Hydraulic accumulators...

[ruffdog]

The FEL accumulator is a combination spring and damping system for the lift arms.
Sometimes it is selectable on/off and also selectable rate

Some tractors come with an accumulator OEM installed with names like "easy ride".
We have that on our large JD.
On others you can add it as a kit. Larger Kubotas offer a kit. In fact I've got an OEM kit in the shop that may go on the M59 someday....maybe....

In use, you can see the lift arms move up and down - sorta like floating - a few inches when it hits a bump, but the lift arm movement doesn't shake the rest of the tractor.

3pts don't have any springing or damping at all except whatever is provided by the back tires... I guess they could, but I've never seen it. I'd bet some of the fancy European tractors have it though. On compact & utility size tractors here the 3pt arms are just hydraulic lift up and gravity down. Unless you add a kit yourself. The kits aren't expensive.

rScotty

I understand what they are and how they are beneficial but I just don't understand how it would help floating a 3pt snowblower in use. While driving with the blower up it would cushion that but when the blower is on the ground? Accumulator is allowing 4-6" of movement?

 

[ptsg]

I installed one on my loader a couple years ago, to be used as "soft ride". I'm a firm believer that these accumulators would extend the life of the front axle by a good amount as it removed a lot of the shock loads that these axles tend to see when doing loader work. Specially if roading the tractor a lot.

My accumulator came from a bunch of hydraulic scrap parts I bought pretty much 20 years ago, when I started building my excavator. About 3 years ago, when I decided to use on the tractor, I had no idea it was still good and charged or any specs about it. Going by the size of it, I would say it has a volume of about 0.75L.

An easy way to check how much pressure the accumulator has, it to use an hydraulic hand pump (used the one on my press) and put some pressure on it. Then slowly open the valve to release the pressure, while checking the pressure gauge. As the pressure comes down, it will stop briefly at the same pressure the accumulator is charged with.

In my case, I put about 100 Bar on it just to check it, then it came down to 50 Bar, stopped for a few seconds and then kept dropping.

With 50 bar of pre-charge pressure, it works great with a full bucket. It floats perfectly over the uneven ground and you don't get those hard hits once you go over a bump.

I believe the ideal pressure would be in the 30 to 40 bar, so it would work more with an empty bucket as well. I suppose I could try relieve some of the pressure of it, but being an old accumulator, I'm not sure what system they use to keep the nitrogen inside, so I don't want to risk losing all the pressure.

EDIT: Some soft ride kits, typically offered on bigger tractors, have two accumulators. One set at higher pressure for heavier loads.

 

[rScotty]

I understand what they are and how they are beneficial but I just don't understand how it would help floating a 3pt snowblower in use. While driving with the blower up it would cushion that but when the blower is on the ground? Accumulator is allowing 4-6" of movement?

Oh, I see. Well, an accumulator would slightly resist the sudden vertical movement of the blower when the 3pt was dragging it on the ground, just like it resists the sudden movement of the 3pt arms. My guess is you would need to reset the accumulator pressure a lot higher to get much 3pt damping effect.

With the accumulator, the movement of the FEL arms is countering the bounce of the rest of the tractor when it hit a bump. Both forces - the bump force and the FEL arms movement force - add in opposite directions so that to the operator and overall tractor the ride is smoother.

On the FEL, you can set the accumulator pressure low and get more movement or higher until there is hardly any movement...or so high it is just exactly like having no accumulator at all.

Most tractors don't have a 3pt accumulator, so any kind of 3pt implement being pulled over the ground is free to bounce up and down as much as the bumps and tractor speed can force it.

rScotty

 

[5030]

I just ordered one from Amascon. Comes not charged but charging it won't be an issue because I'll use one of my inert gas bottles that I use to provide shielding gas for the TIG welder and a full bottle will have around 2300 psi in it.

 

[rScotty]

I just ordered one from Amascon. Comes not charged but charging it won't be an issue because I'll use one of my inert gas bottles that I use to provide shielding gas for the TIG welder and a full bottle will have around 2300 psi in it.

Will the regulator on your inert gas tank allow gas to be delivered to the accumulator at say... 900 psi?

 

[5030]

I'll have to custom machine an adapter from brass stock, no big deal. I'll remove the gas regulator (that controls the gas pressure to the torch head and just use the primary gage which has LH threads so I('ll have to machine an adapter to fit LH to RH at the other end.

Normally, a full 120 cubic foot bottle will contain between 2100 and 2300 PSI, which is a lot more than will be required but I can control the gas pressure with the primary gage as well. I bought the I presume a Chinese one but regardless the vessel has to meet or exceed the burst strength which they list at 4300 PSI. I won't pre charge anywhere near that and it's listed with NPT threads on both ends. Probably not dryseal but I can live with teflon pipe tape.

You could pre charge with a dive compressor or a PCP air gun compressor but those are both oxygen and it requires an inert gas charge. I have that available.

It was 130 bucks, way below the ones Motion Industries sells.

 

[rScotty]

I'll have to custom machine an adapter from brass stock, no big deal. I'll remove the gas regulator (that controls the gas pressure to the torch head and just use the primary gage which has LH threads so I('ll have to machine an adapter to fit LH to RH at the other end.

Normally, a full 120 cubic foot bottle will contain between 2100 and 2300 PSI, which is a lot more than will be required but I can control the gas pressure with the primary gage as well. I bought the I presume a Chinese one but regardless the vessel has to meet or exceed the burst strength which they list at 4300 PSI. I won't pre charge anywhere near that and it's listed with NPT threads on both ends. Probably not dryseal but I can live with teflon pipe tape.

You could pre charge with a dive compressor or a PCP air gun compressor but those are both oxygen and it requires an inert gas charge. I have that available.

It was 130 bucks, way below the ones Motion Industries sells.

Thanks for the details. I'll not worry about it then. I haven't even looked at the accumulator that came with my Kubota kit... it came boxed from a dealer getting rid of old kit stock. Still in the box. I thought the kits were pre-charged. Maybe not.

Even worse, I not only don't know where the accumulator on our JD310 lives, I couldn't even say it's plumbed. All I know is there is a rocker switch on the dash labeled "ride control". Push it and relax.

 

[screamin400]

The blower I am running sits back a ways and weighs in at 2000 pounds. Speed on the road is crucial to being able to be profitable. The accumulator takes the bounce out when hitting a frost heave. We are cold and get different heaves everytime we go out. I am charged at 900psi and it allows the blower to slowly go up and down stopping the harsh force on the tractor. Many tractors are getting internals broken due to not running one. Well worth the money. Never slow down now as the tractor rides more like a car now.

 

[5030]

I'm about to find out myself but will be for the loader, not the 3 point.

 

[Smokeydog]

Adding the accumulators sure improved the FEL ride from empty to full carry with heavy loads. Does take shock loading out confirmed by feel and monitoring with the gauge. These Kubota soft ride NOS accumulators came precharged at two different pressures.

Appreciate the cushioning at extended reach on more delicate work.