Charlie_Iliff
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2001
- Messages
- 1,896
- Location
- Arnold, MD
- Tractor
- Power Trac PT1845, John Deere 2240, John Deere 950, John Deere 755, Jacobsen Turf Cat II
It may be a while before I get pictures, so I'll post too many words.
After the testing and demonstration that Bubenberg and I did on Sunday, I can declare the modification of the hydraulic controls on my PT1845 to be a success. With the button on the joystick, I can control the mounting plate lift and tilt as before, then push the button and control the open & close of the 4 n 1 or the curl of the hoe or the angle of the snowplow without my hand leaving the joystick.
Now, when I mount the hoe or 4 n 1, I don't attach them to the aux PTO. Instead, I hook their hydraulic lines to the new ones from the diverter valve. Then, when I move the lever to the side, it tilts the attach plate, as before. When I push the button and move the lever to the side, the tilt stays the same and the 4 n 1 opens or closes, or the hoe curls, etc. And, if I have another function, the aux pto is still available, still on the right knee lever.
Caveat: It was expensive. I have about $420 in the modification. I think it can be done for a little over half that by careful selection of components. I bought the valve and handle with button from W.R. Long for $204.75 and $56.95 respectively, plus shipping. I then bought hoses, fittings and adapters from our local Parker shop, which is expensive, but top grade stuff. Those cost $145. It took a few hours of fiddling to decide what fittings to buy, and where the valve could be mounted. I've seen valves as cheap as $125 if bought in lots of 30, and I assume there are some around in that range. At lease $75 can be saved in the hose and fitting budget by careful selection and location of the valve to minimize angle fittings and adapters.
To assemble a kit, you will need a momentary contact button, or a sleeve for the joystick with electrical top button or trigger. You need a solenoid operated diverter valve, four hoses, and the fittings to assemble everything. The steps are:
1. Figure where the valve can mount so that six hoses get to it without interference.
2. Disconnect the hoses from the joystick valves which go to the mounting plate tilt cylinder.
3. Install new hoses from the joystick valve to the p1 and p2 ports of the diverter valve.
4. Connect the original tilt cylinder hoses to the c1 and c4 ports of the diverter valve.
5. Connect two new hoses to the c2 and c3 ports of the diverter, with male quick disconnect fittings on the other end of the hoses of the same type as the aux pto.
6. Run one wire from the auxiliary pole in the console to the button, and the other wire from the button to the solenoid on the valve. Run a ground wire from the other solenoid valve to good ground.
Sounds easy, right? To make it challenging, do it in hot weather, as I did, and make sure you spill at least a quart of oil on the floor and an equal amount on your clothes. Preliminary testing with a couple of loose fittings does that well.
The type of valve which I installed is well described at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.autoguide.co.uk/sodad.htm>valve link</A>.
To select a valve from a hydraulic supplier, the best thing to do is to determine exactly what size fittings are on your PT system (are they SAE 4?). That way, a sodad can be selected which does not need adapters for hose sizes and fitting types. I used 6 $16 elbow fittings, plus a couple of similarly priced adapters from SAE6 to SAE4 (I think.)
A difficult decision is location of the new valve. I was able to squeeze it into the "firewall", but have noticed some minor interference with a lift cylinder when completely extended which might be a problem over time. Some imaginative location work may be needed on the PT425. A valve could be mounted outside the body, or on the boom, or even inside in the footwell with holes for a few hoses to go through.
The WR Long system I bought is oversize for PTs, but was assembled and tested by Long. I heard about it, and their 4 n 1 bucket which I bought, on TBN, and they have treated me well. Their kit is a proven way to go, and I think their price is not unreasonable, although money can be saved by assembling your own kit. Of course. if you realy get carried away, there are kits available with more buttons than on the average fighter plane, and the capability to add five or six new hydraulic circuits. Just think, a robotic grapple that tilts and swivels, that you can use to pick up your can of diet coke and pour it into your Chalkley cup, all while scratching behind your shoulderblade with a hydraulic backscratcher. (Don't press the wrong button.)
