Help with ASVSR80 bogs down - hydraulic issue?

[kckc]

Hi -- ASVSR80 track machine - just got a new bushhog mower - low flow MD3 from Skidpro. I do have it hooked up on the correct connectors on my machine.

It seems that unless I really give it the fuel (rpm) the mower doesn't turn very fast and when using the mower and moving the machine the machine is not responding. Like all the hydraulic fuel is going to the mower?
I started off using the little thumb roller to test the mower (it allows me to use the mower but the blades weren't on continuously) while I learned.
Today I tried the continuous switch and nothing happened. I don't have any equipment I use this on often but it has worked in the past.

I really cannot see through the lense for my hydraulic level but last time any was put in it was over full, not low.

I am not mechanically minded and do not yet have a mechanic to assist with my machine (Lincoln County, NC) so if you know anyone in the area or know anything I could check myself.... Any help would be appreciated
Thanks!

 

[furu]

Does it run properly when you are at full throttle? If you want max hydraulics capability you will need to have max power. I have a PT-110 and when I am mulching it is always at full power so that I get full hydraulic flow and pressure.
You state that unless you "give it the fuel(rpm)" so I surmise you are not at full power.

 

[kckc]

full throttle? wow, I didn't realize. And yes, the machine itself seems to run great but I don't think I've ever even had it at full throttle. And won't I be just moving fast when I travel ? I really think I need lessons I have had the machine a couple of years but I use it for hay, the bucket and a nice digging tool but just nothing that runs the hydraulics while I'm moving it would appear. Do you know whether that would affect the continuous flow switch?
Thanks for your help !!

 

[furu]

When you ask if it would effect the continuous flow switch I am not certain what you are asking.
If you are asking if it effects how the switch is actuated then the answer would be no as it is electrically actuated (at least on my machine)
however if you are asking if it would effect the continuous flow hydraulic in gpm the answer would be yes.

I don't know what year you have and have not actually operated the smaller ASV 80 but at a minimum you can control the speed/velocity with how you use the hand control. Most likely the unit has a feature that you can adjust the speed so that full control is less than max speed. Your unit may not have that feature but I would bet it does. Do you have a user manual?

My unit can be adjusted with the control panel so that full hand control can be adjusted to provide anywhere from 20% to 100% of max rated speed. With that adjustment full throttle does not really have much impact on speed as it is adjusted/biased down. As an example I can adjust my full power speed from less than 1 mph to 10 mph. I would guess that the 80 only has the low flow option so you will only have maybe 20 gpm max hydraulic flow but that can run a rotary cutter adequately.

 

[kckc]

Thanks for the answer. My machine is a 2006 and I don't see anything in the user manual that allows me to adjust the speed when I'm at full throttle so more research and/or practice is in the cards for me. I do have a turtle and rabbit speed control but max even on the turtle seems faster and harder than I want to run or maybe I've just gotten used to running at lower rpm.
And the continuous flow switch is electrical in my machine but doesn't seem to be working; I was wondering if I needed more rpm's when flipping that switch? I have not checked fuses on that as yet but since I haven't used that continuous flow (just turned it on a few months ago to test it- worked then) I just trying to cover my bases. I might try hooking up another piece of equipment and flip the switch to see if somehow it's something to do with this attachment. Not sure how that could be but, well, with my luck.
I might need to find an experienced user to ride around in my machine .... Thanks for your help !

 

[furu]

Here is a link to get an SR70/80 manual if you don't have one. https://www.manualslib.com/download/859562/Asv-Sr-70.html
A quick perusal looks like there is a high flow option so you could have high flow hydraulics and if so that is very nice.
I presume you bought this unit used and are not the original owner.

 

[furu]

As a thought on your continuous flow switch. Mine I have to hold it down for 3-5 seconds so that it goes through a safety logic check before flow starts. That is to prevent an accidental actuation of hydraulic flow and hurting someone by accidental switch activation. It takes a determined and deliberate action. Mine are push buttons with three lights. Hold the button depressed then the first light comes on then the second and then the third before the flow starts.
Again not that familiar with the 80.

 

[kckc]

Yes it has high flow option but I don't have any high flow accessories :-( Yes, used very low hours
thanks for the link

 

[kckc]

Ok, let me test that - mine is a switch that just pushes down (upper or lower depending on which way you want the flow to go) and has a slide you have to push before you are able to push down the button but perhaps I haven't held it down long enough. Something to try !

 

[furu]

Well I just did a quick read through of the 80 manual.
Saw nothing other than the fast/slow mode nothing that allows you to adjust it incrementally as I can do on my unit.
The hydraulic flow switches look like they have a safety slide and then are just rocker switches, so holding them probably won't work as they don't return to neutral but have a rocker up, rocker down and then center off neutral position.

