Cub Cadet 53AH8ST3050 Operator's And Service Manual page 22

Note:
hen adding hydraulic oil, do so in
W
small quantities and recheck the oil level before
adding more. It is important that you do not over-
fill the reservoir to allow for fluid expansion.
1. Hoses: Check the hoses from the hydraulic oil
tank to the oil filter to the hydraulic lines daily for
leaks or abrasion and replace any damaged
hoses. Make certain there are no kinks or twists
in any hose.
2. Hydraulic Oil Tank and Filter:
Note:
Change the hydraulic oil and the oil fil-
ter element after the first 50 hours of operation
and every 500 hours thereafter.
To drain the hydraulic oil tank, place a 1 gallon drain pan
under the drain plug on the bottom of the hydraulic oil
tank. Remove the drain plug, drain the tank, then
replace the plug. Remove the three screws from the top
of the oil filter and take out the oil filter element You don't
have to drain the rest of the hydraulic system. Put the
replacement filter element in the oil filter and lubricate
the sealing surface. Install the three screws in the top of
the oil filter to secure the oil filter element. (See photo
below)
Screw
Screw
Note:
Always wipe off the hydraulic tank fill
cap and the area around it before removing the
cap to prevent dirt from contaminating the oil.
Remove the fill cap and fill the tank with the same 15W-
40 oil selected for the filter until the oil level is a 1/4"
below the oil tank fill neck. Leave this air space for
expansion. Start the engine and let it run at idle for
about five minutes. Check the filter for leaks. Idling the
engine and the pumps in this way will purge any air from
the system. Shut off the engine and recheck the oil level
in the tank. Top-off if necessary until the oil level is a 1/4"
below the oil tank fill neck.
Note:
After unit is up to operating tempera-
ture, turn off engine and re-check hydraulic oil. If
oil appears foamy or contains excessive air bub-
bles, DO NOT OPERATE UNIT. Contact service
technician.
3. Hydrostatic Pumps and Motors: The pumps
are the hardest-working components in the
hydraulic system. They are in operation all the
time the engine is running. Because of
extremely close tolerances, wear is an important
factor in their life. Contaminants in the hydraulic
oil and cavitation does the greatest harm to the
pumps. Cavitation is a blockage in the supply
lines that produces a partial vacuum causing
violent bubbling in the hydraulic oil in the pump.
Check the two suction hoses (the hoses con-
nected to the filter) daily before starting the
engine. Look for a flattened condition or any
leaks and repair or replace as necessary. A flat-
tened or leakng suction hose will permit cavita-
tion to develop which can destroy the pumps in a
short time.
Contaminants or foreign matter in the oil will also
damage the pumps . To prevent this, use a filter
that captures particles as small as 25 microns or
25 millionths of a meter in diameter. You can
help in the battle against dirt by being very care-
ful when you remove or repair a component in
the hydraulic system. Thoroughly clean off any
component before you work on it. Plug the ends
of any hose or line you remove with a rubber or
plastic plug. Use plastic caps to seal off the ends
of hydraulic fittings. Place any component you
remove in a clean plastic bag so it can't pick up
dust or dirt. Clean your hands frequently when
working on the hydraulic components.
Note:
The pumps are not owner-repairable. If
a pump fails, contact your Cub Cadet Commer-
cial dealer. Do not disassemble the pump.
4. Steering Lever Adjustments: The steering
lever controls on this Zero Turn Mower (ZTM)
incorporate a patented interlock mechanism that
secures them in their Neutral position whenever
the Park Brake lever is applied. Additionally, the
lap bars can be opened in any position - Neutral,
when traveling Forward, when traveling in
Reverse, or when executing a zero-turn maneu-
var. The lap bars also incorporate a Return-To-
Neutral (RTN) feature with hydraulic dampers to
provide smooth, non-jerkey, control motion while
affording an automatic hydrostatic braking
means.
Whenever the Park Brake lever is moved rear-
ward to the Park Brake engaged position, a
cable mechanism, connected to each drum
brake on the hydrostatic wheel motors, applies
force to each brake lever so that each wheel
brake mechanism can prevent brake drum and
wheel rotation. At the same time, a second cable
and linkage mechanism is activated to secure
both lap bars in their Neutral positions and to
activate the Park Brake switch. Both lap bars
must be in their Neutral positions for the neutral
lock linkage to function - the spring-loaded link-
age will force rods in through aligning holes in
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