Little Ford Tractor Has Hydraulic Power To Spare

Little Ford Tractor Has Hydraulic Power To Spare TRACTORS Hydraulics 33-2-2 Don Haacke's hydraulic posthole auger is almost bigger than the Ford Jubilee it's mounted on. "I refurbished the Ford, but when I wanted to add a hydraulic posthole auger, I knew it couldn't handle it," says Haacke. "The tractor hydraulics could handle the up and down, but they were too small to power the auger. I also wanted the options of variable rate and reverse controls on the auger." To give him the power he needed and the control options, Haacke removed the mechanical pto drive on the auger and mounted a hydraulic motor directly to the gearbox. "I put a 21 gpm pump on the tractor's pto with a pto extension that lets me use both the pto shaft and hydraulics without disconnecting either," he says. "I put a flow divider on the system with variable speed control of 1 to 18 gpm. When I want power, it's there. When I don't, it just recirculates." Haacke also installed a pressure release valve and a pressurized breather. If pressure builds too high, the control valve goes back to neutral so the tractor won't kill. "With the pressurized breather, you don't need to worry about oil coming out of the breather when on a steep slope," says Haacke. While he admits the 30-gal. hydraulic reservoir he mounted on the side of the tractor might be a bit oversized, he wanted more than sufficient cooling capacity. "It has worked real well, even in the heat of the summer, with no overheating issues," says Haacke. The reservoir mounts to brackets that fit on the tractor's belly mower mounts. At 12 by 14 by 48-in., it's big, but not in the way for the operator. Haacke does admit that when filled with oil, steering becomes more difficult. "My wife uses this tractor for raking, and she doesn't care for the effect on the steering," he says He figures the pump, flow dividers, 35-gal. reservoir and other options installed bring the full cost to a little over $1,000. He says he could have gone with a smaller pump, but he wanted as much flow as he could get out of the little tractor. "We've worked the heck out of it, and it has held up well," he says. Haacke, who is in the custom hydraulics business, built the unit for himself but says he's had requests from other N-Series Ford owners and is open to building them for these and other tractors. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Responsible Fluid Power, 27075 Mueller Place, Sioux Falls, S. Dak. 57108 (ph 605 368-2300; fax 605 368-2333; dch@responsiblefluidpower.com; www.responsiblefluidpower.com).

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