Ex60 URG hydraulic pressure issue

[Couto782]

Any information for a new owner of Hitachi ex60 urg I purchased this machine and I'm having a issue. And any info would be very much appreciated. The bucket hydraulic moves very slowly until I activate another hydraulic at the same time. And I believe my other problem could be in result to the same issue with my machine. When propelling the machine in any direction I can not move the left track by itself but ounce I move the the right track then at that point I can control the other track at the same time. It seems to me that I have a lack of hydraulic pressure of some sort. I was told it could be a hydraulic pump issue and to drain my hydraulic reservoir and check for any contamination at bottom of tank ( which I have done and have not found any visible contamination ) Has anyone had this issue or any insight on it would be greatly appreciated

 

[abdul k]

Couto, my advice for troubleshooting such issues, is to do the basics first before tearing into the pumps, valve etc. It sounds like the hyd oil is by passing in the lower half of your machine and that will be at the swivel centre joint. There are 6 or 7 seals in this centre joint which does deteriorate and may cause issues such as you are seeing. I had similar issues and when I crawled under my machine, I noticed hyd oil leaks around the centre bash plate that covers the joint from the bottom, removing this plate, I found
oil leak from the centre joint, rebuilding this joint, resolved my issue.
Removing this centre joint, well .... that another story, easy for some folks and not so easy for others.
There is a thread on this site discussing the procedure, what to look for etc etc. Remember, safety first !...above everthing else.

 

[Couto782]

Getting closer

Couto, my advice for troubleshooting such issues, is to do the basics first before tearing into the pumps, valve etc. It sounds like the hyd oil is by passing in the lower half of your machine and that will be at the swivel centre joint. There are 6 or 7 seals in this centre joint which does deteriorate and may cause issues such as you are seeing. I had similar issues and when I crawled under my machine, I noticed hyd oil leaks around the centre bash plate that covers the joint from the bottom, removing this plate, I found
oil leak from the centre joint, rebuilding this joint, resolved my issue.
Removing this centre joint, well .... that another story, easy for some folks and not so easy for others.
There is a thread on this site discussing the procedure, what to look for etc etc. Remember, safety first !...above everthing else.

I agree better to be safe then sorry! Thank you very much Abdul K you information is very much appreciated. I agree with trouble shooting the basics. I am currently servicing the machine changing hydraulic filters,air filters etc.and exchanging the hydraulic fluid. I did notice a leak at the center joint. (So it seams) Does seem to be a little tedious to fix. Possibly worth having done by a pro would you know what going rate is. Did you have the same cercumstances as I'm having with slow bucket and left track and wouldn't any of the other hydraulics be affected as well. But they all seam to be working fine. Ounce again any info is greatly appreciated than you

 

[abdul k]

EX60 hyd pressure issue.

Yes, mine seemed a bit worse then what you describe, only because several seals where useless. If your centre joint is by-passing, you will note that all the functions that run via the centre joint will either not work or work with issues as you mentioned, I guess if one or two seals from the seven are use less, you will see that function operation will be less severe than say if five seals were by-passing back and forth from the separating oil ports / passages.

Does the above make sense ?

 

[Couto782]

Absolutely makes sense !! I would like to apologize in advance for any dumb questions (I'm a newbe ) I will get it going and let you know how I make out. Ounce done will I need to blend the hydraulics seeing that am exposing the center joint and do you happen to own a ex60urg service manual (really hard to come by) I thank you for all the information very helpful

 

[abdul k]

Man, you don't have to apologise, its all part of the learning process. It would be good if you could do it yourself. I am not an hyd expert but an engine man. However, I will give it a go, whether I am successful or not, that is another question
I have a EX50urg, just to scratch around my property, it works ...that is about it. No, I don't have a manual, although I would love to have one. I just tear it apart and ask questions later, as I am a diesel mechanic and no, I don't throw parts at it until its fixed.

 

[Profit]

Any information for a new owner of Hitachi ex60 urg I purchased this machine and I'm having a issue. And any info would be very much appreciated. The bucket hydraulic moves very slowly until I activate another hydraulic at the same time. And I believe my other problem could be in result to the same issue with my machine. When propelling the machine in any direction I can not move the left track by itself but ounce I move the the right track then at that point I can control the other track at the same time. It seems to me that I have a lack of hydraulic pressure of some sort. I was told it could be a hydraulic pump issue and to drain my hydraulic reservoir and check for any contamination at bottom of tank ( which I have done and have not found any visible contamination ) Has anyone had this issue or any insight on it would be greatly appreciated

