Bandit 1390xp Bad lift cylinder

[rymancm]

Bandit users. I have a 1390xp. At 25 hours the top feed wheel started sticking in the open position and the only way to close it was with hydraulic pressure on the lift/crush cylinder. Bandit diagnosed it as a bad cylinder and put in a new one, under warranty of course. It has worked fine all summeer. Here I am at 190 hours with the exact same problem. The top feed wheel will NOT come down without hydraulic pressure from the lever. Bandit will fix it again under warranty but what's to keep this from happening in another 150 hours. Has anyone else had this issue?

 

[Bandit Man]

I've not heard of that problem, nor had it. Just over 2015 hours. Are your springs in working order and tension set correctly?

 

[imagineero]

Never heard of that problem, but it shouldn't be too difficult to diagnose. Start by removing the lift cylinder, and the springs, Lift the rollers with the jack, check that the slides are not binding and there is nothing else preventing the rollers from going down. If that works fine, I'd leave the springs off and put the cylinder back on and run the machine and see what happens. If it starts lifting by itself, then the two way valve that controls the ram is probably faulty (I'm guessing that's the cause) and it is probably leaking a small amount of pressure on the 'up' side. You can check this with a hydraulic pressure gauge plumbed in, you'd need at least a 2500psi gauge. This would require replacement of the control valve if that is the cause. A control valve which is faulty in that way would destroy the cylinder in pretty short order but trying to lift it and crush it at the same time.

Shaun

 

[sgreanbeans]

We had a problem like that with a 250 in SoCal when I was at Big Green, Bandit was having a problem figuring it out. Turned out to be some sensor? The whole time they thought it was mechanical, so did I, but it was electrical. Not sure how yours is set up, if it has those sensors. Mira Mar Bobcat/Bandit in San Diego fixed it, have your guy call them maybe?

 

[rymancm]

Never heard of that problem, but it shouldn't be too difficult to diagnose. Start by removing the lift cylinder, and the springs, Lift the rollers with the jack, check that the slides are not binding and there is nothing else preventing the rollers from going down. If that works fine, I'd leave the springs off and put the cylinder back on and run the machine and see what happens. If it starts lifting by itself, then the two way valve that controls the ram is probably faulty (I'm guessing that's the cause) and it is probably leaking a small amount of pressure on the 'up' side. You can check this with a hydraulic pressure gauge plumbed in, you'd need at least a 2500psi gauge. This would require replacement of the control valve if that is the cause. A control valve which is faulty in that way would destroy the cylinder in pretty short order but trying to lift it and crush it at the same time.

Shaun

Thanks for the advice. The slides, springs etc are all in working order. I have temporarily removed the cylinder so I can use the chipper and the slide box goes up and down like butter. I just can't open and crush with the top feed wheel until I get it fixed. Bandit is putting in a new cylinder AND valve (when the parts arrive) to see if that helps. I know exactly what you mean about disconnecting the springs and reattaching the cylinder. I'll go try that now and see what happens. Someone else posted that it could be a bad sensor. That's something I don't really know much about and Bandit did not suggest it as a possible problem. If the new cylinder and valve don't help then I'll go down that road. Thanks again for the help.

 

[NCTREE]

I just had the same problem with my 990xp, at 250hrs the samething started happening. Took it to the dealer and they replaced the lift cylinder and got a $700 bill. I kept the old one would like to have it tested to see if it's really bad. I notice too that the feed wheels get stuck when feeding branches in especially when it's cold. Not happy with my service either it took 2 days to get a hold of the service dept. I one point some guy answered the phone chewing on a sandwich like I was disturbing his lunch. God forbid! Modern Equipment in Bensalem Pa sucks, really unhappy with them.

 

[rymancm]

I just had the same problem with my 990xp, at 250hrs the samething started happening. Took it to the dealer and they replaced the lift cylinder and got a $700 bill. I kept the old one would like to have it tested to see if it's really bad. I notice too that the feed wheels get stuck when feeding branches in especially when it's cold. Not happy with my service either it took 2 days to get a hold of the service dept. I one point some guy answered the phone chewing on a sandwich like I was disturbing his lunch. God forbid! Modern Equipment in Bensalem Pa sucks, really unhappy with them.

First they replaced the lift cylinder which, for some reason, temporarily fixed the problem. It worked fine for several months and then same problem again. This time they replaced the valve. It is working fine now but only time will tell what's going on. Luckily it was all under warranty. My dealer and my experience with Bandit has been extremely good. They did everything they could to get me back up and running including overnighting parts halfway across the country. I wish I didn't have this problem with the chipper but I can't say enough good things about the service. I guess it all depends where you live....

 

[imagineero]

Not all dealers are equal, even under the one marquee. You're onto a good thing there by the sounds of it, stick with them!

 

[NCTREE]

If it happens again I think I'd be better off taking the chipper to someone that specializes in hydraulics then take it back to them. The chipper isn't under warranty anymore so i'm stuck with the bill. My initial thought when they told me the cylinder was bad was ******** but what can I do. Let just hope it doesn't happen again. Fix it right and fix it the first, isn't that why we pay these guys.

 

[pdqdl]

It is real easy to diagnose a bad hydraulic cylinder if you take it to a repair shop with a bench tester. A quicker way would be to disconnect the hydraulic lines and run the machine: if you are getting hydraulic flow out either line when you shouldn't be, it is a problem with the valves. A pressure gauge installed in line with the problem cylinder should tell you what is going on during operation.

 

[NCTREE]

Bandit users. I have a 1390xp. At 25 hours the top feed wheel started sticking in the open position and the only way to close it was with hydraulic pressure on the lift/crush cylinder. Bandit diagnosed it as a bad cylinder and put in a new one, under warranty of course. It has worked fine all summeer. Here I am at 190 hours with the exact same problem. The top feed wheel will NOT come down without hydraulic pressure from the lever. Bandit will fix it again under warranty but what's to keep this from happening in another 150 hours. Has anyone else had this issue?

So was the problem fixed? I'm having the same problem for the second time in less 6 month.

 

[rymancm]

Bandit replaced the valve at 190 hours and the problem seems to be fixed. I now have 300 hours with no more problems. I am still worried the problem will return but not much I can do but wait and see.

 

[NCTREE]

I think I figured out what is going on with my system. There is a directional control valve that feeds into both feed wheels. On the valve is two identical electric switches that light up when they are working. Theses switches control a selonoid on each end of the valve to control the way the fluid runs through the valve. One of the switches isn't working, I took a laser temp gauge to both sides of the valve and discovered that the side with the working switch is much hotter than the side that isn't working which means that the flow of the whole system is restricted. I didn't have any problems with the cylinder all winter but now that the day temps are getting above 60 I am having issues. The restricted flow is causing bubbles in the fluid from access heat and is collecting in the highest point in the hydraulic system which would be the lift cylinder. My lift cylinder is working again now that the fluid is cooled down. I think getting a new switch will fix the problem. I took apart my old lift cylinder from the first breakdown that I kept and found no wear or anything to that matter. In other words the lift cylinder is still functioning correctly. It makes me wonder if bandit is just being ignorant or is trying to bank on the situation. If it happens again to you i'd check this out before getting a new cylinder and valve. I will keep ya posted after I get the switch to see if it fixes the problem.

 

[imagineero]

great post!