Grove Manlift MZ66B - Swing Controller?

[MX45]

G'day Willie,

Took you at your word and kept a very watchful eye on acrow props. All good! Messy and tight unions and a bit hard to get to and working with metric on USA fittings lol. Both feed lines removed - the ugly part - I did not think to label one for higher fitting and one for lower - I guess if I refit wrong up will be down and down will be up?

I guessed by lower fitting having oil spill from upper fitting and labelled as such.

One hose looks fine - one hose looks like it burst both sides but up/down still worked - maybe just on its way to a full burst - I will ask the hydraulics guy - but that is for tomorrow. I will take all three - steel and two x rubber and have checked to see what's up???

Thanks for your help - will let you know what happens - cheers, MX45.

 

[willie59]

I did not think to label one for higher fitting and one for lower - I guess if I refit wrong up will be down and down will be up?

Yes, operation will be reversed if you get them switched. And here's where I leave Murphy's Law behind and insert my own wisdom. In this case, conventional wisdom would say you have a 50/50 chance of getting it right/wrong. I maintain there's no such thing as 50/50, it's more like 70/30 or 80/20 that you'll get it wrong at first go as opposed to getting it right. It's just the nature of odds, hence the reason a Casino is profitable.

 

[MX45]

G'day,

OK - Hydraulics guy tested two hoses and one pipe. One hose failed test and was leaking where I thought it was bubbled. He has replaced with double strength (steel re-enforcing x 2) hose. I am having both hoses made up as both same age even though one tests OK - better to replace while set up for replacement than to have to do the same process again sometime soon for those hoses. Could not figure how you would get to the hoses if you blew one while boom was fully down??? How would you lift the boom to get to the attachments since the boom fills the capture void in the machine??? So I will get about re-fitting these hoses perhaps tomorrow. I will try to take some photos for future reference if anyone needs them later.

Regards, MX45

 

[MX45]

G'day Willie, et al,

Well after much struggling in the very small space with very inflexible hydraulic lines I managed to get all three lines back in. I put a hard plastic cover over the scraped metal line even though it was not leaking under 3000 psi and replaced both hydraulic lines. When I cut the old fitting off the leaking line to salvage a fitting the parrot beaks went through it like cheese - so I think it was pretty up to its use by date - so glad to have replaced both. I previously had to cut a hydraulic line on an excavator - much tougher job - line was OK - just bent out of shape and suffered a natural failure at too great a bend - just did not notice.

Huey smiled on me - managed to get up on up valve and down on down valve. I am leaving the cage up overnight so I can look at the lines in the morning to see if there are any leaks missed or new ones. Fingers crossed.

Lesson - I also had a good look at the fuel glass bowl pre cleaner and it had crud in it so I decided to clean it out. Motor would nto subsequently start - fuel starvation. In the end after near smoking the starter motor - really did have smoke - I stopped!!!! Did some thinking as pre-filter does not have primer pump. Lift pump does not have primer handle no manual. Fuel lines come out of top of tank????????????????????

So figured I would put air compressor line into return line feed into main fuel tank - now cap has vent of course and only put hard metal hose part up against fuel return line so air could escape so as not to over pressurise - but gave a spurt and heard vent going on cap - waited for fuel to come through return line and re-connected. Motor started first go and ran for five minutes so don't anticipate any further immediate troubles. I will attach photos shortly but have to re-size.

Running again I think - but for certain check it out tomorrow.

Nearly 60 - maybe it is time to leave this tree lopping for other younger folk???

Cheers MX45

 

[willie59]

No, me thinks the "younger folk" would not make it nearly as interesting MX. Keep up the good work.

 

[MX45]

I don't know if I have attached photos or not???

Anyway - support acrow prop under - there were two prior to repair.
Then centre pipe at back was removed and re-routed with protective plastic cover to avoid scraping the main cylinder - I think original route was simply wrong!
They new hydraulic hoses at back and re-routed to go under and no pipe on top - and with protective plastic sleeve as well.
Then bank of connections at rear in slide retainer with plastic clips.
Then photo from back with section for slide retainers - not used by me - will plastic tie once I know no current leaks?

Regards, MX45

 

[willie59]

Dang that's a clean center rotating area, nice work MX.

 

[MX45]

G'day Willie,

Yes - I like to keep things clean so a person can see what is happening. I also degreased prior to diagnosing otherwise lost cause and still filthy in sections that catch crud where degreaser does not cut it.

Like to fix things so they are fixed!!! However sometimes that theory goes out the window like the swing controller - probably got two swing controllers now probably both working and used a $3 switch to solve the problem - so long as I am quick with the fingers no problem.

So sometimes repairing to a high standard does not work - put two new wheel bearing packs and ball joints in an old Ford - 1988 Wagon - registered and insured etc - then less than three weeks later the head gasket blew or oil ring - probably head corroded. Cost of fix worth more than the car - such is life!

