Single or double loader hydraulic?

[NebraskaFarmer]

I’m looking to purchase a John Deere 3020 with a loader already on it. I’ve seen some loaders with two bucket hydraulics on them, one on each side, as well as loaders with one hydraulic in the middle to control the attachment. My 2520 has two. Does this make any difference?

 

[Janicholson]

In some cases it can. Two cylinders can distribute their force to the sides of the bucket making that attachment more direct and in mechanically more structurally sound material. With one cylinder, the force is concentrated in the center back of the bucket, which if reinforced well is still OK. Two cylinders is one more level of things to go wrong, hoses to fail. Jim

 

[NebraskaFarmer]

Thanks! It seems to me that the single cylinder might obstruct view when lifted to a certain height? If I’m trying to use a bale spear, for example?

 

[DRussell]

Thanks! It seems to me that the single cylinder might obstruct view when lifted to a certain height? If I’m trying to use a bale spear, for example?

The single cylinder very well might obstruct the view depending on how it is mounted. A lot of John Deere backhoe front buckets have a single cylinder. In addition, generally, the two cylinders will be able to exert more pressure than the single cylinder unless it is much larger in size. If they are all the same size the one with two cylinders will exert twice the pressure on the bucket with the end result being that you'll be able to lift a heavier load with curling the bucket, etc.

The formula is the formula for an area of a circle times the hydraulic pressure, so pi times the radius squared times the hydraulic pressure. So if the cylinders are all 3 inches ID, with an assumed hydraulic pressure of 2000 psi, that works out to 28,260 pounds of lifting force with two cylinders vs 14,130 pounds with a single cylinder. Showing my math, the radius is 1.5 so...1.5 x 1.5 x 3.14 x the assumed hydraulic pressure of 2000 psi. This also assumes the cylinders are pushing the ram out to lift, not pulling it in. If it is pulling the ram in to lift the bucket you would have to subtract the area of the rod from the overall area of the cylinder tube before doing the calculation.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Thanks! It seems to me that the single cylinder might obstruct view when lifted to a certain height? If I’m trying to use a bale spear, for example?

It doesn't obstruct the view any more than the rest of the loader or the bucket does already.

If you think you're going to be able to sit in the seat, look straight ahead and be able to see what you're doing, think again. Not on an old tractor like that. You sit way too low and way too far back. You'll be craning your neck around to the side and doing it mostly by braille.

 

[Destroked 450]

The Dunham/Farmhand 22 loader uses a single tilt cylinder, it’s larger in diameter and pushes to tilt up. Down side to single cylinder loaders is finding buckets, bale spears or other attachments that work with a single cylinder
I have two of those loaders I use for moving round bales,
My Allied and Farmtrac loaders have dual tilt cylinders that are smaller and pull to tilt up
I can’t say one is better than the other and visibly is minor compared to the attachment it’s operating
Adding a quick attach adapter eliminates the issue of finding attachments for the single cylinder design