2N 3 point lift problem

The most common places to leak on the lift is the piston rings and the pressure relief valve.
In order to determine where the lift is leaking you should remove the right hand inspection plate that holds the dip stick for the lift oil.If oil runs out when this cover is removed it has too much oil in it and letting it run out is ok.

Start the tractor with a load on the lift arms such as a rotary cutter etc. raise the lift and observe inside the lift to see where the oil is leaking down.If the piston rings are leaking their will be a pretty good stream of oil coming out the end of the ram cylinder. If just a few drops this is ok.

Observe the oil in the resorvoir and if you see the oil swirling around the relief valve is probably leaking.It is the gadget that is screwed into the back of the hydralic pump just under the pto shaft.It will be under the oil and feels something like a spark plug.

If before starting the tractor you will put your hand into the oil and locate the relief valve you can reach in and put one finger over the end of the relief valve and determine if it is leaking after the tractor has again been started. DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF PUTING A FINGER IN THE PUMP MECHANISM!!!!

If however you don't see a signifacant leak from the top you can assume that the relief valve is leaking and simply replace it with a new one and thereby prvent the possible loss of a finger or two.

I;ve never tried it but I’ve read that you can drain enough oil from the lift reservoir to uncover the relief valve and see if it is leaking instead of using the obviously dangerous finger feel thing I described.

There could also be a blown gasket somewhere in the upper portion of the lift but if so you will see a lot of oil coming down from the top and then it’s just a case of taking the cover off and finding the culprit.

Be sure to release the control rods from the control valve T on the pump before trying to remove the lift cover. To fail to do so will result in a broken lift control valve stem.
Zane in Alabama.

If you should be having trouble with the lift not going down when the lever is moved to the down position I would suggest that while the inspection plate is off on the side of the lift housing you reach in and manually push the two levers that go into the oil in the reservoir and are connected to the control valve. The control valve sometimes sticks in the up position. If you should find that you can make it go down by pulling the valve toward the rear of the tractor internally on the control rods then you should drain the lift and pour about 5 gallons of clean kerosene through the lift with the drain open. It is best to pour it directly into the inspection hole. Let the kerosene that drains out sit for about 15 minutes and pour it through again leaving the portion that is in the bottom of the container to be discarded. This should have the residue in it that may have been causing the control valve to stick when it was carried into the control valve. You can also do a pretty good job with a garden sprayer with kerosene in it or diesel etc. A pressure washer will do it too but then you are going to have the water residue to contend with. You can never get it all out and it will discolor the oil from the start up.

You should also inspect the spring that is connected between the front end of the ram cylinder of the lift to the knee portion of the control rods that go from the linkage at the top to the control valve in the bottom of the pump. This spring sometimes looses it tension from age and usage and must have enough tension on it to pull the control valve out when the lever is moved to the down position.

I noticed that you have a tractor with the Ferguson lift system “Ferguson system” which does not incorporate the option of POSITION CONTROL. I have invented an add on device that will give position control with no modification of the original lift or any component of the tractor and thought that you might be interested in seeing the particulars.

If you still have any doubts after reading this you could look on the N discussion board at and post a question like what is a ZANE THANG? ETC,

See the link below---

• ZANE THANG ETC

Now that you have cleaned it out, have you tried removing the 6" round inspection cover, and look inside while trying to operate the lift... look for swirls in the oil, or big leaks.. problems should be obvious. Perhaps it is a stuck valve, or bad / broken relief valve.

Also, the general consensus is that the addatives in the 80w90 gl-5 ep rear end oils are harmfull to some parts of the hyd system. Instead, NH spec now reccomends the 134d oil or equivalent. Lots of places have a generic equivalent sometimes called universal transdraulic oil, etc.. just read the lable to see if it is compatible.. even other manufacturers brands generally meet the standard.. like john deer 303, etc.

Or, the original ford spec was a 90wt gl-1 pure mineral oil. Sometimes you can find this at wallmarts, depending on your regional area, and also, Tractor supply stores, under the traveler brand, marked as for 'Ford tractors 1939- 1952'

Use either of the above.. but I would loose the ep style fluid.

Soundguy