Spin-On Hydraulic Strainer & Overflow for KAMA 554

[3RRL]

I installed a spin on suction filter bought from Northern Tool as recommended by Larry G. I had bought the unit last year and this is it.
Spin-on Suction Strainer at Northern Tool for like 25 bucks.

I had planned on submitting an entire photo/write up of the procedure on the Kama 554 for future reference.
Here is a photo of the installation when complete.



Here is what the OEM suction strainer looked like.





You can see on the old strainer, behind the PTO lever, there is a Ø1/2" return hose going directly into it (rubber elbow). It comes from the exit on the rear remote valve. I tried to connect it just in front of the new suction strainer with a 2 foot long hose, trying to copy what they had. I have a large Ø1" hose from the hydraulic tank going to the new strainer about 2 feet long, then the flow goes through the strainer and towards the pump through another 2 feet length of Ø1" hose before it meets the original steel tube going to the pump. so there is allot of additional and greater volume hose length now.

 

[3RRL]

After I got everything plumbed, I started the 554 but my hydraulics would not react. I figured I had to "prime" the system to get fluid through the extra length and volume to the pump.

I have great news (to me anyway).
I got the hydraulics to work by priming the system. I talked to Larry over the phone and he agreed the system needed priming also. I found a 3/4NPT fitting with a 1/4 NPT inside which fit the rubber tip of my air hose. I thought I'd give Larry's suggestion a shot of pressurizing the hydraulic tank with air before tearing it all apart again.
Just before I did that, I cracked the suction line bolts at the pump to allow for leakage. My idea was to slowly add some pressure to the tank to see if oil would start leaking at the loosened connection. The top is the suction line on my Kama 554.



I had Loretta watching the pump while I added small amounts of air. If fluid started leaking, she was to tighten the bolts again, then start the tractor. In the mean time, I kept the air hose tightly against the fitting. I gave it a couple squirts of air to pressurize and Loretta told me it was starting to leak past.
She let it leak a little more to purge and then she tightened the connection and jumped in the tractor to start it.



Of course I was still holding the air nozzle inside the fitting. I knew better to take it off while still under pressure, so I waited for her to work the loader several times and relieve the pressure in the tank. Then removed the air gun with no oil spray.

So everything works great again. By using the large diameter suction hoses, and the larger suction strainer, I think I've increased the total amount of hydraulic fluid in the system by about 1-1/2 quarts. Before I pressurized the tank, I noticed how the fluid level had dropped quite a ways from how I left it. Aside from the amount leaked, it took a couple extra quarts. So some of it flowed through the strainer after all.
Now I can tell the rest of the story.

 

[3RRL]

This modification started because I had to change my hydraulic fluid after nearly 350 hours (having done so at 50 hours). I also had a bad tear in the rubber elbow where the return to sump comes from the rear remote valve. So I thought to add the Northern Strainer while doing all this.



First I drained system and then started to loosen all the connections for the suction tube, both to the pump and also from the rear valve.



That right front banjo fitting is the return to sump on the rear remote valve.

 

[3RRL]

You also have to loosen the clamp that holds the steel suction line which also holds the limit safety switch to the clutch. This was hard to get to and also replace.



Then remove OEM strainer by removing the rubber elbow and 2 bolts that hold it to the housing. It slides out of a hole and is sealed by an "O" ring.



I had brought everything I needed to camp for the modification, including a 5 gallon pail of Napa AW32 hydraulic oil. Since I was not sure exactly where the mount was going to end up, I got several steel hose barbs for both 1/2" and 1" along with a bunch of elbows and nipples. All the work I was doing is on the low pressure side for the Suction Strainer.

 

[3RRL]

Next was to cut off the old strainer and wash the chips out of the line.



I settled on a mounting position for the new strainer wanting it somewhere out of the way but easy to get to to change the cartridge without spilling oil all over. So I found that inside the left rear fender was perfect. My wheels are set out wide and they cleared by over 6". The strainer is directly behind the steel flange too, so no chance of getting knocked off there. Not only that, but I didn't have to cut the rear remote valve return line at all.

After doing that, you can then tap the hole of the old strainer going into the hydraulic box.



Be sure to get all the chips out by using a towel below the hole and then flushing the rest out, if any. A magnet on the tip of a scribe works real good too.

 

[3RRL]

That tap I used is a 1"NPT tap. The hole in the box is Ø1-1/4 so the threads are not 100%. The normal tap drill for 1"NPT is Ø1.213. What I did is use an adapter/reducer from 1"NPT to 3/4NPT for my hose barb. On the OD of the 1"NPT reducer, I machined an "O" ring groove to help seal it. It works perfect with no leaks and is engaged fully. It is a low/no pressure fit anyway.

 

[3RRL]

This is also a great time to tighten up the nuts and bolts that hold the hydraulic box down. I used to have to take the old strainer off to do this side.



The 1/2" hydraulic hose I got was low pressure, but nevertheless, I couldn't get it on the 1/2" return line. The hose would not flex out one bit. I had to take an angle grinder to make a lead in. And then it was harder than heck to get on the rest of the way.

 

[3RRL]

The 1" hose was no problem, because I had figured on getting barbed connectors for it. I had also gotten barbed ends for the 1/2" where the other connection would be. They worked great and were a lot easier to slip on than over the Chinese steel tube. But it all worked out.

Here is a shot from inside the cab showing the elbow, 1" suction line and 1/2" line going to the front.



If you look closely, you'll see some oil spots all over. Well, as I said up above, the reason I knew better to take the air hose off of the pressurized tank is because I had just done it before cracking the fitting at the pump and taken this photo. Duh...guess what happened. Oil bath.

So here is another view from the back of the strainer.



The hoses I used I got from Discount Hydraulics. Even though they are "low pressure" for suction side use, they are really tough and I don't anticipate and suck-down or collapse. With less restriction and greater capacity, the system might run a smidgen cooler too I hope?

 

[3RRL]

The new system has been working great.
Larry had given me a tip to install a screen in the vent cap I made to keep the bugs out. So this weekend I smashed some expandable metal screen into the top of the cap where the vent holes are. I checked to be sure it would still vent and it does.



I cut a hole in it and wrapped it around the dip stick so it would not fall off accidentally. I was worried about that, but realized it wouldn't pass through the neck anyway. So far the vent and reservoir has worked real good. When I changed my hydraulic pump out, I over filled the main hydraulic box (reservoir sump) and only a little was pushed out through the vent. So I know it and the mesh works good.

 

[3RRL]

I wanted to add a strong magnet to the hydraulic strainer, much like the stock strainer had. During my visit to Larry in New Mexico, I bought several large donut shaped magnets. I figured I could attach them to the bottom of my hydraulic suction strainer, and one for the engine oil filter too.

The magnets only made contact on one circle since they were flat and the filters were contoured. I needed to contour the magnets to fit the contour of the filter and strainer so that the surfaces would match. So I turned them in my lathe.



They had different angles and radius so I labeled them. Now the contact area is large and fits flush to the bottoms of the filters, and they are tight.



I have not fastened them in any way, other than the magnet strength. They have not moved during normal work and I can switch them from filter to filter easily. I don't think they will come off. In trying to knock them off, they merely slid out of position or to the side of the filters, but never came off.