I'm not sure I understand the configuration given the description of the flushing behavior. There is a remote valve on the tractor that is connected to the high pressure inlet of the shaver valve. There is a high pressure line from the outlet of the shaver valve connected to the single acting hydraulic cylinder. And there is a large diameter low pressure line coming out of the shaver valve going to the hydraulic fill port on your tractor. There are three positions the shaver valve can be in: neutral, extend the cylinder, and allow the cylinder to retract under the force of the ram. Can you describe what you mean when you say you've "tried to open the valve on the pounder". Do you mean you tried to move the actuator on the shaver valve to the position that should extend the cylinder and nothing happened? Or do you mean the actuator moved but the cylinder did not extend? When the fluid is flowing into the shaver valve and out into the flush bucket, which position is the shaver valve actuator in: extend or retract? I'm trying to understand how fluid can be flowing through the valve if the cylinder isn't retracting, because that's the only place the fluid can come from unless there's a total failure of the shaver valve that's allowing the inlet high pressure fluid to go directly out the low pressure line back to the tank.Yes, i have had the remote on my tractor open and tried to open the valve on the pounder. Nothing... Fluid just flows through. Into a bucket at first to flush the pounder out then into the fill port on the tractor. The cylinder did not move. Could trapped air cause this?
Yes that's normal operation. Your earlier post made it clear you were flushing in neutral position, I should have read more carefully.That is correct. With the high pressure line from the pounder hooked up to the tractor's remote hydraulics and the pounder valve in the neutral position fluid flows freely out of the discharge hose. I thought this was normal operation for open center hydraulic valves.
You're lucky you don't have springs. I've had 3 break and they're no fun to change.FWIW, there are no springs on this pounder. It is only gravity and weight that does the pounding.
Great, thanks Birdhunter! If there were air in the ram what would be the best way of going about getting it out of there?