Hyd top link

[John_Mc]

Be advised that these cylinders do not appear to have double piloted check valves. While they may be suitable for side links, I wouldn't recommend one for a top link.

Leakdown can be a real pain in the neck on a side link as well. I have both top and side hydraulic links. Unfortunately, neither have double piloted check valves. They work well when using my box blade, but the side link is a real pain when brush hogging. The right side slowly droops over time, and I have to remember to keep bringing it back up from time to time.

It's enough of a problem that I often replace the hydraulic side link with the original one when mowing. If fact, if I were only to replace one, the side link would be the first one to replace with double piloted check valve model.

John Mc

 

[ovrszd]

Leakdown can be a real pain in the neck on a side link as well. I have both top and side hydraulic links. Unfortunately, neither have double piloted check valves. They work well when using my box blade, but the side link is a real pain when brush hogging. The right side slowly droops over time, and I have to remember to keep bringing it back up from time to time.

It's enough of a problem that I often replace the hydraulic side link with the original one when mowing. If fact, if I were only to replace one, the side link would be the first one to replace with double piloted check valve model.

John Mc

Yeah, that's what I figured. The side link definitely would benefit from a check valve. I'm not so concerned about the top link.

Hmmm, when I get home I'll check into this. I just can't see why plumbing a check valve on the cylinder would be that difficult. But then I'm not talking from experience. Has anyone bought a check valve and tried to plumb it onto the cylinder??? I find it really hard to believe that you can't buy steel plumbing to accomplish this. But again, I'm just talking. I looked at pictures of CCMs cylinders with valve and they just appear to be hard plumbed. Hmmm.

 

[MadReferee]

Yeah, that's what I figured. The side link definitely would benefit from a check valve. I'm not so concerned about the top link.

I would be more concerned about the top link since small movement in that cylinder can make a big difference. It also depends on what you are doing. I have a hydraulic side link with check valves and I only install it when I am going to need it for the job at hand. BTW, make sure the side link is sized for your tractor. I have posted several times where having the wrong cylinder geometry will not give you the tilt you expect.

I just can't see why plumbing a check valve on the cylinder would be that difficult. But then I'm not talking from experience. Has anyone bought a check valve and tried to plumb it onto the cylinder??? I find it really hard to believe that you can't buy steel plumbing to accomplish this. But again, I'm just talking. I looked at pictures of CCMs cylinders with valve and they just appear to be hard plumbed. Hmmm.

You can buy steel plumbing to do it yourself but getting the end fittings correct and leak free with only a couple of inches to work with is the hard part. I wanted to change my side link cylinder to one with the correct geometry and take the DPOCV from the existing cylinder and put it onto the new one. After a little prototyping I decided it was not worth the effort and this was with a CCM DPOCV that was the correct dimensions size wise to be mounted on a cylinder. That Prince valve isn't.

 

[Glenn9643]

For what it's worth, I've had a hydraulic top link from a Prince cylinder for about five years (no checkvalve) and absolutely no leakdown that I've noticed. First used it on a TN65, and when I got the Massey I brought the top link cylinder over to it. My side link cylinder has been a problem since day one with gradual leakdown, but I solved that problem when bushhogging by adding a set of checkchains. The tilt cylinder leakdown isn't fast enough to be a problem when using the boxblade or tiller.
There's been a lot of stir regarding the checkvalves written in these forums but from what I've seen many, and perhaps most cylinders perform well with minimal or no leakdown. If I was in the market for a top link cylinder today I wouldn't worry too much about it and try to buy a good brand name cylinder with the proper length and stroke to begin with.

 

[ovrszd]

For what it's worth, I've had a hydraulic top link from a Prince cylinder for about five years (no checkvalve) and absolutely no leakdown that I've noticed. First used it on a TN65, and when I got the Massey I brought the top link cylinder over to it. My side link cylinder has been a problem since day one with gradual leakdown, but I solved that problem when bushhogging by adding a set of checkchains. The tilt cylinder leakdown isn't fast enough to be a problem when using the boxblade or tiller.
There's been a lot of stir regarding the checkvalves written in these forums but from what I've seen many, and perhaps most cylinders perform well with minimal or no leakdown. If I was in the market for a top link cylinder today I wouldn't worry too much about it and try to buy a good brand name cylinder with the proper length and stroke to begin with.

Yeah I tend to agree, although I don't have personal experience so was reluctant to take that stand. That's kinda what I was hinting at with my earlier post about Redlandhill's American made cylinder. I think that's what I'll buy, without a check valve and give it a try. If it leaks, then I'll attempt the hard line plumbing trick and add a valve.