Cheers Willie - hope the pictures help someone one day to see what is underneath if facing similar problem,

Regards, MX45

 

[MX45]

OK - checked out the movement of the main lift cylinder and the feed hydraulic lines - no joy in placing in any position with the current feed positions from the sliding block meant to control their positions. Trouble is the bottom of the main cylinder was pressing/scraping the hydraulic lines and forcing them backward and compressing one which was getting caught underneath. Not happy!!!

Put some cable ties on the two lines to hold them together but still wriggled to under the cylinder and became pushed and compressed. Moved sliding holding block at back with plastic conduit space to hold to LHS and joy but not enough. Ended up tying off the new hydraulic lines with some rope and pulling through access hole and tying off on fixed point - this lifted the hydraulic lines out of the way of the main cylinder and stopped the compression/drag on them which would have made a very short life for them.

Jury rigged but tie off point is on main power up switch so I will see the line very time I start the machine.

Not well rigged - too easily in the wrong position and compressed - should be OK now!!!

Regards, MX45

 

[willie59]

I can see why you had to pull those hoses to one side with the rope, the manifold block with the holding valve would scrape those hoses otherwise when cylinder is retracted. Grrrrrrr.

 

[nailpounch]

swing controller

Hello all,
New here.
I have a 1980 MZ46. Been having the same issue for years. Swing works fine to the right, slower than molasses to the left, works fine from the lower control.
Finally broke down and purchased a new control from Hindley (20 minute drive for me) no change.
Checked all the wires and connections with ohm meter, all good.
Found a terminal strip in the top of the lower control panel with a bunch of resisters. The screws on the wire connections in front were tight, but the ones on the resisters were loose, so I tightened them. Now nothing works but the drive, and it is real slow.
I'm thinking it's time for a floatation test.

Good Afternoon from Oz to all the brains trust and experience out there.

I have the above machine - pretty knocked about but essential equipment for keeping trees in line and all manner of repairs around the pty.

It has its issues but most have been jury rigged and working fine.

Stopped a couple of days ago when swing stopped going left and would not stop going right. Then failed shortly afterwards altogether. It had worked previously when circuit board was sprayed with some WD40 or contact cleaner - not this time.

Got some very good advices on trouble shooting and when power is given direct to swing A + B on controller swings left and right accordingly. Lower controls work fine. Voltage to swing controller OK but no variation in output when moving controller left or right.

Any advices of simple fixes for this controller?

Any advices on powering the R/L Swing wires with a substitute controller?

Any advices on sources of replacement parts if I cannot source one in Australia reasonably?

Thanks MX45.

NB 1998 Machine.

 

[MX45]

G'day,

could be the adjustments but if you bought a new controller - I did as well - equally no result. I did read elsewhere that some component in the lower control box was not responding well for another similar failure. Don't remember the detail. I cut my time losses and wired a toggle switch and use it manually intermittently just like the real proportionate switch does. If you are quick enough it does the job but could be hairy if you are not quick on/off with the toggle switch. You could try replacing the little relay in the top switch box relevant to the controller - I replaced the one for the four wheel drive - had no joy - jury rigged a far bigger relay - works fine now - I don't know why - I just know it worked - don't fix it if it is not broken.

I am only on property and use it occasionally to save on big contracting fees when one of those trees gets precarious. Comes a time not too far away when I will succumb and pay the younger legs to do those jobs and sell the iron anyway. For mine the toggle switch works fine - just when wanting to slow or slow down to stop you have to switch on and off not just straight off - it jerks too much.

Hope something helps here.

Regards, MX45

 

[javier console]

hola, muchas gracias a todos por los post, les comento que hace un tiempo estoy tratando de reparar un
Grove Aerial Manlift
MZ66B, el problema es que le pusieron la bateria con la polaridad alreves, y no encendio nunca mas, ya repare la Grove Aerial Manlift Relay Board Ass’Y Lcb, reemplaze muchos relays, y tambien repare
Model SA Actuator or Model SF Actuator
Used with a
Model E-211 Controller, pero sigo sin tener tension en contacto o encendido, solo funciona la bocina. necesito si alguien me podria enviar el manual de servicio de la mz66b, o el diagrama electrico, yo soy de Argentina y aca no hay nadie q repare esas cosas, el trabajo me vino bien ya que estamos pasando una situacion economica muy mala, les agradeceria si alguien me podria suministrar la informacion desde ya muchas gracias.
javierconsole@gmail.com

Hello, thank you very much to everyone for the post, I comment that some time ago I am trying to repair a
Grove Aerial Manlift
MZ66B, the problem is that they put the battery with the polarity alreves, and never lit again, and repair the Grove Aerial Manlift Relay Board Ass'Y Lcb, replace many relays, and also repair
Model SA Actuator or Model SF Actuator
Used with a
Model E-211 Controller, but I still have no contact or ignition voltage, only the horn works. I need if someone could send me the manual of service of the mz66b, or the electrical diagram, I am from Argentina and here there is no one to repair those things, the work came to me well since we are going through a very bad economic situation, I would thank you If someone could give me the information already and thank you very much.
Javierconsole@gmail.com