L345DT hydraulics issue

[ffynnon]

Hi all,
I am calling in from sunny Wales where Kubota L345DT's are a bit thin on the ground and before I start I am sorry if my terminology is rubbish!
I have a hydraulics problem. My 3 point link is working fine but I have an auxillary hydraulic feed for my tipping trailer which I tried for the first time and couldn't get any pressure. The tractor has a position and draft control lever and a knob under the seat to change the speed of the 3 point link. The auxilary hydraulic pipe is fed direct from the main cylinder. Pressure is fine until the 3 point link lifts to top of its travel and the pressure relief valve is activated, but I cannot switch from 3 point link to the rear end hydraulics before that happens. Twisting the knob under the seat stops the 3 point going down but not going up. I can't find any other screws or taps to switch the feed over. Help! Has anyone got any experience of using this tractor with this configuration? Many thanks, Matt.

 

[rbargeron]

...........The auxilary hydraulic pipe is fed direct from the main cylinder.......

If your auxiliary circuit tees into the main cylinder supply, the three-point hitch arms need to be blocked from raising. A common method is to install diagonal braces pinned at the top link location and holding the arms at fixed height. The lever is then raised to power the aux circuit. Lowering the lever allows the fluid to drain back, subject to the exhaust-side speed control valve (has the knob). Is your tipping trailer power-up and gravity-drop? If so, chain the arms down and try it.

On the L345 and several similar models, another way to tap into hydraulic power is the 4-bolt block under the left side of the seat. There is a replacement block with tapped ports for supply and return. Normally an open-center valve would be added to control the extra circuit. But for a tipping trailer you may not need the 3-point hitch arms to be functional at the same time so you could do with the simpler set up.