Abdul is 100% correct on his assumption. This is most likely your problem as very rarely are there problems such as this in the function control valves, though it does happen on occassion. The hydraulic swivel has ports in a stack that transfer oil from and to the control valves for the various functions. The seals and backup rings adjacent and sealing these individual ports do degrade and some times blow out allowing oil either to enter another function or go back to tank with little or no pressure to the function you are attempting to apply. An external oil leak will not always be visible as what is taking place is within the swivel assy and if the end seals retain their integrity they will not leak whilst the internals may be by-passing. The symptoms you mention mean to me that is what is happening. The only way to insure this is to determine which port is on either side of your track drive port and then apply control pressure to track drive and hold while applying function pressure to the adjacent port at the same time. Track movement at that point indicates that seal between those two ports is leaking as now both ports are pressurized at the same time. It should also be tried on the other adjacent port if the first makes no difference. You can identify what control function ports are in each position of the stack by refering to a Shop Maintenance and Repair Manual for that particular serial numbered machine. You might be able to get a local dealer to print you up a picture of the swivel and stacking or you probably could obtain a new or used manual online, or perhaps some pages from another owner of a like machine. Diagnosis of some hydraulic problems can be very difficult so if your hesitant and can afford it a dealer mechanic or at least one highly skilled in hydraulics is worth it. The repair itself is fairly straight forward requiring draining the hydraulic tank and all lines at the lowest point of the machine, removal of hoses, removal of retainers and centre section of the swivel assy, replacement of o-rings and backup rings, cleaning and complete reassembly, which can be tricky. The mentioned shop manual could walk you through it if you are a fairly experienced mechanic and have the tools necessary, emphasize tools. If you can afford it a lot easier method would be to pay an equipment shop to diagnose and repair it, rates depending where you are run $75-$180 per hour I would guess your looking at a minimum of about 10-16 hours of labor. Hope this helps, I currently own a JD80 with the split boom that was built by Hitachi and I've been a mechanic on various types of equipment and heavy production machinery for about 45 years and done quite a few of these swivels over the years. For me it would be easy but you must determine if you are capable., it ain't rocket science. :thumbsup

 

[Profit]

John Deere 60 early model is the same machine I believe. That would be about a 1997 thrue 2000. You can check that on the JD website of machinery out of production.

 

[abdul k]

Well said Profit ! you have explained it very well and I guess thats because of experience.

 

[Profit]

Thanks Abdul, that's what we're all here for is to help each other and you put your finger right on it. Good warning on safety also, hope Couto understands he must relieve ALL hydraulic pressure on ALL machine circuits BEFORE proceeding with ANY disassembly. This may include gradually bleeding off circuits at line connections. Not familiar with this specific machine so don't know if main control valve is pilot operated but if so residual pressures may remain in the system even though you activate controls to a felt neutral position. Also make sure everything is hard on the ground, be SAFE and Couto see my post about your hydraulic oil change and bleeding air from pump prior to restart. Good luck Couto.

Hey Abdul, hate to tell you but your not just an engine man anymore, hydraulics is your name.

 

[abdul k]

Profit, I work for a large Australian dealer that sells / services the yellow machines and yellow engines. Am in the technical department looking after stationary yellow engines small and large, diesel and gas. Lately, due to circumstances, I have been handed the task of looking after small and medium size excavators also, only because I happen to own one ! I was told :beatsme.
However, its quite a buzz when I am able to resolve an issue within a few hours for the serviceman or the customer, without going to the "yellow God" for help. You see the yellow God resides in your neck of the woods and by the time he replies to my question, the customer has lost his patience and wants to punch the servicemans lights out .... I know as I was a serviceman once and dealing with an angry customer is not an enjoyable task at hand, especially when he is paying top dollar and I'm standing around scratching my head
So now not only I have to be an expert on engines but those awesome yellow HEX machines also.
I dig my job though ....pardon the pun ....its ever so satisfying. Give me tools, I will diagnose and fix that sucker anyday

 

[Profit]

Profit, I work for a large Australian dealer that sells / services the yellow machines and yellow engines. Am in the technical department looking after stationary yellow engines small and large, diesel and gas. Lately, due to circumstances, I have been handed the task of looking after small and medium size excavators also, only because I happen to own one ! I was told :beatsme.
However, its quite a buzz when I am able to resolve an issue within a few hours for the serviceman or the customer, without going to the "yellow God" for help. You see the yellow God resides in your neck of the woods and by the time he replies to my question, the customer has lost his patience and wants to punch the servicemans lights out .... I know as I was a serviceman once and dealing with an angry customer is not an enjoyable task at hand, especially when he is paying top dollar and I'm standing around scratching my head
So now not only I have to be an expert on engines but those awesome yellow HEX machines also.
I dig my job though ....pardon the pun ....its ever so satisfying. Give me tools, I will diagnose and fix that sucker anyday

