1998 TEREX TB60 won't move

[wookiee]

I'll be helping a friend who has a '98 TB60 that, after a factory rep worked on it, won't move.
Said friend is ready to sell it for parts, but I talked him out of it until I get a chance to look at it.
It did at least wheel before.
I've been looking at the service manual and wiring charts.
Once it warms up to above freezing, my plan is to isolate the upper controls then track down why it won't run from the lower or the emergency bypass. Then get it to drive 2 miles to a heated storage shed.

So any ideas or suggestions on where to start or look will be appreciated.

I'm a retired lineman/troubleshooter and spent some time helping my Utility Company's mechanics work on my varied bucket trucks. So, I'm no specialist, but I'm not lost working on aerial lift devices.

 

[barklee]

I think you are going to need to give a bit more detail. Do the boom functions work from the basket and ground? If so, does the engine rev into high throttle when you hit the drive control?

 

[wookiee]

Talked to owner again - story is slightly different. So, I'll post again when I actually see what's working or not. Thanks

 

[wookiee]

Ground controls are OK. Upper boom controls are OK. Just the drive controls that don't work.

 

[wookiee]

Lower controls all work.
Upper - Foot Switch raises rpm, no other control works, emergency pump runs pump but no other control works.

When it first failed, they played around with the wires in the upper control box, all of the sudden, the uppers worked, they have no idea what they actually did. It stopped again after 2 blocks, so was towed the final 50 feet to a place to park.

 

[barklee]

Lower controls all work.
Upper - Foot Switch raises rpm, no other control works, emergency pump runs pump but no other control works.

When it first failed, they played around with the wires in the upper control box, all of the sudden, the uppers worked, they have no idea what they actually did. It stopped again after 2 blocks, so was towed the final 50 feet to a place to park.

Sounds like you are loosing everything all together on the upper besides the footswitch and the emergency pump engaging? Does it start from the upper?
Obviously i would check all the wiring and look for loose damaged or corroded wiring....
We have a Terex TB110 and we had a kind of similar intermittent condition with ours on two different occasions. The first time a piece of something fell down inside the boom and shredded the wire harness inside the boom. It would do all kinds of crazy stuff whenever all the bare misc wires would touch. The second time this past spring it would start sometimes and would function sometimes. You could start it and everything would work fine and get to where you were working and everything would be dead up top when you would re-position. That problem turned out to be the alternator. I tested it two different times because the battery would occasionally be low on power in the morning and it tested fine. After this happening 10-15 different times i finally just bought a new alternator and put it on. When i got looking at the old alternator one of the studs was broken inside and it would vibrate and break connection. These Terex machines are EXTREMELY sensitive to loss of voltage and i would really take a good look at that first and foremost. I know it sounds crazy but i would give it the effort. If the cable track is on the outside of this machine i would take a hard look at the harness and check for gouges.

 

[wookiee]

14.1 volts at the upper control box (ucb)
Voltage is going through all ucb micro-switches
The ucb start/stop key works.
I was tracing the dc+ wire (ign switch, circuit breaker, emergency stop), then, without really doing anything, the axle steering started working. but still no forward/reverse.
Looks like I'm going to have to remove the cable track cover and check for damaged wires.

Somebody, somewhere said to look at the led's on the Optimizer, there are 4 of them lit.

 

[barklee]

Do you have the optimizer reader or have access to one? They made a handheld device to read codes and adjust controllers and what not. I used to have one but it has disappeared..... That might be beneficial as well if you can locate one.
If you extend the boom little by little from the ground controls and check the uppers each time, this might tell you if you have a harness issue in the track.
In the picture, the circuit board everything is plugged into. We had ours go out in the TB110, and you could push on it and make the functions work. Yours is an earlier version but you might try that as well.... (scientific i know!)
My last thought on this is, if you call Alexander Equipment in Bourbonnias IL and ask for Tom he might know. They are good with the old Terex booms.

 

[wookiee]

no optimizer reader

did the 'extend the boom little by little' test - with no change

from the boom - I can start, basket rotate & tilt, and steer. Can't do anything else. Idle raises with foot-pedal.

Before calling Tom, I'll locate and run temporary wires to see if I can get it to drive.

 

[barklee]

I am guessing your multiplex receiver board is bad. The way you have intermittent problems like that points to it......
It is in the lower control panel. Did you try pressing on it while someone operates the functions in the basket?

 

[wookiee]

Working on it today. I'll locate the f/r wires and test for signals at the board.

 

[wookiee]

no optimizer reader

did the 'extend the boom little by little' test - with no change

from the boom - I can start, basket rotate & tilt, and steer. Can't do anything else. Idle raises with foot-pedal.

Before calling Tom, I'll locate and run temporary wires to see if I can get it to drive.

Idle raises to second step when I move the joystick, but no f/r or up/down.

Trying to find a dealer that knows what an Optimizer is. No luck, but did find a guy who knows a guy who is supposed to call tomorrow.

I will call Tom tomorrow as well.

 

[wookiee]

I found Users Manual at oemcontrols.com

ffr: Board is called SuperFlex 4
Reader is called OptiMizer 4 For SuperFlex 4 Systems
and/or OPT4 Optimizer. I'll do the troubleshooting later today. iirc none of the 3 LED's were lit last time which indicates a simple power problem, I hope.

Called Tom - should have done that first. He actually knows the terminology & knows what an optimizer is. We're going through it tomorrow.

 

[wookiee]

Fixed.
The input & output cables to the SuperFlex 4 were switched.
The previous techs replaced the footswitch and checked all the wiring so they must have swapped the connectors.
lesson - never trust the previous tech.

 

[barklee]

Fixed.
The input & output cables to the SuperFlex 4 were switched.
The previous techs replaced the footswitch and checked all the wiring so they must have swapped the connectors.
lesson - never trust the previous tech.

Thats awsome!!! Sounds like my luck, should have just stayed out of this..... maybe my luck wouldnt have rubbed off on you
Good luck!

 

[wookiee]

Well, it moved for about 1/4 mile now it's stuck again. The LEDs on the SuperFlex don't light at all. There is 12v going to the board. My guess is that the board is bad. Tom, hopefully, will get back to me today and help verify that it's bad.

 

[wookiee]

I just bought it! It's definitely the SuperFlex 4. I found a place that says that they have repaired other boards like this, so I'll try them first. If not, I'll buy a new one from Tom. List is around $4,000.

 

[wookiee]

I called several places that repair controller circuit boards but finally went with a new improved board. The new number is SF4X-4-201.
3 week wait from OEM Controls and $1,923.48.
$2,107.60 from Tom, shipped today.
If it lasts as long as the original, 17 years - 7,000 hours, I'll be happy.

 

[wookiee]

Replacing the board got it moving, but no high-speed (3.5 mph) I replaced a bad connector and one of the proximity sensors and finally got running correctly. It's booked through October then I'll put it up for sale.