Backhoe when not in use?

[GregP27]

If you ask any fleet manager who had hydraulic in his fleet, you'll find out differently. Over time, the cylinders with pressure left in the system eat seals more than 3 times as fast as cylinders that get routinely depressurized. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with leaving the forks on a forklift or a tractor bucket to hold something if you need it there for some period of time. But leaving if there when not required will just see you cahnge seals sooner than otherwise needed. If that doesn't seem like much a chore to you, then go for it.

I'd rather change them when I choose to, which is probably sometime when I'm changing the hydraulic oil anyway, say several years of light use.

 

[Steve1300]

From my 40+ years of experience with hydraulics, I can tell that the most surprising thing about seals and leakage is that seals dry out if not wetted through use frequently. Also, a static leak of any actuator that stops when warmed up is not that serious. The ones that don't stop when warmed up are a problem. All actuators holding heavy loads will, over time, bleed down unless the construction is really complex (read "expensive") to prevent that. And, that is true even with heavy weights (500 lbs?) hanging on an actuator in a system designed to take 5000 PSI. Bleed-by can happen in all of them.

I think safety issues should guide our choices, and a hanging bucket can be dangerous when there are children around. I've even had my clothing catch on levers when I am getting off the tractor and drop an implement. Glad the dogs weren't under them when it happened. I put mine down because of my curious dogs.

 

[AStanton]

I keep the boom on my BX25 pinned. The bigger problem was the creep on the stabilizers. I eliminated that problem with a chain between the pads.

 

[rScotty]

I keep the boom on my BX25 pinned. The bigger problem was the creep on the stabilizers. I eliminated that problem with a chain between the pads.

Mine don't creep (yet), but I still think a chain between them is a good idea. Thanks.
rScotty

 

[4570Man]

If I have it parked where there's plenty of room I let the stabilizes leak down. If it's in my garage where space is at a premium I strap them up.

 

[mguitas]

Wallenstein stabs don't leak since I had them.

 

[Aquamoose]

I take my BH off and set them on mobile dollies that have "cylinder pockets" for the outriggers. I wanted to store it very compactly in my shop under my pallet racks and the outriggers were the widest points. I just unpin them and reset them upright just next to the boom and there's absolutely no pressure on them. The hoses still remain attached.

My lower boom are set resting on the pins but the upper boom had to be set lower to fit under the rack to conserve space. The bucket, which is now closer to the ground, stays curled using a piece of slotted gray plastic electrical conduit that are notched at one end and is snapped over the rods to keep the bucket from touching the floor.

I now can store the BH with less than 30" of width under the racks.