Hydraulic pipes

[KennyO]

@DanL99 There are/ have been people working on this farm for 40 years that still forget or make mistakes connecting hyd pipes and ask me. There is no shame in asking. Ask. Make notes and try to remember.

It gets much easier when it is your 'own' tractor and machines.

 

[Kidds]

I'd say the tutor is a bit of a dick and more worried that he doesn't know. All the worst tutors I've ever had are the ones that assume you know everything. If you did you wouldn't need them.
I have machines of my own that I still get wrong on a regular basis, the sprayer boom controls are the worst!

 

[AF Salers]

The other thing to be aware of is that older tractors, 7ish plus years, the spools depressurise when turned which makes connection very easy. Newer tractors the spools stay pressurised which means that you need to have them in 'float' which can be awkward on some tractors

 

[Robigus]

...... I would like an idiot asking him because I'm familiar driving them

No you will not. If your mates are going to take the pee then they're going to take the pee, but asking is never wrong. You'd all look much bigger idiots if you feked it up by making a silly mistake because you were too self conscious to ask. Most of them are probably not sure how to do it properly either.

 

[kill]

Bit of a health and safety issue i would've thought. Not being shown how to use a machine. Especially at a college.

Surely operators book's should have been with both for h&s requirement's???
Some tractors hydraulic valves are laid out badly and marked even worst as are machine set ups.
I very often colour new machine's pipe with coloured cable ties with same function pipe's in same colour but one pipe having two cable ties. Take's minutes and saves hour's

 

[DanL99]

Different implements have different numbers of hyd pipes and different tractors can have a different number of spool valves. Most tractors have 3, some 4, some even more. They should have a diagram on the rear of the tractor showing which spool valve block relates to the spool lever in the cab. I work out what all the pipes do, and then plug them into the tractor spools often depending what they do to on the machine. I.e. the most used set of pipes can go in spool 1 for example lifting something in and out of work, pipes that dont get used v often, for example folding a machine up to go on the road, get plugged in in spools 2, 3 or 4 etc as these are often further away from the operator in the cab. I use coloured cable ties to identify pipes and which spool they go in on the tractor. My drill for example has 5 pipes, 2 are labelled blue, 1 blue tie for the top pipe and 2 blue ties on the pipe for the bottom pipe, I know blue goes in spool 1 on my tractor, spool 2 is only 1 pipe with an orange cable tie on so that goes in the top of spool 2. Spool 3 pipes are labelled purple again 1 on top pipe and 2 on the bottom. That way all the pipes always go in the correct spool each and every time so nothing needs changing in the tractor. The same lever always operates the machines in the same way. Problems come when using machines on different tractors where some spools may be inverted so need pipes putting in the other way round to get the machine to work the same. Other complications can be from hyd pick-up hitches that use a spool valve and hyd top links that can take up a spool as well. No idea if all that makes sense! Basically organise them in a way you can remember each time.

Thanks, yeah makes sense

 

[DanL99]

Bit of a health and safety issue i would've thought. Not being shown how to use a machine. Especially at a college.

I do farm mechanisation and the entry requirements are that you have to have tractor experience, I've got that and know how to work them but the problem is at work the implements was always on so I never got to see how it's done, thinking about it sounds stupid really as it's one of the first things I should have shown

 

[DanL99]

The other thing to be aware of is that older tractors, 7ish plus years, the spools depressurise when turned which makes connection very easy. Newer tractors the spools stay pressurised which means that you need to have them in 'float' which can be awkward on some tractors

Yeah, I've heard a lot of people talking about 'float' so much so that I don't like to ask because I'm guessing it's something I should know if I've been driving them over the past summer, what is it?I've been taught weird really

 

[buakaw cvx]

i'd of thought two larger pipes would be for the ram, and two smaller ones for the slurry door , cant see what the other two would be for ? sure its not brake pipe and lights?

 

[DanL99]

i'd of thought two larger pipes would be for the ram, and two smaller ones for the slurry door , cant see what the other two would be for ? sure its not brake pipe and lights?

I was putting them in pairs, there was two thick pipes and two thinner pipes but one was slightly smaller, I think they was for the ram and the slurry door, then there was one more left that was thin, then there was air brakes and lights, that's if I'm remembering correctly, I'll have another look tomorrow

 

[Happy]

Another one with coloured cable ties here.
Different colour for each spool set with 2 cable ties on hose that goes in +'ve coupling and 1 for the -'ve coupling.

