changed the oil and cleaned the suction screen. I also replaced the filter cartridge. The oil that I put back in was Shell Rotella 15-40. The lift did not work at all before I did this work. Now it will lift the arms up to the horizontal position, maybe slightly higher. This is in position control. With the small lever in the draft control position the arms go all the way down and stay there, the big lever does nothing.
Does anyone have any suggestions about what to look for when I get the cover off? Any parts ( 0 rings) that I should have on hand? The arms leak down overnight, how can this be fixed?
Thanks, Terry
hydraulic lift
Have you ever watched a Ferguson Terry? An implement will hit the floor before you get off the seat when you stop the engine. And these are supposed to be a better hydraulic system than the Ford. 
The lift should leak down, it was never meant to hold up without the engine running. It is the speed it leaks down that is important. If it leaks down in (say) 15 mins with hot oil then there is some cause for concern. Do you have an auxiliary services button? This is a valve chest that fits on the top of the lift just between your legs. It has a valve that pulls out and diverts the oil to loaders or tipping trailers. If so, pull the button out and leave the lift over night with the lift arms raised. If the lift is on the floor next morning, you have a leaky piston seal. If the lift is still up in the morning you have a leaky control valve.
Leaky piston seal is the easier of the two. You will have to remove the ram cylinder, get the piston out and replace the seal.
Whilst the lift is off, check the Position control pin for wear and fit a new pin if needed. This has been discussed many times here and a search should turn up details of the pin size etc.
If it is the valve that is leaking, I would take it to a Ford dealer for repair. Not because you cannot do the job but because the valve has to match the bush exactly, we are talking microns here, and the dealer should have a range of different sized valves that will enable him to get the best fit. If you just put in any old valve you could end up worse off than when you started.
The lift setting procedure is laid out on the Wiki page of this site. It is pretty straight forward.
The problems you detail, when you select draft as opposed to position control. In Draft control the arms will drop when the lever is moved about 1/2" from the top stop on the quadrant and will go to the bottom. The lift will only lift when the lever is in this area, 1/2" from the top stop. It will be difficult to find a neutral point. This is the lift working normally.
Try pushing the selector lever towards the rear of the tractor. If the lift starts to raise with the quadrant lever in the raised position and it did not raise before, then your lift adjustments are out and you need to follow the instructions for setting up.
Try setting the selector lever in Draft, the main quadrant lever about 3/4" from the top stop, then go round the back of the tractor and put a large bar in the top link yoke. Lever hard on this bar and the lift arms should raise. If they do not, move the lever up the quadrant a little closer to the top stop and try levering again. If you get no reaction from the arms this means that either the external linkage is rusted up, the big spring behind the yoke, or the internal settings are way out of adjustment.
Parts you might need. I would wait until you have the lift off before ordering anything. I would suggest a top cover gasket and the two "O" rings, a piston seal and ram cylinder "O" rings.
The lift should leak down, it was never meant to hold up without the engine running. It is the speed it leaks down that is important. If it leaks down in (say) 15 mins with hot oil then there is some cause for concern. Do you have an auxiliary services button? This is a valve chest that fits on the top of the lift just between your legs. It has a valve that pulls out and diverts the oil to loaders or tipping trailers. If so, pull the button out and leave the lift over night with the lift arms raised. If the lift is on the floor next morning, you have a leaky piston seal. If the lift is still up in the morning you have a leaky control valve.
Leaky piston seal is the easier of the two. You will have to remove the ram cylinder, get the piston out and replace the seal.
Whilst the lift is off, check the Position control pin for wear and fit a new pin if needed. This has been discussed many times here and a search should turn up details of the pin size etc.
If it is the valve that is leaking, I would take it to a Ford dealer for repair. Not because you cannot do the job but because the valve has to match the bush exactly, we are talking microns here, and the dealer should have a range of different sized valves that will enable him to get the best fit. If you just put in any old valve you could end up worse off than when you started.
The lift setting procedure is laid out on the Wiki page of this site. It is pretty straight forward.
The problems you detail, when you select draft as opposed to position control. In Draft control the arms will drop when the lever is moved about 1/2" from the top stop on the quadrant and will go to the bottom. The lift will only lift when the lever is in this area, 1/2" from the top stop. It will be difficult to find a neutral point. This is the lift working normally.
Try pushing the selector lever towards the rear of the tractor. If the lift starts to raise with the quadrant lever in the raised position and it did not raise before, then your lift adjustments are out and you need to follow the instructions for setting up.
Try setting the selector lever in Draft, the main quadrant lever about 3/4" from the top stop, then go round the back of the tractor and put a large bar in the top link yoke. Lever hard on this bar and the lift arms should raise. If they do not, move the lever up the quadrant a little closer to the top stop and try levering again. If you get no reaction from the arms this means that either the external linkage is rusted up, the big spring behind the yoke, or the internal settings are way out of adjustment.
