[jonesnc]

I have a Ford 4000 1970 3 cyl diesel .When I have very little weight on the lift the lift will go down about 3/4 to 1 inch then back up.It also has a frontend loader on it that runs off the remote control valve in front of the seat the loader work good until you have something on the 3 point lift.

I also have a 4000 4 cyl gas 1962-64 that does not have a loader but the 3 point lift does the same as the above.

 

[Nouveau Redneck]

Sounds like the seals in the 3 point lift cylinder have a slight leak. The system is made to auto-correct, so when it leaks down a little, it will sense that it has dropped and automatically bring it back up to where the control handle is telling it that it should be. If you shut down the tractor with the 3 point holding an implement up in the air, does it leak down on its own? If so, how heavy of an implement, and how long does it take to leak down?

 

[JohnW]

As NR said you have an internal leak in the hydraulic system and it is doing just as it should by correcting the level automatically as it leaks down. Chances are it is the cylinder that is leaking. Not a hugh job to fix it it really is bothering you.

 

[jonesnc]

Thanks for your information. I understand about the leak on the lift cylinder, but with an implement that weighs 200 lbs. on the lift when I work the front end loader, mainly coming down with the bucket, the bucket jerks as you are lowering it when the implement is being held by the 3-point lift. Would the leaking cylinder cause this too? Or, would this be due to the volume of flluid that the hydraulic is able to pump?

 

[Nouveau Redneck]

The most likely culprit for your original description is a leak in the lift cylinder, but the leak could also be in the pump or internal relief valve. A leak in the lift cylinder would only cause the 3 point to leak down though, not the loader.

So you are saying that the loader jerks when lowering, but only when there's also a load on the 3 point? Is the loader jerkiness happening at the same time that the 3 point is self correcting? If so then the leak is more likely in the pump or relief valve than the lift cylinder. If the loader jerkiness seems unrelated to to any movement of the 3 point, then you may have a second internal leak somewhere in the loader plumbing.