Loader in float position?

freewheel3

Active member

Equipment
MX5000DT LA852, BX1800D, B6000DT, B6200HSTD, B7100HSTD, L185, T1700HX, ZD1211
Mar 9, 2013
334
33
28
Alberta
Here's a question that just occurred to me. My MX5000 is stored in an unheated shed.
Will the hydraulic oil warm up quicker if I put the loader in float position while the engine is warming up prior to driving?
I'm not sure how the hydraulic flow pattern is on this particular tractor but I remember 40 years ago when I was running a bulldozer, on the first start of the day in the winter, we used to always throw the blade in float while the engine warmed up.
This seemed to get the hydraulic oil warmed up quicker, but it was a seperate system, not a combo transmission / 3pt / power steering / hydraulics like my tractor has.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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Jun 9, 2013
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Sandpoint, ID
Here's a question that just occurred to me. My MX5000 is stored in an unheated shed.
Will the hydraulic oil warm up quicker if I put the loader in float position while the engine is warming up prior to driving?
I'm not sure how the hydraulic flow pattern is on this particular tractor but I remember 40 years ago when I was running a bulldozer, on the first start of the day in the winter, we used to always throw the blade in float while the engine warmed up.
This seemed to get the hydraulic oil warmed up quicker, but it was a seperate system, not a combo transmission / 3pt / power steering / hydraulics like my tractor has.
No putting the loader valve in float has no effect on the flow of the fluid, float only lets the fluid flow freely from one side of the cylinder to the other side.
 

freewheel3

Active member

Equipment
MX5000DT LA852, BX1800D, B6000DT, B6200HSTD, B7100HSTD, L185, T1700HX, ZD1211
Mar 9, 2013
334
33
28
Alberta
Ok, thanks for the info, NIW.
 

rjcorazza

Member

Equipment
L4060 HSTC Loader, ZD326, ZD1211
Mar 9, 2016
778
22
18
Hyattstown, MD
How about the transmission in neutral? Any effect on warm up time, or better / worse in general?


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beex

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May 21, 2019
312
5
18
on my bx
tranny in neutral won’t change oil flow either, on an HST if you put the tranny in neutral then put the HST peddle down, put cruise control on, it will heat up faster.


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North Idaho Wolfman

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Nope no real benefit to putting the transmission in neutral either. ;)
 

Eldubya

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B7800FEL Bck hoe Box scraper Post auger Field rake
Apr 14, 2014
90
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6
Quadra Island BC
I always just raise and lower the bucket, curl it in and out as I'm driving out of the yard. Seems to warm it up quick enough.
 

Zimcocomp

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L2550, FEL, Hoe, snow plow, Bolens QT17-FEL
Sep 13, 2011
21
0
1
West Newfield, ME
I have a Kubota L2550 with a BF400G loader and when I float the bucket the 3 point hydraulics fail to lift it's own weight. Just something to watch out for.
 

lugbolt

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ZG127S-54
Oct 15, 2015
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If you're using super udt2, there's no need in letting it warm up.

Most of the smaller kubota tractors are all open center hydraulic systems meaning that they're circulating fluid as long as the engine is running, thus it's warming up via circulation. Some of the bigger stuff is closed center, the pump is not moving much oil until it is asked to, thus they'll take a while to get warm.
 

bernhardine

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M4072 (M4D-071), B7000
Jan 14, 2019
77
7
8
Germany
If you want to warm up the hydraulic-/transmission-oil a little quicker, just let one valve function run against the overpressure valve.
For example, if you have an auxiliary hydraulic valve with a catch for one direction, use this during engine warm up.
Because of the little extra work the pump has to do, the oil (and the engine) warms up much faster.
 

GeoHorn

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May 18, 2018
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I always just raise and lower the bucket, curl it in and out as I'm driving out of the yard. Seems to warm it up quick enough.
That should help get cold oil out of the cylinders and hoses and replaces it with fluid from your warmed up tranny.