Hyrdaulics for Dummies

   / Hyrdaulics for Dummies #1  

jdbower

Platinum Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2006
Messages
784
Location
A Jersey Boy Exiled to MA
Tractor
John Deere 2520
Many, many moons ago I bought a CCM Top-N-Tilt in the hopes that I'd learn a little about hydraulics by installing it myself. Mission finally accomplished! Here's what I learned for other people thinking about playing around with hydraulics:

1. The mid-sized 18-26.5" toplink seems about right for the JD 2520. I may also nab myself a 21-32" to complement it in case I need more reach - since I have Pat's EZ-Hitch (which extends the draft arms by a few inches) there's a chance I'll need it for a box blade. Luckily with what I've learned installing it should be a snap.
2. Figuring out the size of the fitting you'll need still eludes me - for now I'm "lucky" that my trial-and-error approach left me with a wide assortment of other sizes.
3. The Power Beyond system always passes fluid; you'll want an "open-center" style of valve which allows for fluid to pass when the levers are not in use.
4. There are two thread styles, NPT and JIC. There isn't much benefit of one vs. the other that I can see, but your thread styles need to match - if they don't there are adapters available.
5. Hydraulic valves seem to ship with a fluid in them. It doesn't look like the hydro fluid Deere uses but is probably required to keep the internals from drying up and cracking. I drained this fluid before the hookup, but I don't know if this is necessary. I would not drain it until you're ready to hook it up.
6. Quick connectors are proprietary; don't expect two brands to work together even if they're the same size.
7. In general it's sufficient to just tighten the connectors down without using anything. DO NOT use Teflon tape or anything like that, if you have leaks LocTite 545 or standard hydraulic-rated pipe dope should work. I only used the 545 on the reducers on my toplink.

The Project:
The goal of the project was not only to allow me to use the Top-N-Tilt but also to move the mower lift control from the loader control to a dedicated lever. I also like the idea of quick connects so I can use these ports for other things.

The Assembly Process:
Most of the parts I got from Northern Tool. I don't claim that they're the best or the cheapest but I've ordered a lot of stuff from them in the past and they're well-stocked. The only thing I don't like is that sometimes I'll order two of the same part and get one brass and one aluminum fitting (I'm guessing on the actual metals), it's only happened twice and it hasn't been enough of an issue for me to seek replacement.

The heart of the project is a Prince 2-spool valve (part number RD522GCGA5A4B1). This is much bigger than needed and I'd probably recommend trying to reduce the size of this. The ship weight is 26lbs! I also needed a 3/8" and 9/16" hex drive socket to get the plugs out - I've been meaning to fill out my 1/2" drive socket set for a while...



If we look at the fluid flow, the fluid comes out the top port of the Power Beyond which on my tractor is a sleeve quick connect. It then flows into the valve and normally passes through to the output port on the other side. On the output side is a short hose with a nipple-end quick connect, the other end is connected to the tractor without a QC. Normally this short hose is just looped to the output port directly above it. The levers can redirect the flow out the drop ports as needed, in this case to the hydraulic toplink or to the mower lift.



If we follow the fluid flow, I had to get a Parker H3-62-T8 nipple from my dealer (I couldn't find any online sources easily). I also bought some 1/2" and 1/4" dust caps from Snap Tite (I had also ordered the wrong Parker QC from them). If I had to do it over, I'd order the QCs and dust covers from the dealer rather than mess with the trial-and-error approach I used. Note that the Parker QC is JIC threaded so I needed a Buyers 60327 1/2" female NPT to male JIC adapter. This gets connected to a short 2 foot long 1/2" hose I got from Northern Tool (Northern Tool #50124). Note that the valve is right next to the PB port, if you want to move the valve farther away you'll need a longer hose.



At the other end of this hose I needed a 3/4" to 1/2" reducer (Buyers 60258) for my oversized valve. Note that this side has an aluminum reducer and the output side is brass.



On the output side I needed another 3/4" to 1/2" reducer (the same Buyers 60258 but for some reason in brass). Rather than a JIC to NPT converter for the sleeve side of the QC I just used a 1/2" male JIC to 1/2" male NPT right-angle adapter (Buyers 60307). This made the routing of the hydro hose much nicer. Attached to the right angle adapter is the sleeve side of the Parker H3-62-T8 QC. Plugged into this QC is the 1/2" hose that was installed on the tractor with the PB port. Again, if you want the valve located elsewhere you may be better off with a Buyers 60327 inline NPT to JIC adapter attached to a length of 1/2" hose like I used above.



