ford 4500 backhoe swing-arm ram removal

[depthdiger]

I have a 1967 ford 4500 backhoe with a 3-cyl diesel eng. Not sure what model the backhoe is but it has a 15 foot reach. One swing arm ram is leaking hydraulic fluid badly and I would like to know how to remove the ram. I see that I can disconnect the hose from the valve and obviously the chain, but can’t find any bolts holding the ram in place. It also appears there is not enough room to slide the ram out, looks like it will hit the rear-end of the tractor.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

[shaun wallace]

Remove hoe from tractor,drive forward couple feet. Remove hoses pull cyl out front of hoe frame.
 

[PeteTheRookie]

My left swing arm cylinder leaks like a drunken sailor. Was leaving puddles of fluid whenever I swung the hoe to that side.

So what i did was place a 4 ft length of rubber gas line hose over the fitting on the side of the cylinder and the other end into this juice bottle.

Now when it fills up I filter thru one of those fine wire mesh filters from a coffee maker. Mix it 50/50 with new hyro oil and reuse it.

I thought the hoe needed to come off to get the swing cylinder out. Also read that most times the swing cylinder needs a new piston from getting contaminated with dirt/water from being so low and from sucking in dirt/debris. Later models had/have a vent tube between the 2 so as not to "inhale" debris.

Pete
4500 Swing Cylinder hydro oil recycler.

 

[Ecnerwal]

Shaun has the right of it - they just sit in there loose, and you can pull it out easily if you dismount the hoe first.

Dismounting the hoe is easier than some people make it - you use the hoe to dismount & park the hoe, and then you disconnect the hydraulics after it's off the hooks of the tractor and blocked up solidly. Loop one high pressure hose on the hoe, the other on the tractor, and look for a cap screwed onto a plug under the deck that fits the return low pressure line - the cap goes on the tractor, the hose goes on the plug. Set the bucket well out as you manipulate the stabilizers and bucket to move the hoe after you've loosened the hook clamps - it's both more stable, and also the bucket really never should be parked any closer in than vertical dipperstick.

Since they only work in the "pull" direction, there's no need for anything to keep the swing cylinders in place but the back of the frame not letting them slip out the back.

If there's only a 15 foot reach, it's probably a 750. If it's a "15 foot hoe" it would be a 755 - but a 753 (13 foot hoe) has a reach at ground level near 20 feet, depending on bucket. The 755 is bigger, the 750 (10 foot) is smaller.

Look for a 19-xxx number (sometimes looks more like I9-xxx) in front of your knees when in the operating position, and I can tell you what you have from my references.
 

[JF in CT]

It is not as big a deal as you would think. Once the hose and chain is disconnected it will slide out the back and, as I remember, can be manipulated around the axle. If not you can unbolt the hoe (without disconnecting the hoses) and move the tractor forward several inches for clearence. When reconnecting the cylinder extend the hoe keeping it a little off the ground then crack the bleeder screws on the (proportioning valve? I forget what it"s called) and push the hoe arm over by hand to give you some play in the chain.
I had a nasty gouge in a cylinder rod that would spurt each time I swung the arm.

Jim
 

[PeteTheRookie]

Jim,

Were you the member that fixed that gouge by welding on some metal and then polishing it till smooth?
If I recall correctly the piston for one of these cylinders is either no longer available or runs in the hundreds of $$$.

Pete
 

[JF in CT]

Yup, that would be me. It was the rod that had a big gouge in it and I built it up with solder. Since it is designed to "pull only" with no mounts I would imagine one could be built from another cylinder.

Jim
 

[depthdiger]

Thanks guys for all the help. I"m going to put the hoe to bed for the winter.