1954 Super-M hydraulic help needed

I have a 1954 Super M. It has a hydraulic unit under that gas tank, and a functioning (apparently) hydraulic pump.

I purchased the tractor without a hydraulic cylinder. The Tractor had been restored/rebuilt before I purchased it. The hydraulic cylinder was removed by the restorer, but was reported to have been in use prior to being restored.

How do I determine the cyclinder size for a replacement? How do I determine which line to connect to what input/output on the replacement cylinder (when I purchase the correct size).

What do I need to know about they system before I attempt to use it?

Is there any way to damage the hydraulic system by being completely NEW at working with hydraulics?

I have owned another Farmall, an H, but it had only a draw bar and belt, no hydraulics.

There is a lever, attached to a rod, on the unit under the gas tank. It does appear to work/function when pulled, but does not have any way to hold/secure it after being pulled/engaged.

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If you happen to be in East Texas, and able/willing to work on it, or just able to help me fix it ... shoot me an email.

I failed to mention, the cylinder would be attached to the existing 3-pt system.

Get a 3.5" or 4" x 8" cylinder. Probably with 1" clevises on both ends but we don't have a picture of your 3pth.

You didn't mention any external valves so you only have pressure in one direction. Not a good setup as the hitch may not go down by gravity if there is no load on hitch.

Use the port that extends the cylinder. The other port gets vented to atmosphere via a screw-in breather. The working port will be at the base of the cylinder, not near the piston rod.

It should be mounted base down. Slightly more lift that way plus the piston rod is less likely to be damaged.

If you look at the Liftall lever where it enters the reservoir, you will see a rotatable clip about 1" long. Turn that with pliers so that it fits the notch in the lever when it is pulled back. This is only used with hydraulic motors or if the tractor is fitted with an auxillary four way open center valve. Some people call them two way but that is wrong. Don't get confused there.

The liftall lever has three positions. Raise, neutral or hold, and lower. Lower is all the way forward. Raise is spring return to neutral.

Sure you can screw up. Everybody does. Just take it slowly and think about what you are doing. Ask more questions if need be.

I should clarify one sentence. "Raise is spring return to neutral". I';ll rewrite it as "Pull back all the way to raise. Release and it will spring back to hold (or neutral).

Posters with unfamiliar equipment questions should attempt to post pictures. We can't be sure your descriptions are accurate. For instance, you may very well have a four way valve (double acting) but failed to mention it. If that is the case, your set-up and operation will be different than what I described.

I like the original IH 3.5" x 8" cylinders. Both ports are at the top. This means you will not have a loose hose near the ground that might get ripped off.

Just out of curiosity, you mention getting 'slightly more lift' with the cylinder mounted base down. Does the orientation matter to the lift capacity as long as the cylinder is extending? Although I wholeheartedly agree about the damage to the rod argument. Thanks, Sam

(quoted from post at 15:53:46 10/28/09) Just out of curiosity, you mention getting 'slightly more lift' with the cylinder mounted base down. Does the orientation matter to the lift capacity as long as the cylinder is extending? Although I wholeheartedly agree about the damage to the rod argument. Thanks, Sam

Click to expand...

He's just having a mental typo. No, that part don't matter except for he weight of the housing being more than the ram. Expansion is the same no regardless of how cylinder is pointed.

Does it have mounts for two cylinders?

M Diesel,

If the cylinder is mounted upside down, lifting of
the hitch happens as the piston rod retracts. The
displacement of the rod must be subtracted from the
displacement of the cylinder. That means less force
in a shorter time. I am not going to bother doing
the math but the push of a cylinder is ALWAYS
greater than the pull. You can take that one to the
bank.

I believe there are two valves exiting the hydraulic unit under the gas tank. One above the other. I will get pics of the system by weekend and post them here.

Which one is the 'out' and which is the 'in/return' for the system?

Thanks for the advice so far.

(quoted from post at 18:19:07 10/28/09) M Diesel,

If the cylinder is mounted upside down, lifting of
the hitch happens as the piston rod retracts. The
displacement of the rod must be subtracted from the
displacement of the cylinder. That means less force
in a shorter time. I am not going to bother doing
the math but the push of a cylinder is ALWAYS
greater than the pull. You can take that one to the
bank.

Click to expand...

My point being that the cylinder is always between the same two mount points. He is not fabricating mount points for it. On all the 3 point units I have seen, expansion = raise.

And I have done that calculation more times than most. Far more times. :roll:

If it has the mounts for two cylinders I prefer to split the volume into two 3" small rather than one 4". It eases the role of the rock shaft.