Releasing Pressure to hook up attachments

[SpringHollow]

Just a quick post in case someone never thought of it.

BobRip mentioned releasing pressure to hook up attachments. Since the high presure connects are too expensive, i just replaced my quick attach connections with standard flat face. Still, sometimes i need to hold the lever all the way up for one connection and all the way down for the other (man times, if holding the lever is necessary, connecting the first allows me to connect the second without holding the lever). To aid in this, i keep a rubber tied down strap wrapped around the ROPS support. When needed, i connect one end to the lever above the plastic grip and the find an attachment point for the other end. By the way, do not use the pedals to wrap the strap around if you are forgetful and might not detach it before starting the tractor. Do not ask how i know! Fortunately, you realize right away lol.

Ken

 

[BobRip]

Ken, all I do is push the lever up for a second and then down for a second. That releases the pressure. I do not have to hold it. Maybe I misunderstand you. Once the pressure is released (engine not running of course) it will not come back. If you are doing it with the engine running, this is potentially dangerous.

 

[SpringHollow]

Hi Bob,

I have connected with the engine running a couple of times (out of many hundreds of times) with no problems of spraying but i am definitely not pulling on the handle then (and have safety glasses and a coat on).

80 - 90% of the time, no pulling or pulling as you do works. About 10% of the time, if the handle is not held up or down while connecting, i can not get the last 20% of the connector in. This is with the engine off. I assume it is pressure in the attachment immediately creating pressure in the tractor but i do not know that that is true.

Ken

 

[MossRoad]

One thing you might try doing is this....

Shut off the tractor. Move the lever a few times in both directions, then disconnect the attachment. That should relieve the pressure and make it easier to hook up again next time.

 

[KMA]

One thing you might try doing is this....

Shut off the tractor. Move the lever a few times in both directions, then disconnect the attachment. That should relieve the pressure and make it easier to hook up again next time.

Yeah, this approach works great. The only hassle is having to turn off the tractor. Not a huge deal, but when it runs hot I like to let it idle a bit before powering down... that adds to the overall time to change attachments.

 

[BobRip]

I have had pressure build up in the attachment cylinders. I put a pin in the connector and tap it with a hammer or whatever. You get a little spirt of oil and then it connects easily. I see this mostly if the attachments is a lot warmer than it was when I disconnected it. Sitting in the Sun for example.

 

[smilindave]

I also move the lever up and down to relieve the pressure build-up. I went one step further by reversing the fittings so that when i remove my 4 in 1 bucket, I hook them together, thereby equalizing the pressure in the lines.

 

[BobRip]

I also move the lever up and down to relieve the pressure build-up. I went one step further by reversing the fittings so that when i remove my 4 in 1 bucket, I hook them together, thereby equalizing the pressure in the lines.

Have you seen this work over a wide range? Sure the pressure is equal, but if it is high then you would still have trouble getting them apart, IMHO.

 

[stray]

I don't know if this applies to what you all mean or not. But if I am going to use the quick connects that go to the quick attach cylinder say for operating hydraulics on the grapple bucket. I will always engage the lock (the quick lock that locks the bucket to the PT) and then just tap it back enough to release the pressure. Than would be just barley moving it off completely locked. You should see the attach move back a little and this will let you know the pressure is off. There is then no problem unhooking or hooking the lines. I will say that I never shut the engine off to attach any of the hydraulics, these or for the PTO. Wow than would really be aggravating to me.

 

[SpringHollow]

I have tried everything people have posted and still have trouble every so often. I did switch so that i have one male and one female connector on the tractor so that i could easily connect the attachment hoses together. I used flat face connectors. They are nice - easy to clean and no oil loss when disconnecting/connecting.

Ken

 

[J_J]

Have you seen this work over a wide range? Sure the pressure is equal, but if it is high then you would still have trouble getting them apart, IMHO.

Bob.

I believe there is a difference when separating QD's that are connected together from an attachments for this reason. If the QD's are connected together, and the heat has expanded the fluid and increased the pressure, the pressure is pushing on the poppet/balls , and when you pull the sleeve back, the small bearings around the sleeve should almost spring out and the coupling release.

When you are trying to couple, you have to push against the poppet/balls which have pressure built up behind them. Tapping or pushing on just one usually enough to release the pressure. Some of my couplings have a two way sleeve. You can push or pull the sleeve to connect.

