The Exciting World of Hydraulic Couplers and How to Identify What's on Your Tractor

If you own a tractor and want to put a grapple, tree shear, tree puller, or any attachment that requires hydraulics to power a cylinder, there are a couple of things you need. First, you'll have to have a way to get the hydraulic flow to the front of the tractor, which may involve a third function valve, a diverter valve, or rear remotes with long hoses, then you'll need a way to disconnect the hoses with some hydraulic quick couplers. Trying to figure out what couplers you'll need when ordering an attachment can be a confusing issue. Today's video is designed to help clear that up. Let's say you knew when you bought the tractor that you needed front hydraulics so you ordered a third function valve. It's likely the dealer ordered and installed a kit that was designed for your specific tractor model. The kit would have come with hydraulic quick connect fittings. If you're now ordering a grapple that comes with fittings included, the folks that will provide it will want to know what fittings are already on the tractor. That can be confusing. Most of the time there are one of two types of couplers that are used in tractor applications, called Pioneer, or "Poppet", and flat-face couplers. Pioneer couplers have a collar that must be pulled back to release some ball bearings, then then the male portion has a spring loaded poppet on top that can be plugged into a female portion, the collar released, and then the fitting is locked together and will allow oil to flow. Flat face couplers work almost the same way, but they're flat on top and there's no collar to pull back. They're used on a lot of industrial application and actually have more capacity than Pioneer fittings. The problem is, each type is offered in three sizes and it's tough to tell what you have if you're not familiar with hydraulics. The most common of both is 1/2", but they are also offered in 3/8" and 1/4" and it's possible your tractor could have any of those sizes. The most reliable way of telling what you have would be to get the number and brand off the coupler and call the company that made it. They all have a number that references what they are. If you can't do that, there's a chart that shows the different sizes on my website here: https://asktractormike.com/product/do.... It's near the bottom of the listing. Different brands will interchange, different sizes will not, and it's impossible to tell from a picture what they are. Also, you'll need to know if you have a male and a female on the tractor end, two males, or two female fittings because some kits provide different configurations. Knowing what hydraulic couplers you have will ease your attachment buying process. Helping your implement manufacturer to provide the right fittings on the attachment will mean that when you get it, you can hook it up and go right to work, and that's what we all want. LINKS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT... The Tractor Fun Store: https://asktractormike.com/products-f... Support the Tractor Mike Channel:   / tractormike   Visit the Tractor Mike website: http://asktractormike.com/ Visit Facebook Page:   / ask-tractor-mike-312112962245304   Copyright 2021 Tractor Mike LLC