Ford 3500 Backhoe removal question

[rmeav8er]

I'm getting ready to pull off the Backhoe and loader from my 3500 so I can do a lot of maintenance this winter without all that in the way. I understand the basic principle of unbolting the backhoe, lifting it out of the cradle, supporting it, unhooking the hydraulics, then driving it away from the hoe. Here is the question I have. There are 3 lines coming off the backhoe. The top 2 are easy, one is the pressure and the other supplies the loader on its way back to the reservoir. Unhook those and loop them together to retain hydraulic function to the loader. Is the third line that goes straight back to the loader frame another return? How do I unhook it without losing all the hydraulic fluid in the loader frame?

 

[rmeav8er]

If anyone is interested, the third line will leak all the fluid out of the reservoir once disconnected. There is supposed to be a cap that is housed under the loader frame, you can see where is you look between the seat posts, but the cap isn't there. Will probably put a valve on it once I reassemble to keep the fluid in next time.

 

[mikewood869]

In my 4500, I connected two lines together and hose clapped a big bolt in and that worked.