Re: Case 644 loader repairs
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2023 10:39 am
Small step forward. This tractor had the attachment lift cylinder on the frame, but I had no intention of using it. Until I could come up with a 3pth solution I wanted the cylinder off the tractor, and was looking for a way to bypass the auxiliary circuit. The best way I could think of doing it was to loop one on the aux cylinder hoses back to the TCV port. The problem was finding a fitting for that. There are two hoses that go to the aux cylinder. Both hoses are 5/16 female on the TCV side, because the TCV has JIC female fittings. On the side of the cylinder one hose is 1/4 NPT male, and the other is 5/16 JIC male. Both aux ports on the TCV are 5/16 ORB female (#5). The original fittings there are ORB-5 male to 5/16 JIC male. There was nowhere to find a female to female 5/16 union fitting, to loop the hose from aux that had 5/16 JIC male on the cylinder side. So I was looking for a fitting that was 1/4 NPT female to ORB. But I actually didn't know it was ORB size 5! Sometimes I just rely on my memory, which is often a bad idea.
My job takes me to Toronto sometimes, a two hour drive, and when that happens, I stop by Princess Auto (PA), the store I usually get hydraulic fittings from, midway to Toronto. The first time I stopped there I looked at the available fittings, and according to my "eye" micrometer got the #6 orb - 1/4 NPTF. That night when I tried to install the fitting, noticed it was too big. Next time I went to PA, 2 weeks later, I got the next size down, which turned out to be #4 orb.
yes, because that particular store is not well stocked, and they were missing #5 orb, not even having a spot on the shelf for it. In retrospect I should've measured the thread diameter, but sometimes I trust the store and my memory too much. I expected the store to have all standard sizes, therefore, if the fitting I got was just a bit too large, getting the next smaller one would be the right one. In this case I got orb #4 which I found that night, was too small.
At that point I thought that ORB-5 is probably an odd size and I won't be able to find it easily. @FUTZ offered to help me with that, as he has access to professional stock of hydraulic parts.
Turns out that I had to go to another city for issues having to do with my sister's estate, and passed by another Princess Auto. On impulse I went in just for the heck of it. Well, that particular location had a much larger hydraulic section and was so much better stocked than the one I usually go to, I was impressed. Plus they got the right fitting for me.
And so now the aux circuit is nicely looped back to the TCV and have no dangling cylinder in the middle section of the TCV. My 644 has changed it's name from Bill to Sue. Just like a boy named Sue, I suppose. 
I made an effort to provide a long long ramble.
My job takes me to Toronto sometimes, a two hour drive, and when that happens, I stop by Princess Auto (PA), the store I usually get hydraulic fittings from, midway to Toronto. The first time I stopped there I looked at the available fittings, and according to my "eye" micrometer got the #6 orb - 1/4 NPTF. That night when I tried to install the fitting, noticed it was too big. Next time I went to PA, 2 weeks later, I got the next size down, which turned out to be #4 orb.
yes, because that particular store is not well stocked, and they were missing #5 orb, not even having a spot on the shelf for it. In retrospect I should've measured the thread diameter, but sometimes I trust the store and my memory too much. I expected the store to have all standard sizes, therefore, if the fitting I got was just a bit too large, getting the next smaller one would be the right one. In this case I got orb #4 which I found that night, was too small. At that point I thought that ORB-5 is probably an odd size and I won't be able to find it easily. @FUTZ offered to help me with that, as he has access to professional stock of hydraulic parts.
Turns out that I had to go to another city for issues having to do with my sister's estate, and passed by another Princess Auto. On impulse I went in just for the heck of it. Well, that particular location had a much larger hydraulic section and was so much better stocked than the one I usually go to, I was impressed. Plus they got the right fitting for me.
- Original fitting, 5/16 JICM to ORB-5, and wrong replacement fitting, 1/4 NPTF to ORB-4. Later I got the right replacement fitting, 1/4 NPTF to ORB-5.
I made an effort to provide a long long ramble.
- StCatharines, Kitchener and Brantford all have newer, bigger stores with much more inventory - I'm almost always checking store inventory online before I go to buy anything now...
whats the world coming to . 
When I install the 3pth, what will it be then? 
. I don't want my protruding element removed because I don't use it anymore . I am kinda attached to it , or it to me . 
JUST don't say it when the 
