I lost very little fluid doing this, I would have lost even less if I had dissassembled the knob prior to attempting the installation. There is no need to bleed the system. I did not want to force the fitting while screwing it in against the other hoses and it was pretty cold when I installed it, so the hoses were not pliable. The fitting has O rings and mine had not leaks, I just left a piece of paper underneath it for 24 hours just to make sure there were no leaks. No need for anything special for screwing it on, it just a simple replacement for the elbow. And yes, I was wondering if I would have alot of hydraulic fluid leak, it was very minimal. I assume you have the Front Quick Hitch already. The Shut Off comes with it or you can buy it separately. If you do not have the Front Quick Hitch and need to purchase it, you are buying something that is included with it's purchase.