# MF 240 Lift problem



## Dwainbryant

Ive got a massey 240, just recently purchased used. Im tractor ignorant so I need a lead to get me started in the rite direction. The 3 point is not being used, nothing attatched. My front end loader, 232 was working fine. In the middle of operation I go down scoop then when I try to come back up it will not raise unless I increase engine RPM. Tractor has 780 hours. Thanks ahead for any help and info from anyone that replies. I really appreciate any help and/or ideas, tips.


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## shona13

G.day 
Does the loader have its own control levers i.e when you are using the loader do you operate from the front or do you use the three point hitch to operate .
Let me know and we can fix your problem.
Regards 
Hutch.


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## Dwainbryant

The loader has its on control lever and its mounted on the front.


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## shona13

Hi Dwainbryant.
The control levers on the side where your right hand is when sitting on the seat ,The one nearest the mudguard should be in the UP position that is all the way back.
the position control lever the one nearest you should be in the constant pump position, or alternatively push the selector valve under the seat in and lower the three point hitch to say about halfway down then pull the selector valve out and put the position control lever back to the up or constant pumping position that should do it have fun and be careful 
Regards .
Hutch


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## Dwainbryant

ok hutch, ive done exactly what you told me to do and I still have to rev the engine rpms to make the lift go up. Im starting to figure im gonna have to change the hydraulic pump in it. any more ideas?


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## aussie

Has it got an external pump for the loader or is it just using the internal pump ?


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## Dwainbryant

if it has an external pump where would it be located?


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## shona13

Hi Dwainbryant.
So let me ask is there a hydraulic selector valve under the seat that when moved it will give you either three point hitch OR front end loader?
If it has an auxiliary hydraulic pump fitted it is inside the gearbox and the hydraulic supply and return come from the left hand sideplate the one with the PTO lever.
With the low hours you mention I would not think the hydraulic filter would be blocked but it is worth checking.
First step is to drain all of the transmission oil there are two drain plugs both on the left hand side of the tractor one underneath about where your left heel would be and the other nearer the front below the gear sticks six Gallons capacity.
Next remove the hydraulic filter cover in the middle near the rear of the tractor it is a plate which is held on by three bolts remove the plate and look inside you will see a nut and a safety clip remove the clip and the nut ,pull the filter out and wash THOUROUGHLY in Petrol/ Gasoline replace making sure the big O ring is in there first if the oil was a milky colour replace it but first put about 1/2 gallon of diesel in the gearbox to wash out anything that may be sitting in the bottom of the gearbox (the filler plug is next to the gear sticks )make sure all of the diesel is drained out before filling with oil ensuring the drain plugs are TIGHT try that and let me know what happens.
Happy days 
Hutch.


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## Dwainbryant

Hutch, if your doubtful about it being the filter, which I am too whats the expected life of the pump itself? The thing thats got me baffled is that the only thing that is not working is the lift. Bringing it down is fine, load and unload on the bucket work fine and there is no jerkiness.


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## Dwainbryant

could it be possible that the remote im using is bad? Ive got 2...


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## aussie

Lol Shona you have taken the words right out of my mouth


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## shona13

G,Day Dwainbryant.
The filter being blocked wont do the pump any harm in the short term,Normal signs of filter blockage is shuddering of the three point hitch when lifting I would clean the filter anyway at least you will eliminate this possibility.
When you lower the hydraulics the pump does not do anything all you are doing is letting the oil flow back to the sump Over the years I have had Massey's in my shop that have 5/6 thousand hours on the clock and the hydraulics still lift.
With what you are telling me it could be a lift ram seal problem in the loader itself, does it have double acting lift rams that is can you power the lift arms down as well as up ,are there two hoses going to each lift ram? 
Let Me know and I can talk you through the elimination process.
Thats all for now .
Regards 
Hutch.


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## Dwainbryant

im on the way out to work rite now but ill have to look to be sure that i tell you rite about it having 2 hoses going to each ram. there is a feeder and return hose to the remote, which is slightly leaking then four hoses coming out of bottom of control for the front end loader. its a massey 232 loader. ill check then get back with you 2morrow when i get back in from work and let you know. thanks


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## Dwainbryant

ok people, ive uploaded a picture of my control for the front end loader and yes Hutch it does have double hoses going to each lift ram.


