Kelley Model 400 Front end loader

T K Ripley · Oct 11, 2021

Hi! I have a Ford 860 with a Kelly 400 front end loader. Does anyone have any idea what the specifications are? I don't think it has the original lift cylinders. I need to bleed the air out of the lines on single acting cylinders. I have found that if I cycle the bucket up and down I can slowly force the air out. There should be a better way. I am going to be replacing most of the hoses as soon as I can. They aren't leaking but they are in frightening shape. I will need to bleed the whole system when I do change them.

Steve@Advance · Oct 11, 2021

It's rare to have to bleed a hydraulic system.

As long as the pump is making pressure it should eventually self purge. Might be foamy and bouncy at first but will almost always clear up.

Sitting overnight usually gets rid of the foam.

Watch the level, it will drop as the air clears out.

BarnyardEngineering · Oct 11, 2021

Agreed. No need to bleed the air out. All you can do is crack the lines at the cylinder anyway, but that's messy and only somewhat effective. There is no way to get the air out of the cylinder except through cycling it up and down.

If you're not able to work the air out in a few cycles, or need to "re-bleed" often there is another problem.

RCP · Oct 11, 2021

I have single acting cylinders on the loader on our 550. There are no piston rings on single acting cylinders, the
only seal is the piston rod to the cylinder body. That means it is possible to trap air in the cylinder bore around
the piston rod. This can be minimized if the hydraulic oil connection is on the top of the cylinder and the hoses run
uphill to the cylinder reservoir. Until I rotated my cylinders and reran the hoses, I would have issues with air
trapping in the cylinders and the cylinders would be slow to move.

Kelley Model 400 Front end loader

T K Ripley

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Steve@Advance

Well-known Member

BarnyardEngineering

Well-known Member

RCP

Well-known Member

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