couldn't pick up the bale

I put a bale spike on my IH B414, backed into the bale and went for the lift. The bale came up about 4 inches on the front and not much on the back. I pulled out and the spike went all the way up. Tried again, same result.

I've used this tractor to pick up pretty heavy stuff, never gave me any trouble. The manual says it should be able to pick up 2500 lbs.

Granted, this is a big bale, about 6-8 ft. round, but I wouldn't think that it weighs over 2500.

There is a leak on the remote, an after market add, but it doesn't amount to much....or does it?

Advice freely accepted, Thanks in advance. Joe

I buy these from a farmer about 20 miles down the road, we're on the Texas Gulf Coast.

I buy these from a farmer about 20 miles down the road, we're on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Anyway, I think these bales are about 2000-2100 pounds, I just think that maybe I don't have enough hydrolic pressure to get the bale up any farther.

Would the level of fluid or some other problem manifest itself in this manner?

Thanks for the reply, Joe

Maybe I need a bigger tractor or buy smaller bales.

Thanks for the reply. Joe

I'm a city boy gone to urbania 25 years ago. Had a slick little IH 454 @45 PTO hp and really low hrs.

Got some cows and needed hay. Contacted custom baler and did the lot next door....beautiful BIG round bales (5x6 as I remember).

Built me a hay spike and here we go. Backed up to the bail, hit the lift and presto the bale stays on the ground and the front end becomes airborne. 500# of railroad rails and a front bracket later and I can haul hay.

The other side.

Had (still do) early vintage '60's Fords which needed the same front end weight but these all (3) had different kinds of hydraulic problems which I attempted to fix over the years.

The best Is a little 2000 diesel (smallest of 3) and it picks 5 x 6's right up.

Your pump has to be putting out 2500#, your seal on your lift piston has to be in new condition, your pressure relief valve has to be above 2000# and you have to have your RPM's up to keep the fluid flowing and compensating for the leaks.

One of my Fords will only lift at PTO RPM, the other one will lift if I get off the tractor and help push the bale up....then It will keep it up (at PTO RPMs).

Your idea about smaller bales or larger tractor is the right approach. One thing to keep in mind.

Around here they sell bales by the bale not tonnage. Tonnage here is not the way to sell things because the moisture content really screws up the true value of the dry matter. Anyway, they roll 4 x 5 and 5 x 6 bales. Some sell the 4 x 5 for the same price ($25) as others the 5 x 6. If you are the seller.....great. If you're the buyer, there are 1.8 4x6 bales in a 5x6 bale (based on figuring volume of each).

I suppose the 4x5 baler was made for the reason you mentioned..... can use a smaller tractor and the purchase price (new anyway) is less.

Hope this helps.

Mark

I think I may have found the problem. When I checked the service manual, it says that I should have 2300-2400 psi and the test lift should be at least 1250 lbs. It also shows that the system being overloaded is the most likely cause.

Anyway, I pulled the top plate off the reservoir and the fluid is a nice yellow milky color. There are water bubbles on the components. So the oil got water in it somehow.

I'll be draining the system, replacing some hoses while it is empty, cleaning the filter screen and refilling with some good ol' Hy-Tran.

Then I'm going to find some more weights for the front ends and try to keep from blowing out that bad back tire.

Golly gee willicker, I do love to mess around with this old junk. Ah, well, still cheaper than new stuff.

By the way, the folks around here sell hay by the bale, but I can calculate tonnage, so I buy where I get the best deal. The farmer that I buy these monster bales from charges $40 a bale. If it weighs what I think it does, that is $40-55 per ton. I buy square bales from a rancher who makes a 70 lb average bale. A ton from him costs about $85 when I'm paying $3-3.50 a bale.
Some other folks around here charge the same for a 40-50 lb bale which puts the per ton price up around $110. I work hard for my money, I buy where I get value.

Thanks again, Joe

My Fords use a cast iron housing for the lift piston. The piston has a rubber o-ring and a fibrous or metallic back up washer to help the o-ring hold the 2500 lbs. The piston is aluminum.

If the lift has been idle for a long time, the water in the system could have rusted the interior of the cylinder causing pitting and making a seal near impossible. I'd take the hydraulics apart and assess the damage.

A quick check of the system is to raise a load (however heavy you can get) and shut off the tractor. How long does it take for the system to bleed down is an indication of what I am talking about. It should hold for days, if new, really bad would be a complete leak down in a matter of minutes.

I didn't consider water in the fluid when I responded.

Mark

I have a project for this week end if the weather cooperates. I'm a true shade tree, my barn isn't big enough or lit well enough to work inside unless it is an emergency.

I've got a bunch of hoses that need to be replaced, including the one to the remote. Incidently, I found when reading the service manual that the remote controller is a factory add on....bonus!

SO when I get it drained down, I'll be doing a lot of looking and rebuilding as needed.

Appreciate the responses, Joe

My Massey 135 will pick up 1,800 lb bales and the forks weight over 200 lbs also so that is 2,000 lbs on the back end. I have several hundred pounds of counter weight on the front end. Much more then this and the front end will lift. Mark H.

I'm thinking that the bale is just way too big for the tractor. I barely got it though an 8 foot gate.

Thanks for the reply. Joe

I was front end up hill a little on these lifts, and when I got flat, it still came off the ground only about an inch or two.

When I pulled forward, the spike went to the full height, empty of course.

You might be right, these are great big ol' bales, tightly rolled Jiggs bermuda. Maybe I've got too much bale or too little tractor.

Thanks for the reply, Joe.