Rude awakening with my 1206

Got up this morning. Went out and checked the oil. Added a quart. Topped off the fuel. Checked the tires and started it up to warm while I had breakfast. Started right up. No noises other than those it"s supposed to make. Had a wonderful bacon and egg breakfast. Mounted tractor pressed on brake. OOPS. No break peddle. I then checked the steering and the wheel spins freely with no response of the front wheels. Pumped brakes a few times and they would get hard, then the next time no brakes. Steering wheel still spinning. Checked the hydraulic fluid and level was at the full mark. Decided to move the tractor out were I could get to it better. As I rolled out I noticed that I was getting intermittent jumps in the steering and it was now stiffer than old billy heqq, but the front wheels started turning a little. Decided to let it role in 1 low and just keep exercising it. After about six figure eights all of a sudden it was like air suddenly rushed out of the system and everything worked as normal. I am now in for lunch. Brakes and everything work like brand new. Any ideas on the whys and wherefores of this issue and have any of you had it before and was it self correcting? Has been fine for the last 5 hours in the field. Can"t duplicate it. Thanks for any input. LarryT

Hydraulic pump lost prime.

The only thing that will reproduce the problem is leaving the tractor sit for however long it was sitting before you had the problem. Even then it might not happen again for a while.

You've got two choices... Tear the tractor down and spend a bunch of money chasing an intermittent problem, or don't worry about it until it gets to the point where its repeatable.

Maybe the 5 gallon overfull trick on the rear end will help. The lost prime could be the pickup tube and 5 gallons will submerge the pickup tube so it has no excuse for losing prime.

The most likely cause for you problem is hardening of the O-ring seal between the center section and the rear frame.

The oil passage between the filter and the MCV pump goes above the normal oil level where the two housings join together. With age the O-ring will harden and take a set so that it will not seal properly. Air enters the suction side of the pump and as the pump starts to get worn it no longer is as efficient at pumping air as a new one. Adding enough oil to ensure that this O-ring is below the oil level will keep air from entering the suction side of the pump and the symptoms will disappear.

My 966 did that one very cold morning a couple of years ago.

Hasn't done it again since.

Allan

Larry,My '12' has done that once or twice.Change the hydralic filter and then add 5 more gallon of oil.One other problem becides the O-ring deal is that the hitch pump and the power steering pump share the same filter.If the filter gets a little dirty,the hitch pump will 'hog' the fluid and cause the ps pump to 'starve'.Steve

Thanks guys. I think I will once again try the over fill thing. Thanks Steve. That filter is coming up on time so I will try to get one this week and change it over the week end. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one and that it isn"t terminal. LarryT

By the way Owen, Lets not talk about hardening of rings and passages etc. At my age very little needs to get hard. lol