We share a very similar background but I suspect I'm older. I started as a heavy equipment "C Mechanic' in an American dealership as a shop man in 1968 that sold various types of construction and some turf equipment, their major sales being Case. They handled various other equipment to include sanitation bodies, other backhoe and excavator lines, municipal equipment, sweepers, vacuum trucks, concrete bodies, concrete plants, asphalt spreaders rollers, and batch plants. I was fortunate to have broken in with what I consider to be some of the finest welder/fabricator/mechanics I ever worked with and was able to graduate to a Lead Mechanic and then to a "Road Man", mobile serviceman. I worked on everything there and got experience on everything engines, power trains you name it and wound up specializing on asphalt pavers and batch plants and their various automated systems-early logic computers all this intermixed with several stints at manufacturers schools. That took up the first 9 years of my initiation into heavy equipment. Several years and several employers later, including the "Yellow Machine" dealers, later I opened my own shop where we worked on everything and pursued that for almost twenty years until the economy here went sour and a lot of my customers went out of business. I struggled a few years to keep it together but finally decided it wasn't worth being an independent so I went to work for a worldwide heavy construction outfit involved primarily in bridges and tunnels . I have been with them for about 20 years involved in many major projects in the New York Metropolitan area, currently the New York City 2nd Avenue Subway and associated projects which I've been working on for the past 10 years. Been involved in rail work, tunneling, bridges, sewage treatment plants and roadwork with this company and never looked back. I originally started with them as a welder/mechanic, then to road man, then Machine Operator including Licensed Hoisting Machine Operator (cranes and cherry pickers) and now I'm just a lowly foreman in charge of the machinery and operators on various jobs, no more wrench work unless absolutely necessary. I have a good bunch of up and comers I work with and they will replace me soon. I've had a great, diversified and interesting career and a "long row to hoe." I know exactly what you mean about rewarding and able to solve problems. The first thing I always taught my newer men was not to be afraid to take something apart, "it was assembled by a mechanic that means you can disassemble, repair, and reassemble it!" Didn't always work at first without assistance but they all learned and all told me years later that was probably one of the most important things they learned as apprentice mechanics. Like you said give me they tools and I'll diagnose and fix it! Good luck to you Abdul, sounds like you have a great future in this business, wish I could do it all over again. Here's to you :drinkup

PS- I'm like you, my JD80 Excavator is a toy for me as well as my chipper, and my TLB all used for land clearing and road building on my property. :crazyView attachment 113723

 

[abdul k]

Cheers man

sounds like you've been there and done all, good on you and hats off :notworthy.
I reckon you have endless stories to tell together with how it supposed to be done. Great stuff.
Well, best of health and wishing you well for the future also. If you're coming down under, get in contact and I'll show you around, have a chin wag. I am in Brisbane, Queensland.:cool2.

 

[Profit]

sounds like you've been there and done all, good on you and hats off :notworthy.
I reckon you have endless stories to tell together with how it supposed to be done. Great stuff.
Well, best of health and wishing you well for the future also. If you're coming down under, get in contact and I'll show you around, have a chin wag. I am in Brisbane, Queensland.:cool2.

The same to you my friend and the same invitation extended if you ever get to the States and New York, I live on Long Island, about 1 hour outside of New York City and spent 90% of my carreer in the city and the surrounding areas, was always lots of work there. My son is in the business also for the past 15 years but works for a different company and two different specialties, tunneling work, drilling and pile driving. Good luck to you it was a pleasure hearing of your endevours, just goes to show that we are all on the same page as working men no matter where we are or how distant. :thumbsup

 

[Crockett]

Abdul

Just registered on this forum - it's awesome to read the open collaboration. I have a hitachi ex50urg 1991 and some manuals that fortunately I picked up when I bought the machine 2 years ago. I have the operators manual, components parts catolgue and industrial diesel engine workshop manual for 3AB1. If I can help you out some how with part numbers or manual references - let me know. I am a newbie when it comes to solving hydraulic problems etc - steep learning curve. I have been using my shovel for bush road building and ditching.

I have pretty much kept up with various oils, grease and filters - simple maintenance stuff - but having similar loss of power issues and starting to think it's seal failure - gradually seeing more oil loss - symptoms are: left track slower than right track in both directions gradual slowing of travel over last year, l have noticed a thunk noise on the left track - like a dry fire of an unloaded gun trigger - tried changing the gear oil for travel motor which worked for a while - but noise came back - so thinking i have a couple of broken teeth on the gears - most recently blade can't stay in highest position and slowly falls-falls faster when travelling, arm and bucket pressure and swing power are great, swing a bit loose but good under loads. I am thinking seal replacement to start - just not sure where to start seal replacement and test from the start simple work up principle. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Let me know if I can help on the manuals.

 

[Mr_Mugglian]

I have Similar issues. Did you ever find the solution?

 

[69 Kauai Boy]

I also have have same issues with my EX60urg, sadly, not much info out there on this machine

 

[Mr_Mugglian]

My Hitachi ex50urg has some symptoms similar to what is described in this thread. A bit slower on one track than the other... one very cold day last winter I had no swing in one direction but after one full revolution in one direction it would swing in the other direction. Has not been a problem since, however I make it a point not to "play golf" when leveling. Over all I believe all hydraulic functions are getting slower... or perhaps I am becoming faster. Digging and pushing still appear strong. Could it be related to the problem described in this thread?