The drop ports are pretty simple. If you want to mount the QCs someplace besides on the valve just replace my male-to-male connectors with whatever length of hose you want. Since the mower cylinder and the toplink are both where I wanted the valve this wasn't an issue to me. First I used a 1/2" to 1/4" NPT reducer (Buyers 60254) for each of the four drop-side ports. I threaded into these 1/4" NPT male to male connectors (Buyers 60022). I've found that the Buyers 60005 1/4" connectors mate up nicely with the Pioneer connectors on my FEL (and, therefore, the existing hoses on my mower lift which plug into the FEL controls). On the 1/4" side there isn't much of a problem with compatibility since you'll be needing both sides of the connector anyway, but if I had to do it over I'd get the actual Pioneer QCs from the dealer just in case I need to swap something between the rear and mid-mounted QCs. Like the input/output ports I also got the Snap Tite dust caps but the dealer could also have gotten me these.



That's it for the valve, but I still need to hook up hoses to my implements. For the Independent Lift Kit I'm just reusing the existing hose and making a loose loop to take up the slack, but I do have 3' hoses I can swap out if I need to. For the Top-N-Tilt I used 3/8" to 1/4" NPT (Buyers 60252) reducers for the ports this will slow down the performance but I wanted to standardize on 1/4" QCs for most of my equipment. In practical terms the toplink moves about as fast as I want so I don't think this was a mistake. I used a 3' hose directly connected to the reducer with the nipple end of the Buyers 60005 connected to the other side of the hose. Note that the Buyers QCs come in pairs, a nipple and sleeve end, so you have all you need for a single connection.

Now you just need to mount the valve someplace and you're in business!

Parts Summary:
Northern Tool:
1xPrince Valve #RD522GCGA5A4B1
1xBuyers 60327 1/2" NPT to JIC adapter
1x50124 1/2" hose, 2' long
2xBuyers 60258 3/4" to 1/2" reducer
1xBuyers 60307 1/2" right angle NPT to JIC adapter
4xBuyers 60254 1/2" to 1/4" reducer
4xBuyers 60022 1/4" male to male adapters
4xBuyers 60005 1/4" QC
2xBuyers 60252 3/8" to 1/4" reducer (for T-N-T)
4x50036 1/4" hose, 3' long (for T-N-T and Mower cylinder)

Snap-Tite:
4xParker 1/4" Dust Cover (nipple)
4xParker 1/4" Dust Cover (sleeve)
4xParker 1/2" Dust Cover (nipple)
4xParker 1/2" Dust Cover (sleeve)

Dealer:
Parker H3-62-T8 complete QC (nipple plus sleeve)


What I would do differently:
1. Ask to see if anyone knows what size parts you need! I spent a fortune trying to guess. As a corollary listen to the pros at CCM when they tell you that you don't want the joystick valve :)
2. Buy the QCs from the dealer; this will also help define the sizes you'll need.
3. I probably should have used a 90 degree fitting like a Northern #51CRC004 at the 1/4" nipple side QC on the hose to make things a little neater. It's not worth the trouble of fixing it now but I'll probably do it for future work.

Hopefully this helps someone out there with a hydraulic project, I know it was a fun learning experience for me and my next project will be much easier. Let me know if you've got any questions or want any more pictures (sorry, I kind of forgot to snap some shots of the cylinders when they're hooked up and it's raining today :()
 
   / Hyrdaulics for Dummies #2  
Good write-up Jeff!
 
   / Hyrdaulics for Dummies
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks! Now if only I could spell "hydraulics" in the subject line :)
 
   / Hyrdaulics for Dummies #4  
Looks good. I would put a zip tie around the sliding collars of the QC's on the return outlet and "sink" ports on that setup. IF one inadvertently comes loose, full system pressure will be applied at the return port outlet of the valve and you will blow the "O" rings at the ends of the valve spools. Prince sets a 500 PSI limit at that point on this series of valves. Not serious damage, but messy...
 
   / Hyrdaulics for Dummies #5  
RonMar said:
a zip tie around the sliding collars of the QC's
Probably not a bad idea to do the same to all PB QC's out there.
 
   / Hyrdaulics for Dummies #6  
Nice job Jdbower.

Been planning of doing similar to my 790 but sorta stuck on my valve selection yet.
 
   / Hyrdaulics for Dummies #7  
Nice write up.

Thanks~!

BTW: where does the power beyond connect to the 2520 hydraulics?
 
   / Hyrdaulics for Dummies
  • Thread Starter
#8  
The stock ports are the ones to the lower right. If you mean where they connect to the pump, I think it's to the front of the hydro pump on the right side of the tractor - just in front of where the mid-mount hydraulic connectors ultimately lead if you can trace them back.
 
   / Hyrdaulics for Dummies #9  
Let me help...

The PowerBeyond connects to a "block" that is sandwiched beetween the FEL control valve (DSCV) and the transmission.

See attached pics:D
 

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   / Hyrdaulics for Dummies #10  
So, you use your 3 point lever to adjust height and the top n tilt for angle. Would be great for a rake, back blade, box blade, as well as mower.....hmmmmm......
 
 
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