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## aussie

Dwainbryant said:


> ok people, ive uploaded a picture of my control for the front end loader and yes Hutch it does have double hoses going to each lift ram.


Where is the oil being picked up from ?...


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## shona13

G.Day Dwainbryant.
Yes as aussie asks it will help if you take some more photo,s of all of the hydraulic hoses,rams and control valve etc the more pics the easier it will be to help.
Regards 
Hutch.


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## Dwainbryant

aussie said:


> Where is the oil being picked up from ?...


When you ask where the oil is being picked up from... The feeder hose is coming from the remote valve, residue is coming from the bottom of the control. I cant find any serious leaks


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## shona13

Hi Dwainbryant.
If you lift the loader bucket about 8 inches above the ground ,turn the engine of and CAREFULLY loosen one of the hoses going to the top hose on the hydraulic lift ram hose you should get a slight drop of oil coming out and then it SHOULD HOLD the loader without any creeping down .
If the loader creeps down it means ONE of the hydraulic lift piston seals is passing oil to eliminate which one with the engine stopped you will have to Lower the loader to the ground undo both of the top hoses to the lift rams and put the hose ends into a clean container to catch any oil that may come out .
With the engine stop pulled out that is to stop the tractor engine running OPERATE THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL LEVER TO RAISE THE LOADER AND AT THE SAME TIME CRANK THE ENGINE watch the both hydraulic ram ports and see which one oil is coming out of if any this will tell you which ram is leaking if any.
Be careful you are dealing with high pressure and possibly hot hydraulic oil .
Let me know what you find and we can go from there.
Regards 
Hutch.


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## shona13

Hi Dwainbryant.
Just another thought ?You do have the draft lever in the up position and the position control lever in the CONSTANT PUMPING position????
Regards 
Hutch.


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## Dwainbryant

yes the controls for the 3 point are like they are supposed to be


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## DKiel

*re*

it took me quite a while to figure out how to work mine. in fact we couldn't get it off the trailer when we brought it home. on mine first the selector under the seat has to be in the position to operate the 3 point. i have to lower the arms and leave the lever in the dropped position, then switch the controller under the seat to the loader position, then move the side lever to the full raise position and my loader works. my loader will also drop in any position but will only raise as i described. i have figured out a way to fool it, i guess you could say, so i can use the loader when i have something hooked up on the back. i raise the 3 point fully the lower it and quickly move the adjuster under the seat to the loader position. it usually catches the 3 point about halfway down but high enough that it is not on the ground. hope this might be the same issue you are having.


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## shona13

G.day DKeil
Talk about russian roulette .
If you have an implement on the three point hitch and you wany to use the front end loader all you do is raise the three point hitch to the transport position and lower it about two inches and select the loader on the selector valve and move the lift lever to the transport or constant pumping position the loader will work ,the only tricking you are doing is to yourself,you cant trick a tractor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
happy Days 
Hutch.


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## DKiel

*re*

Hutch, for whatever reason, that is not the case with my tractor. believe me in the 3 years i have had it and all the use it gets, i have tried it all. now whether or not something is broke or not hooked up right, that is another story.


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## Cowboy_Cadillac

Subscribing.... I am having similar issues, but my 3pt hitch won't maintain desired hight above the ground if the RPM's are over 1500. Sorry about the Hijack.


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## shona13

G,day cowboy-cadillac.
Need more information ,the more the easier it will be to figure out.
Hutch.


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## Cowboy_Cadillac

More Info.... I have a Massey 240 with the front end loader (that seems to be working fine) and when running the bushhog or just traveling down the road the 3pt hitch will not hold the attachments up when the tractor RPM's are over 1500 or so. This means that I have to run the bushhog at about 1500 rpm's in order to keep the deck from dragging the ground. As long as I am below that rpm range the attachments will stay where ever I set the draft. I have to be really careful of this while running down the road in order not to throw sparks at the vehicles stuck behind me and not leaving road rash on all of my attachments. I hope this helps.


