stuck spare.

[WassawBound]

Yea I did a utube video on this also. I think the biggest issue on these is trapped air.

Once it is compressed in the cylinder it acts like a spring and any air in the line or a leaking valve will allow that air to force fluid out fast enough to lock the ball.

I think the key to releasing these is to either:
A. Remove the fitting, screen and spring, then push the ball off the seat with a thin probe to release the stored pressure.

B. Pump in the opposite direction. This pressure should force the ball off of the seat. Then you must very very slowly release the pressure, so the trapped air pressure in the cylinder will force the fluid past the check-ball slow enough not to trip it.

I think the rotary control valve may have a dead/open spot in it so when you grab and twist to rotate it normally to the opposite position, it allows a brief period of high flow which re-locks that check-ball. I dont know if it can be rotated slow enough to release the pressure slow enough, maybe… Another way might be, that once pressurized which should release the ball, you slowly crack a fitting and let the fluid slowly drip out until all the pressure has escaped. this should leave the ball in the neutral position and allow the cylinder to move normally…

I'm having this issue again on a A1 truck. Got a link to the video?


Edit: Method "B" for the win. Thanks!

 

[coachgeo]

....

B. Pump in the opposite direction. This pressure should force the ball off of the seat. Then you must very very slowly release the pressure, so the trapped air pressure in the cylinder will force the fluid past the check-ball slow enough not to trip it.
....

as in- pump to raise up further first ? ??

 

[Ronmar]

as in- pump to raise up further first ? ??

Yes, you have to push the ball off of the seat with hydraulic pressure. I think the valve, as it shifts from raise to lower has a little spot in there where the input connects to output before it fully switches pathways and forces fluid thru the restricted orifice. I think that spot allows a split second of unrestricted flow, and the pressure stored in the trapped air pocket slams the ball back against the seat and holds it there. I think if you leave the valve in the raise position, pump in some pressure to push the ball off the seat, then crack a fitting very slowly to release the stored air pressure. Then you lower the crane and disconnect the rod and stand it upright and cycle it to clear the trapped air…

 

[hike]

Yea I did a utube video on this also. I think the biggest issue on these is trapped air.

Once it is compressed in the cylinder it acts like a spring and any air in the line or a leaking valve will allow that air to force fluid out fast enough to lock the ball.

I think the key to releasing these is to either:
A. Remove the fitting, screen and spring, then push the ball off the seat with a thin probe to release the stored pressure.

B. Pump in the opposite direction. This pressure should force the ball off of the seat. Then you must very very slowly release the pressure, so the trapped air pressure in the cylinder will force the fluid past the check-ball slow enough not to trip it.

I think the rotary control valve may have a dead/open spot in it so when you grab and twist to rotate it normally to the opposite position, it allows a brief period of high flow which re-locks that check-ball. I dont know if it can be rotated slow enough to release the pressure slow enough, maybe… Another way might be, that once pressurized which should release the ball, you slowly crack a fitting and let the fluid slowly drip out until all the pressure has escaped. this should leave the ball in the neutral position and allow the cylinder to move normally…

I love this forum. So much solid information when I patiently look to learn and post less.

Read the thread @GeneralDisorder posted, watched @Ronmar you2b, read his comments above and somewhere (thank you to whomever posted this hint) a comment about perhaps the spare getting stuck. After prying up the spare to free it, we placed a wedge under the spare to keep it loose. Raising built pressure, ever so slowly turn the dial to lower, repeat. Finally, turning extremely slowly, the sound of the pressure release was different. Down came the spare.

Planning to drain an flush both cab and spare lift systems, (deleted the kneeling circuit while working on this issue), and refilling with clean Royco 756.

Thank you all for making such a great resource—

 

[aw113sgte]

I had lots of issues with spare locking. I just drilled out the port and removed the safeties. The steel is very soft and I think it was a 3/8 bit.

 

[Ronmar]

I had lots of issues with spare locking. I just drilled out the port and removed the safeties. The steel is very soft and I think it was a 3/8 bit.

Yea the way they configured that cylinder, they really set it up for failure. You can drill out the outer seat and remove the check-ball. You may also be able to unscrew it. It may have notches, or an easy out may be able to get a bite on it to unscrew it(havn’t studied it, removed my crane entirely) and replace it with a allen head setscrew with a small fixed orifice, the same size as the one in the control valve, which is probably what they should have done in the first place. Or you can install a simple needle valve flow control… Lots of ways to make this coastie-proof…

 

[aw113sgte]

Yea the way they configured that cylinder, they really set it up for failure. You can drill out the outer seat and remove the check-ball. You may also be able to unscrew it. It may have notches, or an easy out may be able to get a bite on it to unscrew it(havn’t studied it, removed my crane entirely) and replace it with a allen head setscrew with a small fixed orifice, the same size as the one in the control valve, which is probably what they should have done in the first place. Or you can install a simple needle valve flow control… Lots of ways to make this coastie-proof…

I tried a few methods to unscrew (hammer in torx bit, various extractors), no joy with any. 2 minutes with a drill and backflusing to clean out chips and it's been working great. I don't plan on putting my head under the lowering tire so the safety valves are somewhat useless. I don't have safeties on most of my pistols either but I don't point them in an unsafe direction. Feels like the same kind of thing