radman1
Elite Member
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2006
- Messages
- 3,017
- Location
- midwest
- Tractor
- JD 4520, Toolcat 5610, Bobcat S300, Case-IH 125 Pro, Case-IH 245, IH 1086, IH 806
About 6 months ago I changed the boom and tilt cylinder on my 5610 D series TC. I wanted a little more lift and changed the boom cylinder. Then found out I needed more umph on the tilt cylinder to match. I made the mods over a 2 week period. The TC cylinders are 2.5" bores with 1.5" rod diameter. The stroke of the lift cylinder is 22.89" and the tilt has a stroke of 16.34". I went with 3" cylinders with 1.75" rods rated at 3000 psi. The TC has odd length cylinders and I purchased 2 cylinders from Surplus Center and had a local hydraulic shop modify both cylinders. Total cost for cylinders and mods was about $950. The tilt cylinder required more work than the other. They shortened the barrels, machined and welded on new ends. Both matched up perfectly. The new cylinders are painted bobcat charcoal and look like the originals. I almost made an error. I didn't realize how close the lift cylinder came near the front transmission housing. It just touched the housing when in partial lift. I ground down 1/8" on the housing to give it plenty of clearance. I had some info that when the system was designed on the D series, they believed the suspension and drive shafts were designed over what was needed.
Based on my calculations, if the TC could do max lift of 2000 lbs before, it should be close to 3000 lbs now. I don't do a lot of heavy lifting very often. But some seed pallets weigh 2500 lbs and I can lift them. I lifted some cement bunker blocks this summer with a chain on my pallet forks. The chain was near the end of my forks and each block weighed 2300 lbs. Even with these lifts, the back end stays on the ground. I did try once lifting a load of construction lumber and it would not lift it. The rear wheels stayed barely on the ground without any rear attachment. The heavier lifts tend to be only for short distances over smooth terrain. I also try to do heavier lifts with a fairly heavy attachment on the rear end to counteract the additional weight on the front suspension. I believe with a 1000 lb attachment on the rear, there is probably no more or maybe less weight on the front suspension than before the mods with heavy lift.
The drift in both front cylinders is essentially zero. I did have some issues with my original tilt cylinder tipping down with heavy loads on the bobtach. I had a valve replaced under warranty which helped a lot but didn't completely eliminate the problem. With the new mods, it is almost rock solid. I suspect this is because the larger cylinder holds more oil, and there is less back pressure on the valve due to larger bore. The cycle times of both cylinders is slower but not a huge issue. I always considered the original cycle times were a little faster than I usually wanted. Now I feel they are a bit slower than ideal.
Based on my calculations, if the TC could do max lift of 2000 lbs before, it should be close to 3000 lbs now. I don't do a lot of heavy lifting very often. But some seed pallets weigh 2500 lbs and I can lift them. I lifted some cement bunker blocks this summer with a chain on my pallet forks. The chain was near the end of my forks and each block weighed 2300 lbs. Even with these lifts, the back end stays on the ground. I did try once lifting a load of construction lumber and it would not lift it. The rear wheels stayed barely on the ground without any rear attachment. The heavier lifts tend to be only for short distances over smooth terrain. I also try to do heavier lifts with a fairly heavy attachment on the rear end to counteract the additional weight on the front suspension. I believe with a 1000 lb attachment on the rear, there is probably no more or maybe less weight on the front suspension than before the mods with heavy lift.
The drift in both front cylinders is essentially zero. I did have some issues with my original tilt cylinder tipping down with heavy loads on the bobtach. I had a valve replaced under warranty which helped a lot but didn't completely eliminate the problem. With the new mods, it is almost rock solid. I suspect this is because the larger cylinder holds more oil, and there is less back pressure on the valve due to larger bore. The cycle times of both cylinders is slower but not a huge issue. I always considered the original cycle times were a little faster than I usually wanted. Now I feel they are a bit slower than ideal.
