L3 Dennison Hydro
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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=180467
Printed Date: 26 Apr 2024 at 6:47pm
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Topic: L3 Dennison Hydro
Posted By: CrestonM
Subject: L3 Dennison Hydro
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 7:19am
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Hey guys! How concerned should a guy be looking at a late ‘84 L3 with a Dennison hydro? I’m looking at one that’s in good mechanical shape, and has the Dennison. I’ve heard they’re a stronger hydro but very costly to work on, whereas the older Dynapower 6x6 are a dime-a-dozen. What exactly is “costly” in regards to the Dennison? The combine drives well, gets up to speed quickly, and has one weird quality I’ve never noticed on any other old hydro machine I’ve ran...the hydro doesn’t whine. All the old hydro Gleaners and cotton strippers I’ve ran have had a distinctive whine when moving the machine but this one is very quiet. Is that a good thing? Thanks! |
Replies:
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 7:47am
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It's a good thing, there's enough whining in the world these days! J/K, sorry, I don't know anything official on your question.....But welcome back, how's it going???!
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Posted By: tbran
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 7:58am
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Find a good hill to climb in road gear - while going up the hill see if the decrease in speed is due to engine rpm pull down - if so good - if the speed decreases and the engine rpm does not - hydro or belt issues. Country boy diagnostic method w/o tools and gauges. ------------- When told "it's not the money,it's the principle", remember, it's always the money.. |
Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 8:46am
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Hey Tbone, it’s going pretty good all things considered. All done with school so now it’s 8-5 in the real world...ugh tbran... this is going to sound funny...I appreciate the suggestion but the problem is it’s in a very flat part of Kansas with no significant slopes, and the place it’s going to is equally flat. But I’ll see what I can do! |
Posted By: Northern Hoser
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 11:46am
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I've got an 86 with a weak hydro, slows on hills, hard to get above 10 mph in the field with any sort of load on. Bought a good used replacement hydro for $2500... Been sitting on the shop floor for over a year. Weak hydro is more an issue for road use so I haven't bothered swapping it out. They will act nice with cold oil. If you can't find a hill, get it warm and up to road speed, slow down a bunch then push the control lever forward to speed up. It should haul the engine down and build boost as it speeds up. If it doesn't, it'll be making a strange noise, possibly chugging a bit as it speeds up. That's the hydro slipping... Local dealer/salvage yard (Canada) says $2500 plus for salvage hydros, and $5-6k rebuilt. It's pretty easy to take the hydro out as well Matt |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 11:55am
| Duuuuuummmb question I'm sure, never really operated anything hydro......but, could you apply both brakes and load down engine vs. slip hydro? Brakes probably operated through hydro huh? |
Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 1:01pm
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TBone... that could possibly work, the brakes aren’t tied to the hydro. Each side has its own master cylinder. The issue that could be present, and that I didn’t check,... most of the times those steering brakes don’t work and the cylinders are pitted up from lack of use since with a hydro, it acts as a brake. But I’m sure I’ll figure something out! |
Posted By: Stan R
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 1:46pm
| Tie a chain to a vehicle and have them apply the brakes to mock a load on the hydro. Coordinate with cell phones. Side road obviously, not on any Interstate Highway!! |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 2:16pm
| Stan, I thought of that too! |
Posted By: Leon B MO
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 8:04pm
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We've been running 2 Denison hydro L'3's forever. We've also had to replace couple, not due to slipping but the input shaft seal would leak more and more. Either machine don't like hills in 4th but will leave bark marks in the gravel in 2nd or put you in the windshield. The R62 we just bought don't like 4th but when I tested it before we bought it, it left marks in the gravel in 2nd gear with duals. Both of our L3's have RWA so when coming to a hill in transport we kick it in and it slows the machine down and the hydro does just fine. When you test the machine, put it in 2nd gear (that's the gear you'll be harvesting in), put your feet against the bottom of the windshield, throttle wide open, move the hydro lever full foreword then neutral then full reverse as fast as you feel you can safely. You should hear the engine pull a bit and a bit of a hydro whine until it catches up. But a good hydro will move the combine pretty quick. You'll know if it feels right. If you don't have any hills, the input shaft doesn't leak and you feel good after that test, that hydro is not something I'd worry about. Raddle chains, cylinder bars, clean grain boot and board, unloading auger, bin floor, shoe bushings, walker blocks, pan bushings, chopper bearings and knives. You could spend hundreds just replacing chains and sprockets. Engine, we've had trouble with filter base leaking oil, Not a fun fix. Two years ago, we had the thought off to replace bearings and the pan under the walkers out, I could have crawled through the machine from front to back. I do wish you the best of luck, I think the L3 is one of the best combines Gleaner built, hell of a combine for it's day, big, simple, reliable and won't cost you an arm and a leg today. But with 950 acres, we thought it was time to upgrade to the R62. We are keeping one L3 to back up the 62...just in case... Leon B MO ------------- Uncle always said "Fill the back of the shovel and the front will take care of itself". |
Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 12 May 2021 at 3:29pm
| Thanks for the tips, Leon! I’ll definitely give those a try next time I see the combine! It’s about 250 miles away so it might be a week before I can get back to check up on it. |
Posted By: FREEDGUY
Date Posted: 12 May 2021 at 5:45pm
I'm glad I read your post before I made the SAME comment, although I was going to say a tow "strap"
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Stan R wrote:Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 23 May 2021 at 10:02pm
| Hey guys, I took delivery of the combine yesterday, throttled up in 2nd gear, pushed the hydro forward quickly, and it spun its tires in the dirt, so I take that as a good sign! |
Posted By: HudCo
Date Posted: 23 May 2021 at 11:15pm
| i will start heading east with the wd and all crop 66 and we can start in texas work to canada |
Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 24 May 2021 at 8:27am
| That sounds like a plan! We might have to start in Oklahoma, they’re already cutting in Texas |