Self-Contained Hydraulic Cylinder

Self-Contained Hydraulic Cylinder TRACTORS Accessories 21-3-9 To adjust a 3-pt. top link on a tractor with-out live hydraulics, you usually have to stop the tractor, climb off, and crank a turnbuckle-type top link. Dennis Lenart, Waco, Texas, replaced the turnbuckle with a self-contained hydraulic cylinder that requires no outside power. The cylinder is connected by a hose to a ball valve and oil reservoir mounted on the tractor fender. The cylinder is free to move whenever the valve is open, so to change the angle of the implement he simply opens the valve. Once the implement is where he wants it he closes the valve. "It really works slick because it lets me change position of the cylinder on-the-go. Saves a lot of time and hassle," says Lenart, who mounted the unit on his Kubota 24 hp tractor. "I came up with the idea after I bought a 3-pt. mounted box blade equipped with scarifier teeth on front. I got tired of always having to crank the top link so that I could switch between digging and blading. I used it last year to dig a 4-ft. deep hole for a septic tank. I made one pass with the teeth down, then turned around and used the blade to carry the loosened dirt out. It made the implement a lot more efficient to operate." Lenart drilled a hole in the center of a two-way ball valve, making it three-way, then turned it upside down and bolted a 1 1/2-in. dia., 8-in. high steel pipe reservoir on top of it. When the valve is turned on, oil can flow freely between the hose, valve, and reservoir. When the valve is turned off the oil in the reservoir is closed off from the cylinder. Lenart is willing to sell plans for a fee. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dennis Lenart, Rt. 8, Box 1306W, Waco, Texas 76705 (ph 817 867-6915).

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