Lift Control Lever Stuck

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dewaltdisney
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Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by dewaltdisney »

Hi All,

I need a bit of help. I have just been getting my Dexta ready to do some work for the first time this year and whilst fiddling I found the lift control lever is stuck. It was a bit stiff when I started out last year but it eased up as I was working. I guess the probem is that I only do about ten hours a year and this has probaby not helped. I would be grateful for any help and guidance on sorting this correctly please.

Many thanks

DWD

Brian
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by Brian »

The lever could be stuck in the tube going into the lift, you would really need to strip the lift to free it off.
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Bensdexta
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by Bensdexta »

dewaltdisney wrote:... I found the lift control lever is stuck.
Is that the quadrant lever or the Position/Qualitrol selector lever? If the former, have a search on here, eg http://www.fordsontractorpages.nl/ubb/F ... 00711.html
http://www.fordsontractorpages.nl/phpbb ... f=3&t=5730
Bensdexta - 1961 working for a living!

dewaltdisney
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by dewaltdisney »

It is the quadrant lever that raises and lowers the hitch arms. The advice so far seems a bit complicated for me and I was hoping that as it was working last year it was a more simple probem.

Gulp

DWD

Brian
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by Brian »

The quadrant lever runs inside a tube that is part of the quadrant that is bolted onto the side of the lift housing. There is little room to get the quadrant off without taking the lift off and on the other end of the shaft the link to the control valve is either held on with a nut or a circlip. Even if you get the quadrant loose you will not be able to apply enough pressure to free things off.

Image

This is what you have on the internal end of the lever shaft and it is difficult to get the shaft out without stripping the lift down. The place where it is most likely seized is in the tube although it is possible that some of the pivoted links and arms or even the control valve itself is stuck.

If it was really something simple it might be the cork friction pad behind the lever stuck to the quadrant. try a bit of WD40 around that area.
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dewaltdisney
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by dewaltdisney »

Ahh, Thanks Brian. I am pleased to see you are still giving your excellent advice, that picture is really useful.

I managed to get by today and got my grass cut. My faithfull Dexta started more or less first time after I did all the usual preparations like charging the battery and tapping the fuel lift to ensure the fuel was there. I tried tapping the quadrant lever with a mallet and this gave me a degree of lift and fall which gave enough room to get the hitch on to my mower (which has a stern wheel). I could lift the mower up off the deck but I had to hold the lever up as it descended on its own to the position I had tapped the lever to and then held so the vave sees to work. When I had finished I could drop the arms enough to unhitch the mower so I got by.

Clearly I need to get this fixed and after reading the Dexta manual I downloaded from here I reckon I can unbolt the lift housing. The lift valve is working as it raises and lowers the arms but the quadrant lever is definately not right so I am thinking that it has got bound somehow. I am not quite sure how to disconnect the internal rod that connects the quadrant arm to the valve crank if I remove the lift. I will try some WD40 on the externall bit first, as suggested, to see what happens. If all else fails does anyone know of a firm that could service the lift unit if I send it to them?

Thanks for the advice so far.

Cheers

DWD

ADFDexta
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by ADFDexta »

Hi
I think my dexta has the same problem as this but the control leaver will move up about 2 inches but is stiff and when you do that the arms move all the way to the top and then start to drop again slowly. Could this be the same problem? And how easy is it to fix?

dewaltdisney
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by dewaltdisney »

It sounds very similar. My lever moves down but it is stiff. When I raise it to lift the arms to their highest point the lever springs back to the position I tapped it to as soon as I let it go. It does lift the arms though but as soon as I let the lever go it springs back and the arms drop to the half way position. This video is worth a look https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpIA7m_uOPw (go to 4:58) and you will see that the guy places emphasis on the tightness of the securing nut on the lever adjusting the pressure of lever movement. This would suggest that Brian's point about the cork friction pad might well be worth checking first.

I will try this as soon as I get a moment and let you know how it goes

Cheers

DWD

Bensdexta
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by Bensdexta »

I have the same problem - stuck quadrant! :(

Did anyone fix it?

BTW Looks an excellent vid from tractormec - see link to trailer ^. I've just ordered the DVD.
Bensdexta - 1961 working for a living!

dewaltdisney
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by dewaltdisney »

Hi Ben,

Have a look at my thread which shows how this got fixed for me. Well Brian helped a lot as you will see :lol: http://www.fordsontractorpages.nl/phpbb ... f=3&t=6944

DWD

Bensdexta
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by Bensdexta »

dewaltdisney wrote:Have a look at my thread which shows how this got fixed for me. Well Brian helped a lot as you will see :lol: http://www.fordsontractorpages.nl/phpbb ... f=3&t=6944
So what exactly was it that caused the seizure? One or more of the internal linkages that Brian was able to spot?