Parts you might need. I would wait until you have the lift off before ordering anything. I would suggest a top cover gasket and the two "O" rings, a piston seal and ram cylinder "O" rings.
Fordson Tractor Pages, now officially linked to: Fordson Tractor Club of Australia, Ford and Fordson Association and Blue Force.
Brian
Brian
Thanks for the reply Brian, I am still a few days off from tackling this job. Too little time, to many jobs!
You asked if I had watched a Ferguson. I currently own a 1949 Ferguson TO20. A great tractor, I will be sad to see it go in a few months. The Dexta that I am fixing is her replacement. The Ferguson has served me well, but I wanted the live PTO and low speed first gear of the Dexta. Thus far I have been very pleased with the Dexta, I am getting impatient to get her running and put her to work!
Terry
You asked if I had watched a Ferguson. I currently own a 1949 Ferguson TO20. A great tractor, I will be sad to see it go in a few months. The Dexta that I am fixing is her replacement. The Ferguson has served me well, but I wanted the live PTO and low speed first gear of the Dexta. Thus far I have been very pleased with the Dexta, I am getting impatient to get her running and put her to work!
Terry
--
1964 Fordson Super Dexta
1964 Fordson Super Dexta
I cant get my dexta to lift the arms in draft controle. After adjusting the setings it will lift if one do as you describe above, but after a little work with the lift, that won't work.Brian wrote: Try pushing the selector lever towards the rear of the tractor. If the lift starts to raise with the quadrant lever in the raised position and it did not raise before, then your lift adjustments are out and you need to follow the instructions for setting up.
In position controle the lift works fine.
The position control pin is also very easely worn out. What could the reason for the position control pin to be worn often?
Thanks, Lukas
Lukas,
I would check all the settings again. The Position control pin will wear because it is metal on metal with little lubrication but most of them last 20 to 30 years.
If you could get it to lift by pushing on the selector that is the indication that your settings are incorrect.
I would check all the settings again. The Position control pin will wear because it is metal on metal with little lubrication but most of them last 20 to 30 years.
If you could get it to lift by pushing on the selector that is the indication that your settings are incorrect.
Fordson Tractor Pages, now officially linked to: Fordson Tractor Club of Australia, Ford and Fordson Association and Blue Force.
Brian
Brian
Thanks for the reply. For 9 years i am looking for someone with some knowledge of a dexta. I have taken the lift top and tractor to two workshops without any luck.
What worries me is, I have to replace/weld the pin every 3 to 6 months. The dexta work with a scoop every week for a few hours.
I assume it is the gap on the control valve, that must be adjusted for the lift in draft control. Must i make it bigger or smaller. That can give me an indication to what direction i must make the adjustment.
I have done the settings today with the same results and i know that after a week or two the lift wont lift if one push the lever backwards. If i open the lift top there would be wear on the position control pin.
Thanks
Lukas
What worries me is, I have to replace/weld the pin every 3 to 6 months. The dexta work with a scoop every week for a few hours.
I assume it is the gap on the control valve, that must be adjusted for the lift in draft control. Must i make it bigger or smaller. That can give me an indication to what direction i must make the adjustment.
I have done the settings today with the same results and i know that after a week or two the lift wont lift if one push the lever backwards. If i open the lift top there would be wear on the position control pin.
Thanks
Lukas
If you go into the Wiki from the home page, you will find I have written up the setting proceedure for the lift.
You are wasting your time welding the pin. The heat softens it and it will wear faster. You need to carefully drive it out and replace it with a harder one. The dimensions of the pin are in a post on this subject from Gerald (Tubal Caine)
The code to get into the Wiki is "fordsontractorpages" and "dotty".
You are wasting your time welding the pin. The heat softens it and it will wear faster. You need to carefully drive it out and replace it with a harder one. The dimensions of the pin are in a post on this subject from Gerald (Tubal Caine)
The code to get into the Wiki is "fordsontractorpages" and "dotty".
Fordson Tractor Pages, now officially linked to: Fordson Tractor Club of Australia, Ford and Fordson Association and Blue Force.
Brian
Brian
I do the setting according to your instructions, but will redo it.
The wear of the pin is not because of some other setting that is not correct?
The pin was replaced as well as welded. I weld it with a high tension/hardening welding rod. In the forum someone replace it with a drill bit. Is that a better idea.
In the instructions you refer to a metal tube that fit over the control valve. Is that to check if the rod is strait?
Thanks for the help
Lukas
The wear of the pin is not because of some other setting that is not correct?
The pin was replaced as well as welded. I weld it with a high tension/hardening welding rod. In the forum someone replace it with a drill bit. Is that a better idea.
In the instructions you refer to a metal tube that fit over the control valve. Is that to check if the rod is strait?
Thanks for the help
Lukas