Strange hydraulic problem

[Freddie2010]

Hello, I just bought a 1945 Farmall h with loader. The cylinders have a hose at the top of the cylinder and one at the bottom. The top hoses go to a tee, then they are plumbed into the spot where I can check or add hydraulic oil. The bottom hoses are hooked to each side of the tractor. On the left side there are two fittings, but they are only using the front one. Can someone tell me how to plumb the hoses so that I can get rid of the two that are going to the spot where I am supposed to check and add hydraulic oil. So that I can use that port for what it was intended for.? thank you for any and all help with this problem. Fred

 

[Jim.ME]

Hello, I just bought a 1945 Farmall h with loader. The cylinders have a hose at the top of the cylinder and one at the bottom. The top hoses go to a tee, then they are plumbed into the spot where I can check or add hydraulic oil. The bottom hoses are hooked to each side of the tractor. On the left side there are two fittings, but they are only using the front one. Can someone tell me how to plumb the hoses so that I can get rid of the two that are going to the spot where I am supposed to check and add hydraulic oil. So that I can use that port for what it was intended for.? thank you for any and all help with this problem. Fred

That sounds like your loader has double acting cylinders, used as single acting (lift only, no down pressure). Do the hoses at the bottom of the cylinders go to the control valve? If they plumbed the top end of the cylinders back to the reservoir it may have been to give extra fluid capacity, or the cylinders are leaking internally and would blow oil out if just a breather vent was used on that side. Some pictures might help to see if anything else is in play.

The upper ends of the cylinders need to be plumbed as you describe, or those upper ports need breather vents, they do not want to be plugged/sealed off. below are a couple options.

Make another port into the reservoir for the two hoses to attach to and keep them active. Plumbed this way, if they leak internally the leaking fluid is returned to the reservoir.

Remove the hoses. Check the cylinders for internal leakage. Likely they should be repacked and install breather vents once your have emptied all oil for the upper ends of the cylinder barrels. It is important, they must not leak internally to do this.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

You don't want to get rid of the two that are going to the fill port.

The hydraulic system is designed to use the space in the top portions of the cylinders as extra reservoir space. If you did not have that space, the system would run out of oil extending those long, large cylinders. It only holds six quarts in the belly pump reservoir, which is only enough oil to move two 3" diameter cylinders 24" before it's sucked completely dry. You don't want it sucked completely dry or you will burn up the pump.

 

[wd9garymn]

Barnyard, explain how when the loader is lifted and let back down it would refill the top part of the cylinder when those hoses end at the top of the filler pipe?????? Gary.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Well as the oil is pushed back into the reservoir it will push it back in to cylinders as the over supply to the pump returns back to the system when the loader is lowered same as when the oil is pushed into the reservoir from the cylinders only reversed. About the oly thing he can do is to put a tee on top of the fitting the hoses go to and then use a rod or tap for a check stick.But that would need to be pretty much in a sealed state so the oil didn't spray out of a vent on it when the oil is being moved one way or the other.

 

[Janicholson]

Another way to return the function of the fill port is to put a "T" in the drain under the belly and have that return hose from the cylindrt tops go into the side of that and a plug facing downward. This allows the fill pipe and dipstick to be OEM. Jim

 

[Brownie450]

If you have a #30 or #31 loader, the cylinders are one way
& the upper hoses only drain oil back to the supply that
gets by the packings. Our loader always had oil come
out the vent/ fill thingy. We finally put a vent on top of the
reservoir box & no more trouble.
A picture would help to see your set-up.
Jim

 

[used red MN]

Another way to return the function of the fill port is to put a "T" in the drain under the belly and have that return hose from the cylindrt tops go into the side of that and a plug facing downward. This allows the fill pipe and dipstick to be OEM. Jim

I agree doing this make the most sense. Trying to operate the system at a level full enough for those cylinders to draw in oil at the top of the reservoir like that would result in a mess or constantly leaking seals due to over pressuring if you closes the system and did not provide it any way to vent.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

If the only problem is not being able to check the oil, install a 4 way 1/2 "NPT cross on top and leave the vent lines intact

The rod ends of the cylinders don't hold enough oil to make any meaningful difference in capacity, and if they're above the oil level, how are they supposed to suck the oil back in? I don't think you want to plumb it so it does that anyway; dropping the boom in cold weather would probably pull air into the cylinders past the packing, if the oil couldn't get there fast enough, adding more air to the system and a potentially bigger mess.

Just a wild guess, but without seeing it, it sounds like someone added this plumbing because they didn't want to service the leaking cylinders.


Difficult for me to believe IH would sell a loader attachment that you can't check the oil in without opening the system... or, this unit doesn't have the original cylinders on it.

 

[used red MN]

Difficult for me to believe IH would sell a loader attachment that you can't check the oil in without opening the system... or, this unit doesn't have the original cylinders on it.

My guess is this was someone’s solution for cylinders that leaked by. And you may very well be correct about it making it sluggish in cold weather and the possibility of air being drawn in.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Barnyard, explain how when the loader is lifted and let back down it would refill the top part of the cylinder when those hoses end at the top of the filler pipe?????? Gary.

