Hydraulic Question

[VinceD]

I have a SC with the hydraulic cylinder on the rear 2-pt quick hitch. The cylinder has two hoses. Push the lever forward and the cylinder extends, pull the lever and the cylinder shortens. Simple and everything works properly. I bought a hay wagon with a hydraulic cylinder to raise the bed of the wagon and dump the load. The cylinder has only one hose. Can I use this cylinder with the SC hydraulic system?????

[Smokeycub]

The simple answer is no. One solution would be to replace the single action cylinder with a double action cylinder, and run a second line to it. Another is to plumb in a single action spool in what's called a "power beyond" system, you may need to add a reservoir for the extra oil a single action cylinder will need.

[Denny Clayton]

Vince, your SC has a two-way cylinder to supply down force to the hitch as well as lifting ability. The hay wagon has a one-way cylinder to only lift the bed for dumping and then uses gravity from the weight of the bed to lower it. Ray has you covered on the way to use the one-way cylinder on your hitch. I've told you ALL I know on the subject.

[Eugene]

Northern Tool & Equipment catalog has a listing of hydraulic cylinders and their specifications. This will provide an indication of the cost for converting to a two way cylinder. Add in hoses and couplings to the listed price.

Hydraulic cylinders, complete with hoses and couplings come up at farm auctions.

Edit: Might be cheaper to just purchase a tractor with a single action hydraulic system. 2nd thought is to consider how much you will actually use the dump function on the hay wagon/trailer.

[Matt Kirsch]

The simple answer may be no, but there are several complicated "yes" answers too.

IMHO the best way to go about this is to add another hydraulic spool valve to the system. Either a one-way, or a two-way with "float" capability.

You could block up the fast hitch and use the existing control, but it is messy to keep switching hoses around, and you lose control of the fast hitch. In this case, you would route the "extra" hose into the fill port on the hydraulic reservoir.

Either way, you will need additional hydraulic capacity for the one-way cylinder of 1-2 more gallons. A two-way cylinder returns fluid back to the reservoir so the level stays more or less the same. A one-way cylinder only removes oil from the reservoir when extended, so the reservoir could run dry on a Super C.

[VinceD]

Thanks, guys, for all the information. looks like I have a few options to explore.

[VinceD]

I have done some research and i think I have arrived at a solution and conclusion.

In order to keep the integrity of the tractor, and to assure smooth operation of the dump system on the trailer, I think the best solution is a stand along hydraulic pump/reservoir as offered by Northern Tool. I could mount it under the wagon bed and run the electrical lead to the battery on the tractor.

The problem is the cost of the unit outweighs the benefits. So I think I will just use the trailer without the lift for the foreseeable future.

Thanks everyone for all the info. I learned a lot.