Hydraulic issues

[Zacharyscott]

Hi I'm new to the site and I have a few questions about my hi ranger xt52. I recently purchased this truck and both booms were super slow at the time I was looking at it . The owner turned a screw on the pump and booms work fine now the lower boom is still a little slow though, can I make it faster? Also, it was low on hydraulic fluid so we filled it up but the pump makes a winding sound that goes away once it gets warmed up, is this normal? Also, the chip box will dump but it wont come down. If you dont dump it all the way it's fine. What could be the issue there? I'm a 14 year veteran climber but new to owning a bucket truck. Any info would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

[tfp]

First thing I would do if I bought anything hydraulic second hand, after fixing any leaks, is to dump the hydraulic oil and replace it with whatever was in spec for that unit. While the oil was out i'd clean any screens / mesh filters, soak them in a suitable solvent to remove any gum or varnish, and replace any non-servicable filters with new ones. I'd see what inside the sump looked like as well. When dumping the oil put it in a container that you can see what the oil looks like and if there's anything other than oil in it. Contamination of any sort can have you pulling your hair out and trying to compensate elsewhere in the system but will eventually lead to bigger problems.

"Telltale signs of hydraulic problems include noise, elevated temperatures and slow/erratic operation. Heat, air contamination and water contamination are the most common causes of poor hydraulic performance. The hydraulic pump is the heart of the system – and the most expensive component to replace"

 

[Zacharyscott]

Tfp, thank you for the advice. I changed the fluid and filter and was on a job today and blew a hose. Now, how do I bleed the system? I live in the middle of nowhere and getting someone out here is hard. Again, thank you..