John Deere Model A hydraulic system

Jack Toad

New User
Just bought a 1949 John Deere A, my first tractor. The hydraulic system leaks, and I just hooked up my new brush hog and the lift arms don't move when the lever is forward and the clutch is forward. I assume the gallon of hydraulic fluid I put in last week has leaked out, and assume I will need to put in a new gasket, but for the moment my question is how to know how much hydraulic fluid to add. I would really like to get the brush hog off its shipping pallet and out of my wife's parking spot! Thanks for any and all assistance!

Bryson
 
Thank you! I disengaged the PTO in order to move the drive shafts into alignment (while the motor wasn't running) and did not re-engage it afterwards. Now my problem is that the brush hog is sitting on the shipping pallet, so I will have to figure out a way to get the pallet out from under the six-foot brush hog before I start the tractor up again. I had not known the PTO needed to be engaged to lift.

There are too many things I do not know!
 
"[b:654c4848f0][i:654c4848f0]<font color="#6699ff">my question is how to know how much hydraulic fluid to add.[/i:654c4848f0][/b:654c4848f0]</font>"

Take a look at the information below.

a275083.jpg" width="650"


Take a look at the "[i:654c4848f0]oil level opening[/i:654c4848f0]" also referred to as the oil level test cock on "Old John" our 48 Model A.

a275084.jpg" width="650"


Hope this helps.
 
"[b:654c4848f0][i:654c4848f0]<font color="#6699ff">the lift arms don't move when the lever is forward and the clutch is forward.[/i:654c4848f0][/b:654c4848f0]</font>"

Agree with [b:654c4848f0]Pete in MD[/b:654c4848f0]'s statement that "[i:654c4848f0]The pto has to be engaged to have hydraulics.[/i:654c4848f0]"

Take a look at the photos below of the powershaft shifter lever.

a275085.jpg" width="650"


a275086.jpg" width="650"


Hope this helps.
 
If I understand you correctly, you're worried about the blade spinning as you try to lift off of the pallet? I'd leave the mower PTO shaft disconnected until I got it safely off of the pallet. I'm not trying to be a smartalec, and I apologize if I misunderstood your new problem.
 
If I understand you correctly, you're worried about the blade spinning as you try to lift off of the pallet? I'd leave the mower PTO shaft disconnected until I got it safely off of the pallet. I'm not trying to be a smartalec, and I apologize if I misunderstood your new problem.
 

No, you weren't being a smart aleck! You understood my situation, which we resolved with semi-skillful use of floor jacks to lift the brush hog just enough to pull the pallet out of harm's way. I am pleased not to have to try to thread the drive shaft back on again, and very thankful that this forum exists to help novices like me! I will now add hydraulic fluid, after opening the proper petcock, engage the PTO to lift the brush hog up, disengage the PTO, and drive the whole shooting match into the pasture so my wife can park her car where she is used to.

Thanks to all who posted!
 
Well I’m going to try not to sound like a smart Alec but we always filled the Power Trol till it ran out the fill hole so there was enough oil in it to raise wagons all the way up, and the Caswell loader too. We have done this since the 50’s. You can’t harm anything but if the rockshaft seals are a little weak you might have oil coming out around the rockshaft seals with it overfilled.
 
(quoted from post at 21:35:11 07/29/18) Well I’m going to try not to sound like a smart Alec but we always filled the Power Trol till it ran out the fill hole so there was enough oil in it to raise wagons all the way up, and the Caswell loader too. We have done this since the 50’s. You can’t harm anything but if the rockshaft seals are a little weak you might have oil coming out around the rockshaft seals with it overfilled.
When I bought my 50 it had a loader on it. That tractor had a reservoir tank bolted to the back of the battery box which was plumbed right into the fill hole! So I guess you could say that was overfilled!! No ill effects from that. I have since removed that set up, but everything still works great.
 

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