Check valves

   / Check valves #11  
O.K. stupid question time....
Is there any other cylinder on a tractor with a check valve? I didn't think there were. Just seems odd to me that one would worry about the top link leaking down but not care that the 3pt lift cylinder does.
QUOTE]

My 3 point lift cylinder on my Ford/NH has a check valve and does not leak down. My Yanmar does not leak down either and probably has a check valve.
 
   / Check valves #12  
check valve lets you pull off the remote hose and use it for something else if you don't have many remotes.
 
   / Check valves #13  
NOT having to readjust your toplink is one of the subtle, but greatly rewarding and satisfying feelings. It is just one of those things. I can tell you from experience now.

As Kenny mentioned, it's usually the valve and not the cylinder that causes what we see as "leak down". When I got my first hydraulic toplink from CCM, It was rock solid for all the road maintenance and building I've done. Well, somehow I managed to knock the DPOCV off.:confused: So I re plumbed it direct, without the DPOCV. The cylinder still works fine, but I've noticed that the angle I set my boxblade at does change slightly over the the time it takes to make one pass over my 1/2 mile long dirt road. This may not seem like a big deal, but I'll tell you it makes a difference. Before, I could set the boxblade perfectly and drag it to smooth the road ... enjoy the forest and animals, have a sip of coffee and smoke a cigarette. By the the time I reached the end, I turn around and do the other side back up the hill.

Now, if I don't keep an eye on it, I find it starting to cut and build up dirt in the box. I can accidentally re-shape the driveway when I don't want to. So I have to look back and constantly (strain my neck) check and re-adjust the boxblade to have it smooth like I want. I'm putting the DPOCV back on! I know my valves aren't as good as yours, but it's a poor man's fix for that problem. And it's not only my rear remote valves either. My backhoe stabilizer legs were constantly leaking down after I parked and removed it from the tractor. This was a real problem since it was very hard to put back on if everything did not line up just right with the subframe and all. So I added DPOCV to them and man, that hoe stays in the same position now. I've left it for over 4 months and it didn't move at all.

After I got the CCM toplink, I added my own hydraulic sidelinks and another valve for additional rear remotes. I put DPOCV's on them too. And also on my QA hydraulic gauge wheels, which are really the rear wheels for my rotary cutter. They don't change position unless I move them. There are several places to get DPOCV's and if Mark at CCM has extra ones, I buy them from him and use them. But they are Metric so be prepared to deal with adapter fittings to mount them. They are much smaller and work great. The Surplus Center ones work great too, but they are about 3 times bigger than CCM's.

Hope you don't mind me sharing some photos of my DPOCV's on different cylinders.
These are on my backhoe stabilizer legs.
They are CCM's and are very small and compact. They fit nicely in tight places.



These are from Surplus center. They are what I used for the hydraulic side links and are quite a bit larger than CCM's but don't look that big on these cylinders, since the cylinders are big 3-1/2" ones with 1-1/2" rods. Their cracking pressure (or pop off) is rated about the same as CCM's.



This is another CCM CPOCV used on the hydraulic gauge wheels.
They keep the level of my rotary cutter or boxblade or rake right where I set it.
Notice also that the DPOCV's are all hard mounted to the cylinder itself.

 
   / Check valves #15  
Rob, holy smokes, you're a mad scientist! You should open up your own shop. Naa, forget, you wouldn't want the cut in pay.
 
   / Check valves #17  
Rob, Your set up is super! Thanks for all of the info! I had a hyd top link on my JD 455 so I agree that it darned handy to have. It was just kind of "miniature":D

I can sure see where keeping the set position over time would be nice and keeping a cylinder "locked" in place with the lines disconnected, maybe to use for another function, would also be handy.

I think you all answered my question. I couldn't see the SAFETY advantage of check valves on the top link when the other cylinders don't have them (on my tractor anyway). That's how they're marketed. I just didn't get it and honestly still don't but I can see how they would be useful though.
Thanks!
 

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   / Check valves #18  
KLM,
I have that exact same hyd cylinder as a top link on my Kama now.
The CCM cylinder went to my wife's Jinma. This one is a lot beefier since I have some Cat II implements. Only thing is I had to weld a longer connection on the tractor side. When I raised my 3pt all the way up using the lower connecting hole, the cylinder wanted to "wedge" between the tractor connection. So I lengthened it by about 2". That also gave me the right amount of forward and aft tilt for my boxblade.
How do you like yours?
 
   / Check valves
  • Thread Starter
#19  
Now, another fly in the ointment..

I was reading another tractor discussion board. Most of the members there claimed that check valves are NOT needed on the HTL, and in some cases possibly detrimental.
They claim that if the HTL moves, it signals a problem in the hydraulic circuit. Also, they seem to be using a bit beefier cylinders from Gannon and Tisco that what most of the guys here appear to be using..

Now I'm confused...
 
   / Check valves #20  
No, you are right Bill. The DPOCV's are definitely NOT a necessity.
What they do is keep you cylinder in the place you put it. Most useful if your valve bypasses a little. If your hydraulic cylinder bypasses a little, the implement could still leak down slowly, but generally that is not the case. It's usually the valves that control the cylinders. If the check valves are hard plumbed, it could save the implement from crashing down if a hose blew somewhere.
If you have a good valve and good cylinder, it should work well with no or very little leak down.
 

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