One point, I am able to get the lift arms to lower by selecting 'draft' on the qualitrol lever. On reselecting 'position' on the qualitrol lever the arms rise to the position of the jammed quadrant lever. Presumeably this tells us that the control and dump valves are both working..... ??

Must say fixing this prob sounds like a fair bit of work .... :(

Many thanks for your help.
Bensdexta - 1961 working for a living!

dewaltdisney
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by dewaltdisney »

Hi Ben,

In my case it was the lift control arm that had rusted onto the quadrant control shaft. It is the bit shown in the picture above with the fork type joint at the top. Brian soon spotted this as he disassembled all the linkage and it needed a fair bit of heat to free it up.

Yes, it is a fair job to do, but you probably have a better idea of what you are doing than I had. Getting the top cover off is fairly straight forward but keep a cardboard map to house each screw as you remove them as they are all different lengths. Some screws can only be undone from underneath to release the Ram cylinder which gives you more room to tinker. You definitely need a hoist to remove and refit the top. I bought a new gasket but used the majority of the existing O rings as the pattern O rings I bought were not that great. When you put the top back lift the back and hook the front end under the lip of the housing before lowering into position. The Hydraulics section of the download manual is useful for the diagrammatics.

I hope this helps

Cheers

DWD

Bensdexta
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by Bensdexta »

I have unbolted and moved my lever and quadrant away from the hyd top as far as proximity to the mudguard allows. It came away easily. The shaft is definitely not stuck in the quadrant tube. So the internal linkage must be stuck - sadly I will have to remove the hyd top :(
Bensdexta - 1961 working for a living!

Brian
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by Brian »

Ben, your problem is most likely the pivot in the picture where you can see the nut loosened.

Image

If you have got the lever and quadrant off you will find you have to also take the ram cylinder off to get enough "Wriggle Room" to get the linkage and shaft out. You may also have to get a bit "carefully brutal" with it to free it off as DWD explained. a good source of heat can be important as is a good vice and a bit of patience with a big hammer. :roll:

Image

Also check the Position control pin for wear as this can affect the operation of the linkage.

After many years I have come to believe that owners are the cause of Position Control pin wear. Most owners use only Position Control and so leave the selector lever permanently in that position. This means that the pin is permanently in contact with the cam under a strong spring pressure which, with the little oil splash lubrication on the linkage, means a lot of wear is going to be taking place. If Draft Control is selected then the pin is moved away from the cam and therefore cannot wear. I use Dotty on the plough or cultivating most of the time so she runs in Draft Control all the time except when hitching up to implements.

The similar Super Major system uses a roller instead of a pin on the cam and because of the dif and bull gears all in oil below the lift linkage, far more splash lubrication is taking place and this improves the wear rate.

Image

Image

Two views of the linkage out of the lift housing.

I use Moly Grease when putting it all back together usually coating all the springs and linkage with a thick coat.

If you decide to come to Norfolk for a quick trip, like DWD, throw the lift in the back of the car and give me a call. :clap:
Fordson Tractor Pages, now officially linked to: Fordson Tractor Club of Australia, Ford and Fordson Association and Blue Force.
Brian

Bensdexta
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by Bensdexta »

Brian,

Very many thanks for your comprehensive and well-illustrated advice. We are fortunate to have such a splendid source of help available on this super forum.

My hyds were working fine in March so can't believe it's stuck that badly. When sheep sales allow, I'll get the top off. So it seems that splash lubrication is a bit unreliable, esp if I'm just creeping around the field log splitting. Perhaps a nice bit of rock and roll on the mountain and an occasional healthy blast on the highway would improve lubrication?

Ref the cam pin, I guess it's perfectly feasible to top the grass, which is what I do most of, in Draft mode. This would help save the pin wear.
I'll keep you posted. A trip to Norfolk is a nice long stop to have! :beer:

Thanks again! :D
Bensdexta - 1961 working for a living!

Bensdexta
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Re: Lift Control Lever Stuck

Post by Bensdexta »

Lever is now unstuck; top off and a bit of heat were required.

Lesson is that more rock and roll is req'd to facilitate the 'splash' lubrication.

Many thanks for your help. :buddies:
Bensdexta - 1961 working for a living!

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