Any overflow is pushed up into the cylinders, which suck it in like a syringe.

 

[Freddie2010]

My guess is this was someone’s solution for cylinders that leaked by. And you may very well be correct about it making it sluggish in cold weather and the possibility of air being drawn in.

My guess is this was someone’s solution for cylinders that leaked by. And you may very well be correct about it making it sluggish in cold weather and the possibility of air being drawn in.

My guess is this was someone’s solution for cylinders that leaked by. And you may very well be correct about it making it sluggish in cold weather and the possibility of air being drawn in.

If the only problem is not being able to check the oil, install a 4 way 1/2 "NPT cross on top and leave the vent lines intact

The rod ends of the cylinders don't hold enough oil to make any meaningful difference in capacity, and if they're above the oil level, how are they supposed to suck the oil back in? I don't think you want to plumb it so it does that anyway; dropping the boom in cold weather would probably pull air into the cylinders past the packing, if the oil couldn't get there fast enough, adding more air to the system and a potentially bigger mess.

Just a wild guess, but without seeing it, it sounds like someone added this plumbing because they didn't want to service the leaking cylinders.


Difficult for me to believe IH would sell a loader attachment that you can't check the oil in without opening the system... or, this unit doesn't have the original cylinders on it.

 

[used red MN]

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[Freddie2010]

My guess is this was someone’s solution for cylinders that leaked by. And you may very well be correct about it making it sluggish in cold weather and the possibility of air being drawn in.

I agree doing this make the most sense. Trying to operate the system at a level full enough for those cylinders to draw in oil at the top of the reservoir like that would result in a mess or constantly leaking seals due to over pressuring if you closes the system and did not provide it any way to vent.

Hello, I just bought a 1945 Farmall h with loader. The cylinders have a hose at the top of the cylinder and one at the bottom. The top hoses go to a tee, then they are plumbed into the spot where I can check or add hydraulic oil. The bottom hoses are hooked to each side of the tractor. On the left side there are two fittings, but they are only using the front one. Can someone tell me how to plumb the hoses so that I can get rid of the two that are going to the spot where I am supposed to check and add hydraulic oil. So that I can use that port for what it was intended for.? thank you for any and all help with this problem. Fred

If you have a #30 or #31 loader, the cylinders are one way
& the upper hoses only drain oil back to the supply that
gets by the packings. Our loader always had oil come
out the vent/ fill thingy. We finally put a vent on top of the
reservoir box & no more trouble.
A picture would help to see your set-up.
Jim

That sounds like your loader has double acting cylinders, used as single acting (lift only, no down pressure). Do the hoses at the bottom of the cylinders go to the control valve? If they plumbed the top end of the cylinders back to the reservoir it may have been to give extra fluid capacity, or the cylinders are leaking internally and would blow oil out if just a breather vent was used on that side. Some pictures might help to see if anything else is in play.

The upper ends of the cylinders need to be plumbed as you describe, or those upper ports need breather vents, they do not want to be plugged/sealed off. below are a couple options.

Make another port into the reservoir for the two hoses to attach to and keep them active. Plumbed this way, if they leak internally the leaking fluid is returned to the reservoir.

Remove the hoses. Check the cylinders for internal leakage. Likely they should be repacked and install breather vents once your have emptied all oil for the upper ends of the cylinder barrels. It is important, they must not leak internally to do this.

Hello, I just bought a 1945 Farmall h with loader. The cylinders have a hose at the top of the cylinder and one at the bottom. The top hoses go to a tee, then they are plumbed into the spot where I can check or add hydraulic oil. The bottom hoses are hooked to each side of the tractor. On the left side there are two fittings, but they are only using the front one. Can someone tell me how to plumb the hoses so that I can get rid of the two that are going to the spot where I am supposed to check and add hydraulic oil. So that I can use that port for what it was intended for.? thank you for any and all help with this problem. Fred

Hello, I just bought a 1945 Farmall h with loader. The cylinders have a hose at the top of the cylinder and one at the bottom. The top hoses go to a tee, then they are plumbed into the spot where I can check or add hydraulic oil. The bottom hoses are hooked to each side of the tractor. On the left side there are two fittings, but they are only using the front one. Can someone tell me how to plumb the hoses so that I can get rid of the two that are going to the spot where I am supposed to check and add hydraulic oil. So that I can use that port for what it was intended for.? thank you for any and all help with this problem. Fred

Hello, I just bought a 1945 Farmall h with loader. The cylinders have a hose at the top of the cylinder and one at the bottom. The top hoses go to a tee, then they are plumbed into the spot where I can check or add hydraulic oil. The bottom hoses are hooked to each side of the tractor. On the left side there are two fittings, but they are only using the front one. Can someone tell me how to plumb the hoses so that I can get rid of the two that are going to the spot where I am supposed to check and add hydraulic oil. So that I can use that port for what it was intended for.? thank you for any and all help with this problem. Fred

Hello, I can't THANK YOU GUYS enough for qll the information. If I can't find an adapter to fit where the dipstick goes, then I will use the Tee suggestion and make my own. thanks again and I hope everyone has a good summer. Fred