I know that my Fecon head will only take the flow one way and if I try flow the other way it is blocked.
Make certain you are flowing the correct way to get rotation.
Of course you said you had rotation just not much power so not likely that is a cause.

 

[kckc]

thanks for looking at the manual.... I couldn't see anything about speed control but perhaps I can learn to move the control easier - with the rpms up I feel like I'm jerking around but again, self taught so who knows what I'm doing wrong.
I have a roller thumb control for my hydraulics - that is working but the continuous flow isn't. I should be able to rotate both ways since the mower is rotary with direct drive (not gear box) ... with my other equipment like the grapple I rotate one way to open and the other close but using the thumb roller not the continuous. I hope I don't have electrical issue with the continuous. Let me tell you, holding the roller over continuously to mow will get old like right now ! with that wonderful mulching head I'm sure it's only meant to turn one way. I really like the work those things do.

 

[f311fr1]

A brush mower is usually designed to turn in one direction only. Have you tried your continuous flow swith in BOTH directions with the engine at idle or just above idle to determine which way turns on the mower? Once you determine the proper mower direction / switch position then you are ready to operate. I run my ASV and Cat machines with the continuous flow switch on , petal to the floor and contol ground speed with the travel joy stick. One word of caution is to let the engine rpms drop to idle befor turning off the flow switch and do not flip it into reverse.

 

[furu]

. One word of caution is to let the engine rpm's drop to idle before turning off the flow switch ..........................

Interesting, I had not heard of that technique before. I always start the high flow then rev up but will admit that while I normally power down before I stop high flow (just seems logical) I have on occasion shut down flow before reducing rpm when there has been a mini-emergency shutdown (I have "found" old logging cables with the mulcher at times unfortunately. Nothing in the manual about it that I can find.

What is the reason if you don't mind.

 

[lantraxco]

Have you tried both the low flow and high flow continuous switches? Just for giggles....

 

[southernman13]

High flow won't work unless your hooked up to the big flat faced couplers. The rabbit high speed is for moving fast point a to b. Not for working.

 

[Tones]

Look like the SR series is not dissimilar to the RC series and very different to the PT series that furu has. The SR should have 2 switches, 1 for hi flow and the other for continues low flow. With the low flow switch on there is no need to use the switch on the joy stick. If you think your mower is not spinning fast enough in low flow then couple it to the hi flow and use the engine revs it control the speed to your satisfaction.

 

[southernman13]

I'm sure you could change the fittings and connect it to the high flow but I'm not sure if the hydraulic motor on the mower can accept the higher flow volume. I'd check with the manufacturer. I have a high flow diamond mower. When I bought it they ask me if I wanted high or low flow. I'm just not sure if the only difference is the couplers. If he's running it in the rabbit mode on the drive he will loose a lot of flow to the implement. Also make sure you are running the mower in the right direction as already said.

 

[f311fr1]

On a ASV RC85/100 low flow is 18 GPM, hi flow 36 GPM at max engine speed. Cat 299 D2 XHP is 23 low flow, 42 hi flow. When you run the low flow brush mower on the different machines you can tell the difference.

 

[furu]

I don't know on the rotatory cutters as I don't have one but the drum type I have from Fecon is set up with the internal components matched to the flow that you order it for. They specifically want to know what machine you are going to run it on and what flow and pressure. I would suspect that FAE and DENIS CIMAF are the same. The heads are "tuned" for the machine.
If rotary cutters are the same then f311fr1 comment in post 18 can be explained easily as it was set up for one and thus it works different on the other and there is a big difference between a Cat 299 D2 XHP and a RC85.
I know my Fecon maintenance manual has pages upon pages that address reconfiguration that are not for "the faint of heart" for different flow/pressure rates.

It would be interesting to see the specs for flow requirements on the rotary head MD3 from Skidpro that kckc has.
All I can find is an HD3 which has a range of 16-25 gpm. When I google Skidpro MD3 not much comes up other than this thread. Google Skidpro HD3 lots of links.

 

[f311fr1]

Rotary bush hogs are usually designed for a flow range. My CID is 17-27 GPM low flow. They offer a high flow 27-35 GPM and 30-48 high flow. These three are SAI piston motor direct driven. The SAI motors handle the spin down best. CID also offers low flow heads in 14-20 GPM and 20-30 GPM ranges with a gear box driven by a Parker low speed hi torque geroler motor. The geroler or disc valve motors do not handle spin down very well and reversing hardly at all. Blue Diamond learned about the reversing the hard way. When I toured there factory they had a pile of Char Lynn disc valve motors back in for warranty off of there reversing mowers.