After the testing and demonstration that Bubenberg and I did on Sunday, I can declare the modification of the hydraulic controls on my PT1845 to be a success. With the button on the joystick, I can control the mounting plate lift and tilt as before, then push the button and control the open & close of the 4 n 1 or the curl of the hoe or the angle of the snowplow without my hand leaving the joystick.
Now, when I mount the hoe or 4 n 1, I don't attach them to the aux PTO. Instead, I hook their hydraulic lines to the new ones from the diverter valve. Then, when I move the lever to the side, it tilts the attach plate, as before. When I push the button and move the lever to the side, the tilt stays the same and the 4 n 1 opens or closes, or the hoe curls, etc. And, if I have another function, the aux pto is still available, still on the right knee lever.
Caveat: It was expensive. I have about $420 in the modification. I think it can be done for a little over half that by careful selection of components. I bought the valve and handle with button from W.R. Long for $204.75 and $56.95 respectively, plus shipping. I then bought hoses, fittings and adapters from our local Parker shop, which is expensive, but top grade stuff. Those cost $145. It took a few hours of fiddling to decide what fittings to buy, and where the valve could be mounted. I've seen valves as cheap as $125 if bought in lots of 30, and I assume there are some around in that range. At lease $75 can be saved in the hose and fitting budget by careful selection and location of the valve to minimize angle fittings and adapters.
To assemble a kit, you will need a momentary contact button, or a sleeve for the joystick with electrical top button or trigger. You need a solenoid operated diverter valve, four hoses, and the fittings to assemble everything. The steps are:
1. Figure where the valve can mount so that six hoses get to it without interference.
2. Disconnect the hoses from the joystick valves which go to the mounting plate tilt cylinder.
3. Install new hoses from the joystick valve to the p1 and p2 ports of the diverter valve.
4. Connect the original tilt cylinder hoses to the c1 and c4 ports of the diverter valve.
5. Connect two new hoses to the c2 and c3 ports of the diverter, with male quick disconnect fittings on the other end of the hoses of the same type as the aux pto.
6. Run one wire from the auxiliary pole in the console to the button, and the other wire from the button to the solenoid on the valve. Run a ground wire from the other solenoid valve to good ground.
Sounds easy, right? To make it challenging, do it in hot weather, as I did, and make sure you spill at least a quart of oil on the floor and an equal amount on your clothes. Preliminary testing with a couple of loose fittings does that well.
The type of valve which I installed is well described at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.autoguide.co.uk/sodad.htm>valve link</A>.
To select a valve from a hydraulic supplier, the best thing to do is to determine exactly what size fittings are on your PT system (are they SAE 4?). That way, a sodad can be selected which does not need adapters for hose sizes and fitting types. I used 6 $16 elbow fittings, plus a couple of similarly priced adapters from SAE6 to SAE4 (I think.)
A difficult decision is location of the new valve. I was able to squeeze it into the "firewall", but have noticed some minor interference with a lift cylinder when completely extended which might be a problem over time. Some imaginative location work may be needed on the PT425. A valve could be mounted outside the body, or on the boom, or even inside in the footwell with holes for a few hoses to go through.
The WR Long system I bought is oversize for PTs, but was assembled and tested by Long. I heard about it, and their 4 n 1 bucket which I bought, on TBN, and they have treated me well. Their kit is a proven way to go, and I think their price is not unreasonable, although money can be saved by assembling your own kit. Of course. if you realy get carried away, there are kits available with more buttons than on the average fighter plane, and the capability to add five or six new hydraulic circuits. Just think, a robotic grapple that tilts and swivels, that you can use to pick up your can of diet coke and pour it into your Chalkley cup, all while scratching behind your shoulderblade with a hydraulic backscratcher. (Don't press the wrong button.)
