I have been having some trouble getting the hydraulics on my JD 450B track loader with 9300 backhoe set properly. I broke a clam cylinder on the 4 in 1 bucket and I suspect a poorly set relief valve. Can someone recommend a hydraulic pressure gage test set, for 1/2 hose with flare fittings? I need to get a handle on what the hydraulic pressure is at various points. I just put a new main hydraulic pump in last weekend and am disappointed in overloading a cylinder today and breaking the mounting ears off.
Could you cobble together a gauge and fittings from Surplus Center? They seem to have a decent assortment of both. https://www.surpluscenter.com/home.asp Also, my 450B has a Drott 4-1 and it has a relief on the backside of the bucket that the clam hydraulic hoses run through that limits pressure to the clam. Sucks that you broke an ear off. Hopefully it can be repaired easily (well, nothing's easy on these machines but, hope it doesn't have you pulling your hair out!). Darryl
I don't know that your going to find "a kit" with out breaking the bank account.. Most mechanics I know, just bought BIG gauges off ebay of 10.00 & cobbled together the hoses.. or had a hydo shop make them up as needed..
Thanks for good advice. I see gauges off Amazon between $10 and $20. Now let me go find my hose guy to make me a fitting to T into a -08 MP or NPTF so I can tap into the hoses that go to either backhoe or the clam cylinders. In the meantime, I suspect there is debris or mechanical damage to the relief valve. The local JD dealer called the relief valve a "holding valve" and "cleaned it" to make the clam stay closed. As for the broken ears, there is an excellent cylinder shop in New Market, TN, Five Rivers Hydraulic, and they can dismantle the cylinder, fabricate new ears and weld repair. If I could easily get the cylinder apart, the welding could be done by a buddy.
There are a couple ways to go about it. There are kits but they can eat up a grand pretty easy. I don't know how much you'll use the gauges....the $20 gauges are crap. They lose their fluid or leak internally in a short period of time. I've always used Cat gauges (around $65) and other than lose them or somebody "borrow" one I haven't had a failure. As far as tapping in there are a couple options. There are swivel run tees that come with a test port, I prefer PD like Cat, or you can get a tee that leaves you with a male or female you can tie into. If you know the sizes you need I think a good gauge, hose and a handful of fittings could be done for $150 give or take. Sad thing is in all my junk, uh I mean "inventory", I probably have what you need. I can give you Cat part numbers of gauges or test kit as well as a link to another setup. If nothing else it'll give you ideas to help assemble your kit. Kits get you started but you always end up with 50 pounds of additional fittings. Of course with one or two personal machines it's not so bad. Clear as mud? Haha
For pipe thread you take a male nipple, a female ridgid x female swivel, drill them for 1/8" pipe, then take a 1/8" pipe x 1/4 jic, then you can screw your gauge hose onto that. I dont know of any current suppliers for pre made inline pipe test points
Thanks for the assistance. I have stopped at my local hydraulic hose and fitting shop and got what I need in -10 JIC, male, female, tee and 1/2 to 1/4 bushing. Now I just need to order a gauge, and should be good. The cylinder is on the way to the hydraulic cylinder repair shop for welding and I think I am on the correct path.
http://www.hydracheck.com/product-category/diagnostic-quick-disconnects/ Has some t fittings made that are nice. You can never have enough "t" fittings and adapters
That is a page I should keep handy! Gauge is in, just waiting on cylinder shop!
I just wanted to follow up to this. Cylinder came back from the shop, and nicely done for about $650, delivered, had to get out the rosebud and make a special tool to rebend the bottom mount on the 4 in 1, and then had trouble getting the relief valve apart. The part is obsolete and no longer available, and to reengineer with a generic valve would have involved major plumbing issues. Finally took the valve off today and got it apart with a big bench vise, 18" pipe wrench, with a big dead blow on the back of the wrench. Then I found three ordinarily 1/4 WASHERS in addition to the factory shim on the main spring. Restored the factory shim arangement, reassembled field tested and all seems good. Test rig is on the wall ready when needed. Thanks to all for the help.
Sweet. Thanks for the update. We seldom get those!