 

[BobRip]

Bob.

I believe there is a difference when separating QD's that are connected together from an attachments for this reason. If the QD's are connected together, and the heat has expanded the fluid and increased the pressure, the pressure is pushing on the poppet/balls , and when you pull the sleeve back, the small bearings around the sleeve should almost spring out and the coupling release.

When you are trying to couple, you have to push against the poppet/balls which have pressure built up behind them. Tapping or pushing on just one usually enough to release the pressure. Some of my couplings have a two way sleeve. You can push or pull the sleeve to connect.

That sounds reasonable J_J. At this point I am only having a problem about once a year. Just releasing the pressure with a hammer and pin is easy enough. I keep them in my on PT tool box.

 

[RegL]

That sounds reasonable J_J. At this point I am only having a problem about once a year. Just releasing the pressure with a hammer and pin is easy enough. I keep them in my on PT tool box.

I used to use the hammer and pin method until I figured out an easier way. This is so simple your going to wonder why you didn't think of it. I wonder why it took me so long. Right next to the QD's on the loader is the bottom end of that level indicator rod that I never used. And it's just the right size to slip the female disconnect over. I do that and then grasp the disconnect tightly with one hand. Than hit that hand firmly with the heel of the other hand( not so hard that it hurts). Works 95% of the time. I usually grab it with a rag to keep the oil from squirting all over.

 

[BobRip]

I used to use the hammer and pin method until I figured out an easier way. This is so simple your going to wonder why you didn't think of it. I wonder why it took me so long. Right next to the QD's on the loader is the bottom end of that level indicator rod that I never used. And it's just the right size to slip the female disconnect over. I do that and then grasp the disconnect tightly with one hand. Than hit that hand firmly with the heel of the other hand( not so hard that it hurts). Works 95% of the time. I usually grab it with a rag to keep the oil from squirting all over.

I don't think the 422/425 has that rod. I had actually thought about welding a rod to the PT for this purpose. Actually putting a clamp around the roll over tube with a bolt sticking out might work. I don't like to weld to the PT itself.
Just a silly rule. I have got to think about this one.

 

[J_J]

If you take the male QD and push it against any metal surface, it should release. Put a rag around it to absorb fluid.

 

[RegL]

If you take the male QD and push it against any metal surface, it should release. Put a rag around it to absorb fluid.

All my attachment side qd's are female. you got to stick something in their to relieve the pressure.

 

[J_J]

Well, you could switch one of the QD's so you have a male and a female QD on each attachment. That will also let you plug the QD's on the attachments together. I believe it is normal for the male QD on the hyd supply to be pressure, and the female QD the return. This would also alleviate any hyd motor connections problems.

 

[Gravy]

Like several others, I have swapped my quick-connects so each item has a male and a female. When an unused implement with it's hoses connected together sits in the sun, the heat sometimes builds enough pressure that I have to use tools to separate them. I can usually just use a pair of pliers to twist and pull the sleeve. I don't think there is any way around the problem other than adding in a bleeder valve of some sort.

 

[soulasphil]

I'm surprised at you guys having female QDs on your implements. On my JD it's the other way round, all female on the tractor and all male on implements. So that they can easily be bled by pressing on a metal surface. This is often necessary, especially with the loader or the MMM because of their weight pressing on the cylinders.

 

[Gravy]

Well, that's one of the things about Power-Trac. They don't much care how the others do it. They do things the way that suits them - like being closed the week of Thanksgiving just when I need a steering hose that the local hose guy can't duplicate (grrr).

Seriously, I think they make a lot of their basic engineering decisions based on what works for their other machines in the coal mines. Conditions half a mile under an Appalachian mountain... well, priorities are kinda different there. Temperatures don't swing very fast, but having a machine that's dirt simple might count for a lot.

My job takes me to coal country about once a week. I've never been farther into a mine than 100 feet into an adit, but I can tell you for sure that priorities are *really* different there. (I've never seen so many ambulance services until I went there.)

Power-Tracs are derived from deep mining equipment, so the approach is radically different from machines that are based on wheat-farming tractors from Lake Wobegon or industrial loaders from a gravel quarry.

It's a completely different world. I still don't really understand it.