Saves a lot of time faffing around.

 

[buakaw cvx]

i'd say the thick pipes were for the ram, so which ever colour or number spool you plug those two into, that number/colour lever will work the ram in the cab , same for the door, so you're saying theres 5 hydraulic pipes? if the 5th has a large female coupling on the end it'll be hydraulic brakes

 

[DanL99]

i'd say the thick pipes were for the ram, so which ever colour or number spool you plug those tho into, that number/colour lever will work the ram in the cab , same for the door, so you're saying theres 5 hydraulic pipes? if the 5th has a large female coupling on the end it'll be hydraulic brakes

Oh right okay, yeah there's 5 not 6 sorry, I'll have a good look tomorrow

 

[buakaw cvx]

you should still ask someone to show you, and when hitching things up, make sure the pick up hitch goes all the way to the top and the latches lock all the way, then ease the arms back to 90-95% so the hitch rests on the latches not the arms ,also wind the handles on the drop arms all the way up and/or put the pin below the lift arms so they are high enough to not hit the pto shaft when turning

 

[pine_guy]

If one looks like this

That is the brakes connection. Only one pipe for brakes as they work of a 'single operating' ram.

In a single acting ram, oil only pushes the ram in one direction (can be either in or out depending on the ram design) and a spring or the machines own weight is used to move the ram in the other direction. This is when you would use float. Like when letting a tipping trailer down. It basically means the oil is free to move through the spool coupling in any direction.

In a two way acting ram. The hydraulics are used to move the ram both in and out. Hence there are two pipes which need to be coupled to the same spool, as this allows the return oil to flow back to the tractor in one pipe while pressurising the other pipe.

Hope that makes sense and helps.

Oh, and if there are air and hydraulic brakes. Only connect one or the other. And if the tractor is fitted with air and the implement is, then I think the law says you must use the air. (happily be corrected on this point though, as no expert).

 

[DanL99]

you should still ask someone to show you, and when hitching things up, make sure the pick up hitch goes all the way to the top and the latches lock all the way, then ease the arms back to 90-95% so the hitch rests on the latches not the arms ,also wind the handles on the drop arms all the way up and/or put the pin below the lift arms so they are high enough to not hit the pto shaft when turning

Yeah, that's something I gathered quickly as I was watching them, I used to hook trailers up but never but the link arms back to 90% in the summer as I wasn't told that at work just shown how to use the pickup hitch, I was told by the tutor about the link arms as I went to take the spreader to field he stopped me and told me about the lifting them up to stop it hitting when turning, thanks anyway

 

[DanL99]

If one looks like this
View attachment 218698
That is the brakes connection. Only one pipe for brakes as they work of a 'single operating' ram.

In a single acting ram, oil only pushes the ram in one direction (can be either in or out depending on the ram design) and a spring or the machines own weight is used to move the ram in the other direction. This is when you would use float. Like when letting a tipping trailer down. It basically means the oil is free to move through the spool coupling in any direction.

In a two way acting ram. The hydraulics are used to move the ram both in and out. Hence there are two pipes which need to be coupled to the same spool, as this allows the return oil to flow back to the tractor in one pipe while pressurising the other pipe.

Hope that makes sense and helps.

Oh, and if there are air and hydraulic brakes. Only connect one or the other. And if the tractor is fitted with air and the implement is, then I think the law says you must use the air. (happily be corrected on this point though, as no expert).

Thank you very much, very helpful, yeah I plug the trailer brakes in but I don't know if there air or hydraulic brakes, I think air, I just put them in

 

[Shutesy]

Thank you very much, very helpful, yeah I plug the trailer brakes in but I don't know if there air or hydraulic brakes, I think air, I just put them in

If they look like the female end in the above post then they are hydraulic. If they have a red coiled hose and a yellow coiled hose to plug in the tractor then they are air brakes.

 

[DanL99]

If they look like the female end in the above post then they are hydraulic. If they have a red coiled hose and a yellow coiled hose to plug in the tractor then they are air brakes.

Oh right okay, there hydraulic brakes then

 

[pine_guy]

Oh right okay, there hydraulic brakes then

The clue was 'I just put them in' I have limited experience of air brake couplings, but just popping the connectors in is not heavily featured in that limited experience