QuestionQUESTION: I have a 1975 Case 1070 that was my dad's loader tractor. It has just been sitting for a couple years now due to the front pivot pins and castings are trashed. I am planning on this being my main loader tractor for the winter (haying cattle & snow pushing), so I dropped about $500 into it replacing the batteries and a few hoses that were leaking bad on the loader. The only problem now is that I still have no brakes on the machine. I thought all along that once I fixed the leaks to keep hydraulic fluid in it, that I could top it off and they would work fine. Not the case. It seems like when I push on the brakes that they are not even connected to anything, nothing there. I took hte access panel to the air filter off, and I can see that the brakes are pushing some kind of piston or plunger into what seems to me to be some kind of master cylinder. Is there any recommendations you could give me to check on? I am handy enough to do anything on this tractor, just need some guidance please. Thanks.
ANSWER: The brakes need to be bled to get the air out. With the engine running, open the bleed screws on the brake cylinders and let the air bubbles come out. You will lose some oil, but it's the only way to do it. Let the oil run out for awhile until no more bubbles come out, then close the bleed screws and the brakes should work OK unless the power brake valve has a problem inside it.
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QUESTION: OK. Thanks for the great advise so far, but there is still nothing there on the brakes. I bled them for about 35 to 40 minutes today and still nothing at all. The pedals still move like there is nothing hooked to them. There was still air bubbles coming out when I closed the bleed screws, but I thought bleeding them for that long was enough. Any more suggestions to get these things working? I appreciate your time and expertise very much. Thanks.
ANSWER: There is obviously a more serious problem. It should only take a minute or two to get all the air out between the brake valve and the cylinders on the brakes. If there was still air coming out after that long, there is either something wrong with the oil supply from the pump or with the brake valve. The brakes and steering get their oil from the same place, so if the steering works OK then it shouldn't be starving for oil. If it's full of hydraulic oil and the filters are OK, then the problem is somewhere else. If the brake cylinders move up when you push on the pedals, then the brakes themselves are bad. If the brake cylinders don't move, then I think there is something wrong with the brake valve.
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QUESTION: The brake cylinders do not move at all when you push on the brakes. The tractor is full of hydraulic oil, and the steering works just fine. Where would the brake valve be located and what is the possible cure? The only thing that gets me is that BOTH brakes don't work at all. I am guessing that this 'brake valve' controls both brakes then? I thank you very much for your time. This would probably cost me a pretty penny if I took it to a shop, but I know I can fix it with a little guidance. Thanks again!
Answer The brake valve is the thing that looks like a master cylinder that is operated by the pedals. There is no way for me to know what is the cure when I can't see it or work on it. Possibly there is a spool sticking in the valve or a blown o-ring or something, but there is no way for me to know for sure. Nobody wants to spend lots of money, but unfortunately sometimes we don't have a choice but to take it to a shop. I'm a mechanic and I have to take the car to the dealer sometimes for things that I can't fix because I don't have the equipment or the knowledge to diagnose the problem. I don't like it, but it saves me lots of time and frustration and sometimes money in the long run.
