RTV900 Hydraulic Bed Lift

Kaos

New member
I am buying an '06 RTV900 from a friend. It has 290 hours on it. It has been kept well with filter/oil changes, stored inside and very little riding thru water.
He told me the hydraulic lift doesn't work, but doesn't know why. I searched on the internet looking for ideas, but surprised to see very little information referencing trouble with the hydraulic lift. I know all the external filters have been changed, but didn't know if there was an internal filter that my friend may have overlooked. Any ideas?
Thanks
 

bordercollie

Gold Site Supporter
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Welcome to the forum. I would check the linkage there at the operating lever, the hydraulic fluid in the reservoir in the rear tank and does he put it in float to raise the cargo bed? or is the cylinder disconnected? Will be gone for a few days but good luck. Oh yea, only 2 hydraulic filters and are in the rear. collie
 

Doc

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I bought a used 06 RTV a year and a half ago. Love it. Mine had 635 hours on it. Was well used but the dump bed worked flawlessly. Before you set the price you might want to have a dealer estimate on what it would take to fix it. If fluid is ok and filters are new I'd be concerned. Not much else to it that i know of. And just so you know .,... bordercollie is a pro here. She's done it all with these RTV's. BC might have hit on it with those suggestions
 

rgm

Member
Kaos,

Welcome to the forum. Just a thought, I have an '05 and the dump bed doesn't work when the snow plow is hooked up because they use the same hydraulic quick coupling ports in the rear of the 'bota. Might be that the hoses aren't plugged in!!!

I don't think the auxiliary hydraulics run through the filters and there is a separate reservoir tank.

The tank is in the middle of the picture, with the yellow sticker on it and the quick connect hoses are just to the right.

Rich
 

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Kaos

New member
Thanks for the suggestions and the welcome.
Going to check out the machine the next couple of evenings and will report back.
I have been busy reading all the information on this forum too, good stuff. Glad I found this site!
 

rgm

Member
Just in case your not familiar with hydraulic quick connects. Turn off the engine and cycle the bed lift lever a couple of times to release the pressure in the hoses before you try to connect or disconnect.
 

Kanook

Active member
Some owners mistakenly locked the lever that operates the lift in the full down position. This resulted in the hyd cyl having force applied continuously, heating up the oil and in some cases even melting a hole in the plastic reservoir tank. Think maybe the newer units have a metal tank but mine (2004) is plastic. Not saying this is your problem, but some basic units came without the hyd lift installed....just sayin'.
 

muleman RIP

Gone But Not Forgotten
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When I bought my 06 the lift was an option and he had some without it. I think it was the worksite style that was manual lift. One of our members recently installed an electric lift on his that came without it.
 

SpudHauler

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Kanook,

The full down position is the Float position, but didn't know it would cause the melting tank issue.

I did use it when changing the hose connections, releases the pressure on both lines so they change easier. No need to move the lever up or down to relief hydraulic line pressure.
 

bczoom

Senior Member
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When I bought my 06 the lift was an option and he had some without it. I think it was the worksite style that was manual lift. One of our members recently installed an electric lift on his that came without it.
The worksite has the hyd lift. It was the turf model "G" that was manual.
 

Kanook

Active member
Kanook,

The full down position is the Float position, but didn't know it would cause the melting tank issue.

I did use it when changing the hose connections, releases the pressure on both lines so they change easier. No need to move the lever up or down to relief hydraulic line pressure.

Hmmmm!

On my 04 if you push the lever all the way forward, you can hear the engine come under load as it tries to force the piston further 'down' and I recall a few years back where a member (don't recall who)had his plastic dump reservoir melt because his daughter had locked the lever in the full forward position. Zoom, 2guns, BC and others..does your work the same as mine.....or maybe Bota installed a mod in the newer machines....or maybe some of us just have an adjustment to be made...though I can't imagine where that would be???????
 

bczoom

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My float doesn't work right anymore. It doesn't lock down. Never bothered to look at it since I can just push the handle down for the 5-10 seconds it takes to drop it. I've never really needed/used the lock position (which is why it probably doesn't work... lack of use).

I thought the load on the engine occurred when you pushed up or down the lever beyond the limit of the hyd cyl. I thought that was supposed to stop once locked in the float position.

I do remember a tank melting but don't recall who's it was or the exact conditions.
 

bordercollie

Gold Site Supporter
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Hmmmm!

On my 04 if you push the lever all the way forward, you can hear the engine come under load as it tries to force the piston further 'down' and I recall a few years back where a member (don't recall who)had his plastic dump reservoir melt because his daughter had locked the lever in the full forward position. Zoom, 2guns, BC and others..does your work the same as mine.....or maybe Bota installed a mod in the newer machines....or maybe some of us just have an adjustment to be made...though I can't imagine where that would be???????

Tested mine this evening Kanook, It does as yours. ..Only held it there a second ,but definitely heard it groan till I let go. collie.
 

rgm

Member
My '05 locks in the float when you push the handle all the way forward.

I also found out a couple of years ago that it's not a good idea to sit on the tailgate when it's locked in the float position !!

Rich
 

Kanook

Active member
My '05 locks in the float when you push the handle all the way forward.

I also found out a couple of years ago that it's not a good idea to sit on the tailgate when it's locked in the float position !!

Rich

Another Hmmmmmm!

The only way mine will stay in the full forward position is if I spush it all the way and then slide the latch over to prevent the lever from returning...It will not stay allthe way forward without latching it, and then it is forcing down the bed. Are you saying that it is like with a FEL where all the way forward (past the down function it detents at the float position...I,m going to further investigate mine today...maybe an adjustment???

The previously mentioned melted tank was likewise cause by the operator locking the lever forward with the latch.
 
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Kaos

New member
Update:
I got the lift working. It was only a minor hydraulic line issue. Thanks for the help.

On the float issue; while doing all the trouble shooting on mine I found that if I push the lever all the way forward (down) it locks in the "float" position with no strain on hydraulics.
Check out the video…

http://youtu.be/kbs97CGA8d8
 
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bczoom

Senior Member
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
The only way mine will stay in the full forward position is if I spush it all the way and then slide the latch over to prevent the lever from returning...It will not stay allthe way forward without latching it, and then it is forcing down the bed. Are you saying that it is like with a FEL where all the way forward (past the down function it detents at the float position...I,m going to further investigate mine today...maybe an adjustment???
Let me know what you come up with. Yours sounds like mine. Like you said (and like a FEL), it's supposed to go past normal down range then hit a detent and float beyond that point. Mine never reaches or passes that detent into the float position.
 

Kanook

Active member
Update:
I got the lift working. It was only a minor hydraulic line issue. Thanks for the help.

On the float issue; while doing all the trouble shooting on mine I found that if I push the lever all the way forward (down) it locks in the "float" position with no strain on hydraulics.
Check out the video…

http://youtu.be/kbs97CGA8d8
:thankyou2:


Thanks for the update....I just did a quick check on mine under power and static...There is no way mine will go beyond the down position and into the float as your video shows. :cuss:
 

pepr

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Kaos, my 2011 RTV 900 XT has the same hydraulic float feature as yours. Proud that you got yours fixed!!
 

Kanook

Active member
'I see the light'

I just had another go at figuring out the float position on my RTV and I am pleased to report that it does have that function....It was just never used in it's 10 years of existence. The previous owner and then myself never knew it was there. Had to really come onto it to get it to work...Wouldn't be surprised that there are a few others out there as dumb as me...Duh!
 
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