Lift arms drift after replacing lift & tilt spools on Bobcat S250

[CompactCrew]

I just changed out the leaking lift and tilt spools on my Bobcat S250. The new seals stopped the leaks, but now when I switch to float mode, the lift arms gradually lift up after a few seconds. If I push the pedal a bit more and hold it, float works fine. I've also swapped out the detent balls and the lift spool o-ring, but it seems like the spool isn't fully getting into float mode.

Has anyone dealt with this before or have any thoughts on what could be causing the drift? I'd really appreciate any tips before I take it apart again!

 

[22Radisson]

You might have an issue with the float detent not fully engaging, even with new balls and o-ring.
Sometimes the linkage or even the pedal itself can be slightly out of adjustment, preventing the spool from going all the way into that detent groove.
It's also worth double-checking that the new spool is identical to the old one in terms of the detent groove depth and position, though that's less common.
A bent pedal rod or worn pivot points on the linkage could easily cause this, so take a close look at those.

 

[Bob the Builder]

Yeah, I think the spool is not seating all the way into float. Adjust the linkage just a little bit. That's gonna fix it.

 

[steveO]

Maybe try cleaning or lightly polishing the spool first, that simply might fix it without another teardown.