I have a NIB 497 loader from the 1980s that I recently purchased.
It is all wired up and when the levers are pressed, the dump actuator works fine on both the track and the from the loader.
When the "UP" lever is pressed, the motor whirrs but the tray does not lift up. Upon closer inspection, the bar that spins to wind the line is not moving at all. It does not move when gently turned by hand.
Any ideas what to check/fix?
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Looking at it further, it looks like the gear-box is not spinning. There is a motor that spins a belt of some sort underneath a black plastic housing. The belt appears intact but the end of the shaft of whatever this belt spins is visible through the plastic housing and does not appear to be spinning.
The old grease that is in there is actually a sort of cement, it hardens with age. All the old grease needs to be removed and a new lubricant applied. Then replace the old, stretched belt. I used a steamer replacement traction tire of the correct size.
That should be all that is necessary to get it to work properly.
John,
Using your advice, I was able to get it partially running, although I didn't have a spare traction tire handy. I tried a couple of O-rings I had in an assortment, but all were too wide to allow the gear to spin. I cleaned the gear out pretty well and it did move up and down pretty effectively until the very end of the travel where it lifts the bucket and the belt started to slip.
Thanks for the tip on the traction tire, I will try to find one and get it on there!
I broke out some Lionel Multipurpose lubricant and re-greased everything. I did find a steamer traction tire but not the right size. I ran it just long enough to circulate the grease and took it off. Thanks again!
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