Hi Y'all

What are your thoughts on running a forging press off of a tractor PTO (New Holland 8030)?

Thanks in advance.

I have a small press I run off one of the hydraulic outlets on my tractor. I just ran the lines thru the wall with couplers on the end and back the tractor up and plug it in. That way the noise and exhaust from the tractor are in the side of the shed I store equipment and I'm not in. I don't use the press very often and didn't want to spend a bunch of money for a pump, already have tractors.

Do you have only the PTO or does it already have rear hydraulics?  From my searches, on most modern tractors like a New Holland, it's actually cheaper to add the rear hydraulic package than the PTO pump..and a bit less clunky.  You might also be able to just use the quick disconnects on the front loader valve block if it has one as your hydraulic source.

Beware some of those PTO pumps as some tend to be pretty low pressure:  Not terribly low but you'll need to increase cylinder size.  Your return lines will need to be big and there will be some other fiddling in the piping (possibly a secondary pressure relief bypass) because they tend to be big volume pumps--where people are normally trying to do this with too little volume and getting slow cylinder speeds, you might be getting lower press pressures and super high cylinder speeds that reduce control.

Otherwise I see no problems.  Might not be the most efficient power source in the world but heck, it's there and the parts are available to make it happen.

Kozzy:  Yes, it does have rear hydraulics (a 2640 PSI, 9.2 GPM pump), so technically I could just hook the press up to the tractor but do you think the oil reservoir would be big enough? If I did use the tractor's pump I'd be getting around 33 tonnes and 1.3" sec with a 6" cylinder, correct me if I'm wrong?

1Forgeur:  Thanks for the advice.

I came up with 36 ton but whatever, I have not had to figure on something like that for a while. The lines to my press are no longer than say attaching an implement like a planter or a disc. So does not effect my reservoir. That's why I plumbed the lines thru the wall, it was the shortest distance. You might have to add to yor tank first time but then the oil will be in the lines next time. I don't know how long yor lines will be. All I know is it works for me.

Hmm, 33 metric tons aka 36 imperial tons...?

I guess I'd have to get a cylinder which can run on tractor hydraulic oil or is there no difference?

 

I don't know all the details of your tractor' hydraulic system so take it with a grain of salt.  Mine is HST so the hydraulic pump and tank are a bit different than many.  It has effectively a 5 gallon reservoir.

Think of it this way:  The front bucket hydraulics that would also run off the same pump likely are about 2" cylinders (probably a bit larger even) with about a 24" stroke, and likely 2 of them in parallel.  That's effectively about 150 cubic inches at full extension.  A 6" cylinder in a press doesn't need that long a stroke...so just for arguments sake we'll say a 6" stroke.  That's 169 cubic inches so almost the same as the front bucket would be.  I don't see a problem...but again, your tractor might be set up differently and have a totally separate rear hydro system.

Thanks for all the advice!

Ross.

Also keep in mind that the rated pressure is probably only at rates RPM which is probably 2000-2300 rpm’s. If you run it at idle your pressure will be lower. A tractor that size will probably burn 5-6 gallon of deseil per hour as well. For occasional use you would be ok, but you could pay for an electric over hydraulic setup fairly quick with heavy use when you account for fuel and depreciation. 

Flowlife:  I could maybe counter that by getting a PTO pump? I don't have 3 phase and getting it would be extremely expensive...

Actually, a PTO pump might make it worse. You will need to run the tractor at full PTO speed to get the maximum out of the pump. I don't know the whole specs on your exact tractor, but you may get more flow & pressure at a lower RPM out of your remotes. An exception would be if you have both 540 and 1000 PTO speeds. This would allow you top get a 540 pump and an adapter to run on the 1000 shaft and just throttle back until you 1000 PTO is running at 540 instead.

My main point being it's not overly efficient to run a 120 hp tractor to power your press. Between fuel, maintenance, and depreciation it probably cost $25-35US/hour to run that size tractor. If that's all you have then give it a whirl. You don't need 3 phase power for a press though. If you base your press on the same 9 gallon/minute that your tractor has maybe someone smarter then me can give you a motor size required......phase converters and VFD's are fairly cost effective over here, would that be an option for you as well?

Flowlife:  Got some good points there! VFD's are maybe an option but I haven't managed to find one that is above 7.5 KW (10HP) and that one's already R10 000 ($718), getting a 3 phase motor wouldn't be a problem, they are quite widely available secondhand. As for motor size for a 9 GPM pump, I'd need a 14.5 hp motor. I've tried looking for phase converter's here but with little to no success... Thanks for the input.