Live Hydraulics on a 2N

Is anybody out there as frustrated as I am by the lack of live hydraulics on the old fords?

I am considering adding an external cylinder to raise (and lower) the lift arms on my 2N. I would add a front pump and use the existing hydraulic fluid reservoir. Has anyone done this?

This would allow me to add auxillary hydraulics to the tractor as well and does not seem very expensive or difficult. I do not plow so draft control is not an issue. I do have a Zane Thang and love it, but it is not the same as live hydraulics. Additionally, these changes would all be external, so they would not permanently modify the tractor.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Dave in Illinois. :-)

My idea if to install a belt driven pump like a powersteering pump and pipe the intake from the reservoir by going through the right side inspection plate and piping the pressure line into the test port. That's it. The existing control valve of the tractor will still be able to operate just like it did with the original pump and the PTO pump can be left running or turned off. The control valve would still work because all it does is plug the oil that is dumped back to the reservoir. When both pumps are running the lift would be about twice as fast as originally.

I may make it a project to try it and if I do I'll post how it works if someone doesn't do it before I do.

Heck, I may even sell the kit! :O)

If I am not mistaken, the hydraulic control lever controls the supply of fluid to the pump, unlike current spool valves where flow is constant. This means that if a continuous supply of pressure is applied to the test port, the arms will lift until something stops them (this seems bad).

However, I agree that adding a pump, using the existing reservoir for fluid, and adding a spool control valve and an external cylinder to the rear of the differential housing and the left lift arm will provide live hydraulics and even an auxillary hydraulics port (if desired).

Thanks,

Dave. :-)

My idea if to install a belt driven pump like a powersteering pump and pipe the intake from the reservoir by going through the right side inspection plate and piping the pressure line into the test port. That's it. The existing control valve of the tractor will still be able to operate just like it did with the original pump and the PTO pump can be left running or turned off. The control valve would still work because all it does is plug the oil that is dumped back to the reservoir. When both pumps are running the lift would be about twice as fast as originally.

I may make it a project to try it and if I do I'll post how it works if someone doesn't do it before I do.

• N-Newsletter Index

bd

But when we talk about the N's and other older tractors we know that there are no live hydraulics.

The machines are what they are.

If live hydraulics or power steering or other features are in a person's "must have" book, then they should get a tractor that has those features as standard.

Of course these features generally cost more money though.

Just my thoughts.

Sal

Only you know what you want to do and are prepared to do to get there, but my humble opinion is that you're wasting your time. What you'll end up with is sub-optimal live hydraulics on a 50-year-old 20-horse tractor. You might be a lot better served to spend your time and effort to find a decent mid-50's tractor with live hydraulics built in. Even if you make this conversion, you'll still have a non-live PTO, which halves the benefit of live hydraulics for many of the implements that they would be of real help for.

JMHO, and worth excatly what it cost you.

llater,

llamas