 

[PineRidge]

For what it's worth, I've had a hydraulic top link from a Prince cylinder for about five years (no checkvalve) and absolutely no leakdown that I've noticed. First used it on a TN65, and when I got the Massey I brought the top link cylinder over to it. My side link cylinder has been a problem since day one with gradual leakdown, but I solved that problem when bushhogging by adding a set of checkchains. The tilt cylinder leakdown isn't fast enough to be a problem when using the boxblade or tiller.
There's been a lot of stir regarding the checkvalves written in these forums but from what I've seen many, and perhaps most cylinders perform well with minimal or no leakdown. If I was in the market for a top link cylinder today I wouldn't worry too much about it and try to buy a good brand name cylinder with the proper length and stroke to begin with.

Glenn I'm sure there are more than a couple of TBN members here that 1st purchased cylinders without check valves and then made the switch to cylinders with check valves that don't agree with you. I know I have seen posts made by a few of them.

I tried to do my homework before I made the purchase. Both top & side cylinders on the 40D have check valves and neither drift from where they are originally set.

 

[rswyan]

There's been a lot of stir regarding the checkvalves written in these forums but from what I've seen many, and perhaps most cylinders perform well with minimal or no leakdown.

I would think that this is dependant on the valve you are operating the cylinder from, not the cylinder itself ..... just a thought .....

 

[MadReferee]

Lots of cylinders leak down, even the made in USA Prince ones leaks down. It's due to many factors, including usage, tolerances of internal component lots, and machining of the individual cylinder. Just about every cylinder will leakdown at one point. Leakdown is considered normal by every cylinder manufacturer.

Some cylinder are notorius for leaking down right from the start. The Kubota factory TNT cylinders have been reported most often. Gannon cylinders also have a poor reputation for leakdown.

 

[ovrszd]

Lots of cylinders leak down, even the made in USA Prince ones leaks down. It's due to many factors, including usage, tolerances of internal component lots, and machining of the individual cylinder. Just about every cylinder will leakdown at one point. Leakdown is considered normal by every cylinder manufacturer.

Some cylinder are notorius for leaking down right from the start. The Kubota factory TNT cylinders have been reported most often. Gannon cylinders also have a poor reputation for leakdown.

Oh wow, please bear with me while I go thru a country boy, uneducated thought process!!!

If you have a cylinder without a check valve and it leaks. Where is the leak occurring??? It most certainly could be happening in the control valve rather than the cylinder. Or it could be happening in the cylinder because of leakage by the rings in the cylinder right?? It's got to be one or the other.

So,,,,, if it's not the valve that is leaking, then it must be the cylinder rings. So,,, why would a check valve stop that??? A check valve only stops fluid movement outside of the cylinder.

Bear with me now. If you filled the cylinder with fluid, no air, then capped both the terminals so there was absolutely no seeping. Then placed a load on the cylinder. If the cylinder is leaking past the rings, it will still leak down, even though the connections are capped. The bypass will occur internally right?? So what we have is a cylinder that is leaking internally right???

So,,,, if the cylinder is leaking internally, all the external check valves in the world will not stop it from leaking down right??? Yep, that's right.

So,,,,, wouldn't we agree that it's possible that rswyn is absolutely right!!! The leakage that people are suffering with is more likely to be the valve on the tractor rather than the cylinder itself. Proof would be if they installed an external check valve and this leaking stopped. The check valve did nothing to prevent internal cylinder leakage, it only protects from tractor valve leakage!!!! So what the check valve is protecting us from is actually faulty tractor valves, not faulty cylinders, which we already agreed can't be controlled by an external check valve. Someone is going to have to use a LOT of BIG words to convince me different!!!

 

[John_Mc]

...My side link cylinder has been a problem since day one with gradual leakdown, but I solved that problem when bushhogging by adding a set of checkchains.

Check chains are great if you do a lot of your brush hogging at one height setting. That's not the case for me. I've got rocky trails that I need to mow on a high setting, and "almost lawn" that I mow on a low setting. Som epasture and other sections of trails are in between. I'm back and forth across these a fair amount as I mow. Getting off and re-setting the chains for each height is a pain (OK, I've got "tractor-butt-itis"... once I get in the seat, I'm not climbing back out if I can help it.)

One tip I picked up here on TBN that helps make it easier to level the mower deck off after a leak down: When I installed the hydraulic side-link on the right side, I took my manually adjustable link and out it on the left. I adjust the manual link so that with the hydraulic link fully retracted, the lower 3 point hitch arms are level. This way, when it leaks down, just a quick pop back up to the upper limit on the hydraulic side link, and I'm level again. When I'm using the box blade, or other attachment that neads to tils both ways, I just lengthen my manually adjustable link a bit, so that the Hydraulic side link adustment can give me either left or right tilt.

John Mc