Hydraulic Leak Down

[marrt]

If you lift a heavy attachment, like the mower for example, to full height and turn the engine off, how long does it take for the hydraulics to leak down and for the mower to settle to the ground?

I originally wanted to build a platform I could use with the fork lift attachment when working on my deck. This would be convenient as the ground is rough and it’s a hassle to keep setting up a ladder. However, I’ve found that the hydraulics leak down, with the engine off, so fast that this approach is impractical. I estimate it only takes ten to fifteen minutes for the mower to settle down (I will measure it to be more exact).

A neighbor has a Boomer next door with a rear finish mower. I’ve noticed that the mower will take several days to settle down.

 

[MossRoad]

I noticed that mine dropped about 6 inches in 20 minutes.

 

[bubenberg]

i never trusted hydraulics since my army days. we made some 2 inch pipes to support the deck when servicing underneath with two 4x4 feet welded to it on the bottom end....no more leack down.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

I asked Terry about leakdown and he told me that the valves used by PT have a slow leakdown built in. I'm not sure why, but it is certainly a characteristic of all PTs I've seen that even without an attachment the plate will go to ground.

 

[MossRoad]

I agree with you on trusting hydraulics. I place a cement block under the deck, jsut in case I slip and it falls. So far, however, I have not had to get under it. I spray it off an use a hoe to clean it. Spray it again and I'm done. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[marrt]

Well, I guess I exaggerated on the leak down speed. Ether that, or someone let my bucket down before. Anyway, I notice that it takes a few hours for the mower to leak all the way down. If it’s designed this way, maybe it’s for safety reasons. Anyway, good to know it’s not a defect.

 

[wasabi]

Unbeknownst to me until afterward, our Pt 2445 leaked all over our dirt road, (see cowboydoc's "oil on manure spreader" thread, causing me endless days of grief and guilt, (and, I'm not even Catholic!!) over potential" environmental havoc wreaked, as a result thereof).

Though I can't confirm or deny any "slow attachment creep - by design" issues, you all may take heart to know that I eventually tracked our (potentially unique) problem down to a 1/16" hole in bottom-most (if that is a word) hydraulic hose, not a design issue! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif