John Deere 344H

[gordyo]

Here is the deal. The grounds super was screening loam today and dumped into the screener and backed away and all of a sudden lost all hydraulics. No loader controls, no forward, reverse, and the park brake which is an electronic switch on the dash will not go off. Looked all over but found no oil leaks, the engine runs fine, revs fine, Checked fuses found none bad, all the sensors on the loader arm seem to be fine, no dirt or stick jambed in or around them. Hydraulic Fluid is full. Shut machine off then turned it back on and still nothing. It's got me puzzled.

 

[Arc Burn]

I'd check to be sure it's pumping fluid although it's funny about the electric E- brake also on now,Maybe a relief valve stuck or bad?

 

[Steve Frazier]

Could there be a sensor in the seat to ensure the operator is seated? Many newer machines have some sort of safety switch that kicks out the hydraulics if the operator is not seated safely.

 

[Taylortractornu]

Make sure a pump shaft hasnt stripped or if it is a Variable displacement pump that the cam may have it in neutral. It also could be the charge pump causing the problems to.

 

[lamarbur]

we had this happen twice last year to a year old 744. Both times the dash came out and Deere replaced some kind of electric gadget there. This particular 744 has the LED dash and readings. Maybe it's a problem with these ony or?

 

[gordyo]

Thanks for the replies guys, I will check out some of this stuff that I am capable of doing myself. If I still can't then I will have no choice but to call in the dealer.

 

[lamarbur]

We use Schmidt equipment I assume you have the same dealer?

 

[gordyo]

Found the problem! I took my test light out and ran through all the fuses and found a blown fuse that did not look blown when I pulled it out yesterday but when I hooked up the test light I got Nada. It was were the air conditioner tech had tapped into the fuse box using one of those metal fuse taps. I guess I will be illiminating that and going direct to the battery with a fused wire.
Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Lamarbur,

Yes I use Schmidt Equipment.

Here is a pic of the machine

 

[lamarbur]

Duanne Fredierick is a good friend of mine. He's their F&I man at the Oxford division. Been with them well over twenty years. THat's who I delat with when I had the highway dept. The guy I work part time for now, (710 TLB) has bought all his equipment from them, being they both started in business the same time, lot's of years gone by. Glad to hear it was a simple fix..

 

[gordyo]

UPDATE

Hmmmmmmmmm,

Got back from the Snow and Ice Show this afternoon and the Grounds super said he was doing more screening today and blew that fuse 2 more times. This morning I had disconnected the Air Conditioner unit tap off that fuse. He said that both times it happened was when he had the loader arms all the way up and the bucket in dump mode and was shaking the loam out of the bucket loading the screener. He said that this afternoon he did not shake the bucket and bang it against the screener and it did not happen. Must be something to do with the return to dig sensor I presume.

 

[gordyo]

Closing in on the problem. Happened a bunch of times yesterday but we are closing in on the problem. Seems that the wires that are attached to the return to dig sensor and the bucket level sensor run down through a hole next to the Hydraulic Lines and they were very very tight. Pulled the wires so they had some slack and it didn't happen the rest of the day. Today I will remove the access plate and check that wiring. It must be either strectched or there must be a break in the wire shorting it out on the frame somewere.

 

[gordyo]

Ok. Here is what the problem ended up being. When the original bucket from John Deere was taken off and the JRB quick coupler was installed, they routed the Hydraulic Hoses down through the same holes as the wires that go to the sensor for the bucket level. Every time you raise and lower the arms the wire would ride back and forth with the hose and it eventually crushed the wire and wore the covering off and down to bare wire so then when you raised the arms all the way up the hose would pull on the wire and yank it against the metal edge and short it out and POP goes the fuse. The fuse it was blowing was the main one for the whole hydraulic system. Did a quick fix right now to get the machine running but I will be re routing the sensor wire through another hole so it does not run next to that Hydraulic hose anymore. I also made a mistake in an above post. It was the Two way radio guy that taped into that fuse not the Air Conditioner tech.

Hope this little episode I went through helps someone else out with the same problem with the same machine sometime in the future.

 

[cat320]

Well this just tells me what I already know no matter who you pay to do the job you still have to inspect there work to see if it's done right.You would think that your machine was the only one ever outfited with that type of system.It's good that you got the problem pined down.

 

[woLF_Digital]

you guys are good!

 

[Mward409]

i have a 344h i cant get it over 7mph? any ideas?

 

[June]

I'd check to be sure it's pumping fluid although it's funny about the electric E- brake also on now,Maybe a relief valve stuck or bad?

your guess is good, it is possible .