Possible Hydro damage
 

What exactly happens internally if you push/drag/tow a hydro any distance. I understand the resistance of the oil being pressurized by spinning the hydro pump but what damage does this do to the internals ......what breaks? Relief valve pressurized from wrong side.......no where for oil to go??? I keep hearing the warnings but have never seen the results of the damage. Just curious :bigthink:

It will destroy the slippers on the ends of the pistons in the hydraulic motor portion on the pump.

Picture your shoes yanked from yer feet without unlacing them.
You can tow slowly like a baby first walks, and short distances of a few hundred feet or less.
Yall don't wanna tie it behind your pea-cup or ATV and tow it like yall stole it.:biggrin2:

Anybody have any pics of a destroyed unit? Pics would certainly reinforce with evidence of what happens. Curious why the pistons on the "motor" wouldn't just be pushed in by the swash plate and stay there without pressurized oil to push them back out. Or is it towing faster than normal full speed that causes the problem? Not that I'm trying to question the explanation, just trying to understand the mechanical why's of the warning. Seems like someone would have some archived pics of damage done to show why not to do what they say not to do. How many times have we seen pics of broken connecting rods to show what happens when running with low oil, and that's fairly obvious.

I recall a good while back (like a couple years) someone on this forum posted some pictures of a Sunstrand hydro that they had taken apart, had been damaged by towing.
I wouldn't begin to try and find that post, but I can tell you, it looked like what you would look like if you were peering down an open elevator shaft and the elevator came along. :crap:

Here you go.


https://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/...ad.php?t=35896

Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. Totally explains why you wouldn't want to take a chance at any extended, more than slow, towing. Pics of actual damage are hard to argue with. Could have been damage caused by something else but why take the chance! Thanks for digging up the old thread.