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## shona13

G,Day Cowboy Cadillac.
The problem is in the top link attachment ,the top link has a direct mechanical influence on the hydraulic control valve ,this is to allow the hydraulics to READ the position of the three point hitch say when using a draft implement like a plow or discs where you would use the draft control lever .
To check I am not sure about your tractor in the U.S but in Australia and the U.K the top link can be fitted in any one of three holes in the top link bracket,if your tractor has the top link bracket with the three holes use the lowest hole and try that, if not watch the top link when you are lifting something heavy like the brushhog ,watch and see how much the top link PULLS OUT of the housing it should not come out more than 1/8 to 3/16 th of an inch if it does replace the toplink with a strong piece of chain capable of handling the weight ,attach it temporarily to the "grandfather" pin this is the long pin just under the toplink keep all things living well away just in case the chain fails ,this will further prove or otherwise that the problem is in the toplink be very careful if the result is good you will have to remove the toplink assembly and adjust it ,see how you go and we can talk you through the procedure
the hydraulics when properly adjusted should lift the front wheels of the ground quite easily not that you would do that.
See how you go 
Happy Days 
Hutch.


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## BlountArrow

Can I be the 2nd high jacker of this thread and say that I too have a Massey Ferguson 240 with a Hydraulic Lift Problem  ? My lift will raise a bush hog all the way up and set it down but there is no in between? Again, it will only raise the implement all the way up and set it down I can't seem to get it to hold in the mid position. I was told to change the fluid and clean or change the filter so I'm going to do that tomorrow and would love some insight from you guys before I start my project. Do you really think a dirty filter could be the cause here? I'm not sure I'm buying it but I really am not qualified to have an opinion on the subject either. I did drain the fluid a few days ago and it wasn't pretty, but again....well, what do you think my problem is?


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## Dwainbryant

Hey folks, just wanted to give an update on my lift problem. It wound up being the seals in the lift boom(cylinder) had gone bad. I work with a guy who used to specialize in hydraulics and he came to check my pressures. Before he got started he asked if I cared if he tried to eliminate the possibilities of it being something else and WALAA!!! Thanks for all the help and posts. All the information was very valuable seeing how I have NO experience with hydraulics. Its a never ending story tho because while we were working on the previous problem my battery turns up weak and the linkage on my gas pedal snapped so now i'm searching for the piece of linkage I need to get my gas pedal back right.


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## shona13

G,Day Blount Arrow
try setting the response control lever in about the middle of the range ,set the Draft lever all the way up and use the position control lever to set the desired height.
If still having problems give as much information as possible
Regards 
Hutch.


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## BlountArrow

Sorry for being a high jacker on this thread but for those that care or are following I just wanted to give a quick update: Well, my new found mechanic friend who told me it was most likely a dirty filter and fluid was dead on. I drained the fluid and went ahead and changed the mesh filter. The fluid did not look good at all, but the filter didn't look that dirty which worried me that this was not going to be the solution. However, I put all new fluid in (little over 8 gallons), new filter, let the tractor run for about 15 minutes, then positioned the draft lever all the way up, and I can move the lift to any position and it holds. Before, again, the lift would only go all the way up or down, but it is now holding at intervals in between. I still don't think it is 100%, but I'm no expert and I'm comparing to my 2009 Kubota, which is 26 years younger. All and all though it is now fully functional and I bush hogged for about 2 hours yesterday with no problems. I'm hoping with time and as new fluid works through everything that it will improve even more, but I really have no complaints!


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## Seamus

Hi Folks, sorry to jump in here. I am at my wits end, for some time the lift on my Massey 240 has been slow to go down. Last night I had to tip my trailer and it still has not gone down. Any help would much appreciated..


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## shona13

G.Day seamus . 
park the trailer under something strong enough to hold the weight of the trailer body and rig up a chain block with a sling around the body of the trailer take the weight and loosen the hydraulic hose that goes into the trailer lift cylinder ONE TURN NO MORE then catch the oil leaking out carefully lower the chain block till the trailer is all the way down next undo the hose coupling and strip the check valves out from inside both ends ,the tractor end and the trailer end reconnect the trailer hose and try lifting and lowering if it works you will need a complete new coupling the threads on the hose would normally be 3/8 BSP or NPT.
Try that and keep us informed 
Regards 
Hutch.


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