General Hydraulics Question

[Dale_W]

HI All.
I posted about this machine a while back with an odd question about airflow direction for the hydraulic system radiator fan.
It is an early 1980's Case 'Mini Sneaker'. It has a vibrating plow blade that is used to pull lawn irrigation pipe underground from the valve box to the the sprinkler heads.

Fully hydraulic. Yesterday my son called and told me the cylinder that articulates the machine stopped working. Some how he got it back on the trailer. My 'assumption' is that the seals in the cylinder failed after all these years. Now I must add, just before he picked it up we checked the tank of hydra fluid. Not even up to the dipstick. We put in a little more than 1/2 of a two gallon jug. All seemed well. Until maybe 1/2 hour into the job of the day that is, when the one articulating cylinder stopped working.

I was just ready to take the cylinder off and look for numbers when I thought I'd test it. sure enough, it works. (maybe not when the machine gets good and hot?)

Could I have just gotten 'lucky' when we added the fluid?

I'm at a complete loss here. I think I will go try to heat the machine up. HA, watch the steering fail when I am a block away from my house.

You guys got any input on how I could test to make sure this is a reliable machine?

Thanks,
Dale

Update: I ran the engine and got her good and hot. The articulating cylinder still seems to be working OK. I think I will take it for a ride in the neighborhood. Lets just say we did
get some air in the system because the fluid level got too low. Is there an easy way to bleed out the air?

[Dale_W]

following up. I think I dodged a bullet. For now anyway. I ran the machine for about 30 minutes, with no problems.

I am thinking there was air in the cylinder from us letting the reserve tank get too low. (the system does leak from a pump)

I did learn that the two cylinders on this machine are not welded, so when the day comes they can be rebuilt.

One of the pumps is where the leak is from. I think having that rebuilt will be a fall job.

Thanks again.

Dale