Need To Slow Down Hydraulic Sickle Mower

[Jenkins003]

I know very little about hydraulics. I need to slow down the lift and fall of my hydraulic sickle mower bar. It only has one hose going from the quick connect to the hydraulic cylinder. I assume gravity lets the sickle bar fall. I have 2 Parker flow control valves but I don't know where to install them or if they would be what I needed. Since there is only one line to the cylinder I can see where a flow control valve might slow the supply to the cylinder but how would I control the lowering of the sickle bar since the flow control valves only work in one direction and have free flow in the other.

[kennyd]

All you need is a inline restrictor. TSC or any good hydraulic shop carries them also. It's basically a small washer with a small hole in it that goes inline with the one hose going to the cylinder.