Lets see if I can help or hinder questions on hydraulic systems.
The Branson tractors and most small tractors of today have what is called an open center hydraulic system.
What this means is that there is always flow through the system at very minimal pressure.
To confuse people even more some tractors including Branson use two separate hydraulic pumps,
both of these are open center systems.
These systems can have several components and valves inline.
The "pump" which is sucking oil from the "tank" through the "filter" then a "loader valve" then possibly
a second set of "valves" for a rear remote then to the "3 point controls"
The pump is pulling fluid from the reservoir or tank and pushing it to and through the first valve in the pressure port and
out the power beyond port, from the power beyond port it is feeding another control valve in the pressure port of that valve and out the power beyond port to the next valve the 3 point pressure in and then out to the tank.
This flow path is an OPEN flow path from the tank through the pump through the valves (doesn't matter how many) out the power beyond until the last valve which because it does not feed any more valves does not need a power beyond just an unrestricted return to tank.
This system can be operated at full tractor rpm and be producing the maximum design flow rate at almost zero pressure, this is the normal state of the hydraulic system.
Now each control valve also has work ports and a return to tank, the work ports are were we can see pressure being developed.
When a valve handle is operated it is diverting fluid flow from the main loop into a work port it is doing this by pinching off the main flow path and opening a flow path to a work port. (most of our control valves will have an A and B work port) The fluid flow through the work port may be going to a cylinder and trying to extend that cylinder the resistance to that cylinders extension is what is creating pressure in the system. If we extend that cylinder to it's limits and it can not travel any more we will see our maximum system pressure. The system pressure will increase from almost nothing to the system maximum when the load is restricting the fluid travel.
The reason for the A and B ports is that when we operate the valve to divert fluid flow to work port A as we open port A to the fluid flowing through the system we are also open port B to the return line of the valve this allows the fluid on the other side of the cylinders piston to travel from the cylinder through the valve to the return line and back to the tank.
When we bring the valve back to the center position the fluid in the tractors system is no longer pressurized and is just traveling in the open loop.
The fluid trapped from our valve to and from the cylinder will have pressure on one side and minimal on the other. The trapped pressure is what is applied to the lines and work ports from the loads applied to the cylinder.( your loaded holding up a bucket of dirt, if it took 1500 pounds of pressure in your system to raise that to that position it is also how much static pressure you will have in that side of the cylinder the hose and to the work port of the valve.)
All of our control valves will require a return to tank line to direct the fluid that was used for work back to the tank when not needed
To make it a bit more confusing some tractors Branson included actually use two pumps, one is the main system pump the other is the steering and auxiliary pump these pumps can share a common suction and return to tank but do not need to. Often the steering pump will provide the power steering for the tractor as well as the smaller auxiliary circuits such as the pto clutch pack, the hydraulic cooler loop and many times some transmission lubrication points.
The main system pump is for our loaders and remote valves a backhoe or other attachments.