PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-587

PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly

ISSUE 587

OCTOBER 2001
PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-587 - Page 12 of 32
PS 587
OCT 01
23
PS 587
OCT 01
22
Use Travel Locks
Before traveling long distances, make sure you install the loader’s travel locks.
They hold the bucket boom arms
in place about a foot above the
ground. That way the bucket’s
weight won’t ride on the hydraulic
cylinders—which can blow seals or
hydraulic lines—and the bucket
won’t hit the ground if the cylinders
let it drop.
The locks also keep the bucket
teeth pointed up and out of the way
of ground obstacles. Pages 2-87 and
2-88 in TM 5-2420-224-10 show
how to install and remove the travel
lock’s spring clips.
Back to Basics
Use the front bucket
only
for loading and backfilling loose dirt. Never use it to
excavate banked or compacted soil. It doesn’t have the digging power of a bulldoz-
er or an M9 ACE. Hydraulic system and bucket failure are the sure results if you try
to dig.
Busted Bucket
A front loader that sways left and right when loading probably has a bent con-
necting link. The connecting links connect the hydraulic cylinder to the bucket and
get damaged from digging in rocky or compacted soil.
So get down on your hands and knees and grab the upper connecting link to see
if it moves left or right—away from the loader’s swing arm. If you spot any move-
ment, report it to your mechanic.
Other clues to a bent connecting
link are dents or scrape marks on
the loader’s swing arm next to the
link’s bushing pin. Any marks mean
a connecting link is bent. If links are
bent, the bushing pin hits the swing
arm when the front loader’s bucket
is retracted or elevated during con-
struction operation. Report any
marks or scrapes to your mechanic.
Look for scrapes and marks here
Can you
move
the
upper
connecting
link?
C
ontrol levers for the front loader’s boom
and bucket get a continuous workout during
operation. When a lever gets hard to pull or
push, it’s because its linkage needs lube.
The grease fitting for both levers is next
to your right hand when you’re sitting in the
driver’s seat. It gets skipped over simply
because it’s inside the cab.
To put some ease back into operating
those levers, be sure to lube them during
scheduled services.
when you’ve got
a ways to travel,
don’t
forget
to install
travel locks.
Control Levers Need Lube
Here’s the scoop!
Here’s the scoop!
Stay
up on
bucket
PM …
…when it
comes to
the small
emplacement
excavator’s
front scoop
loader.
SEE…
Lube control levers
587. 22-23 (C)
9/3/01
7:00 PM
Page 1
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