Any advise on draining rams

[Mark 99]

Anyone have any tricks for draining the rams on a L3901 without removing the hoses. Attempting to remove as much fluid as possible first fluid change. Any thaughts on removing bucket, leave rams extended, and lower while draining fluid. Will rams self bleed or need to be bled. Thanks.

 

[Dave_eng]

Trying to remove fluid from hydraulic cylinders is unnecessary. You are not dealing with a machine which has experienced flooding or a catastrophic internal failure.

Any tractor mounted cylinder will self bleed in a few strokes.

Dave

 

[Mark 99]

Dave I'm sorry I am dealing with a possible contamination or wrong fluid issue, fluid is way too viscous (collapsing filters) and just looking for the easiest least messy way of getting as much of the fluid out before polluting new SUDT2.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Loader cylinders are all double acting, so when you 'drain' one side of the cylinder, the other side fills up. Clue... 2 hoses. Not that much in there anyway.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Dave I'm sorry I am dealing with a possible contamination or wrong fluid issue, fluid is way too viscous (collapsing filters) and just looking for the easiest least messy way of getting as much of the fluid out before polluting new SUDT2.

The only way to do the cylinders is to remove them put them on a bench and bled both sides of the cylinders, a rather large task for most.

Like others have said, there really isn't much fluid in them to worry about, just change fluid in the tractor and the rest of the systems will clean themselves out rather quickly and will not dilute the fluid too much to worry about it.

If you really concerned, fill with fluid, run for a short period of time running all rams on FEL and three point to their extent of movement then, drain and replace filter and it will be clean.

 

[lugbolt]

You have to remove both hoses and then stroke the cylinder in and out to get the fluid out. This goes for all 4 cylinders. It is messy.

 

[torch]

In between the extremes of ignoring the cylinders and draining every last messy drop is to drain the bulk of the fluid in the cylinders.

Remove the bucket. Fully extend the pistons -- ie: arms in full raise, bucket mount fully dumped. Shut down the tractor and drain the sump, etc. Move the lever to the full curl position and secure then manually move the bucket mount to fully retract the cylinder(s). That will force the oil out of the cylinder back to the sump, drawing mostly air into the opposite end of the cylinder. You can move it back and forth a couple of times to try and pump as much as possible out, changing the lever position each time of course. (If your dump spool valve has a "regen" position, avoid moving the lever that far. No point in cycling fluid back and forth).

Once the bucket cylinders have been emptied, move the lever to lower the arms, letting gravity push the fluid out of the lift cylinders. Repeating this one up and down is probably less of an option due to the weight of the arms, but hey, if you have things positioned under some chainfalls in the garage or under a tree: have at it.

There will still be some residual traces of fluid in the lines, but you will have removed most of the fluid from the system.

Edit: don't forget to leave the 3ph lift cylinder fully down.

 

[Magicman]

Thank You torch for adding that option.