Power steering pump add on hydraulics.

I just added a woods L306 to my farmall BN. It is now an awesome mowing machine. The only problem is it takes a lot of effort to raise the deck. I've seen in my travels tractors that used power steering pumps, control levers and a single acting cylinder to raise implements. I'm wondering if anyone has done this and pictures of how it was done. The mower weighs about 450 pounds, and with a counter spring it wouldn't have to be that strong.

Take Care,
Steve
Story of my farmall BN restoration

Create an open center system by purchasing a used PS pump. From Honda autos, to medium duty trucks, they can be made to work. Then from there go to a two way spool valve and from that back to the reservoir with the return, and to the ends of a cylinder with the remaining ports. Cylinders can also be found on Power steering systems from small systems used on 50s ford linkage type steering, to those medium duty trucks. JimN

couple other options for you, first, if you have a belt pulley that drives the mower, the pto should be available, mount a char-lynn pto driven pump to the pto. there are quite a few used out there, they are self contained with the resevoir and spool valve all built in. slip it on the pto, snug er down and instant hydraulics. heres a pic of one on my w-9, its the red drum under the blue tool box, they are about the side of 1/2 a 5 gallon bucket
<a href="http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/glennster_01/?action=view&current=DSCF1628.jpg" target="_blank"> </a>
another option is a prince pto pump, then add your valve and resevoir, little more involved, but i have one on my b, and it runs a log splitter great. 22gpm/2250 psi. down side is the pto pumps are not live. heres a pic of the b with the pto pump on the splitter.
<a href="http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/glennster_01/?action=view&current=DSCF1672.jpg" target="_blank"></a>
if you need a one way cylinder, the international 800 cyclo planter marker cylinders were a handy one way cylinder. lot of those planters in the junk yard. heres the cylinder on my #5 jd mower
<a href="http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/glennster_01/?action=view&current=DSCF1592.jpg" target="_blank"></a>
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What is the car behind the B? Looks like a late 40s or early 50s Hudson

56 or 57 kaiser-farzer has an inline 6 with a paxton belt driven supercharger. even a 6v electrical system. came with the farm when i bought the place. dont have a title for it.

A bonded title costs less tha 100$. Easy to get, and easy to use Probably a Keeper car!!! JimN

electric linear actuator *could* work in your situation.
the only catch is 90% of those available are 12v. and may not work if you are on 6v.

karl f

The spring that came with the mower will make it easy to lift if you have it hooked in the rite place. I do use the Char-Lynn set-up on two Bs they are a fine unit.

(quoted from post at 12:01:46 08/05/09)

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If you are already using the PTO/Belt pulley mechanics to operate the mower, I don't think you would want the hydraulics to work only when the mower is running.... fanbelt or crankshaft driven live hydraulics is what you would want. A PS pump with a self contained reservoir would be the simplest way to go. Valves are available at a lot of farm supply places like TSC. Just be sure the cylinder volume, if single acting, isn't so large it drains the reservoir, or use a double acting cylinder so all you move from the reservoir is the volume of the rod.