My older Clark CFY40B has seems to be getting stuck around my yard more and more lately. I put chains on...and makes no difference. Sitting on the unit I notice the brake pedal is hard...no compression feeling at all when applying them.

The lift won't roll in nuetral and feels like the brakes are dragging. Sitting in the unit..the tire on the left turns and digs...the tire on the right dosen't move.

Checked all (4) wheels, the steering rears obviously spin freely. The fronts however can't be turned at all by hand, they do move slightly (kind of a click right and left, but that's all).

Never worked on forklift brakes (all automotive)...so when an automotive brake locks up...there is no movement at all because the pads secure the drum or rotor. I have never seen an auto's master cylinder lock in the compressed postion.

In this case it appears that the braking system is inside the axle? The transmission works fine..nuetral and all gears high/low.

I just have a feeling that the master cylinder ram piston is locked in a compressed position...because the compression rod travels about half way inside the cylinder..then justs stops abruptly (and is very hard.. no further movement)

Just guessing my next step would be to remove the "out line" on the master cylinder...if the brakes release..bad cylinder??

Questions: Anyone run into this? Is there a parking brake or "line lock" on this Clark? I don't see either...I would think a parking brakes would be an OSHA requirement?

thanks

Ed