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Revision B June 2013
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Hydraulic System Priming
SS180 TMA
®
hydraulic systems come direct from the factory primed and ready to operate.
Priming should only be necessary after changing the oil or if you have recently repaired a leak.
1. Priming Process
Systems that have been disassembled for repair require priming for proper performance.
The hydraulic system is said to be primed when all hoses and cylinders are full of oil and
the air has been expelled. The reservoir shall be full of oil (oil just visible at the filler port)
when the TMA is UNFOLDED. Prime the pump as follows:
A. Detach the long hoses where they connect to the cylinder. Note which hoses connect to
the top and bottom of the cylinder.
B. Jog and pump by briefly depressing the “FOLD” button until clean oil flows from two of
the hoses.
C. Repeat this process for the other two hoses by briefly depressing the “UNFOLD” button.
D. Replace and retighten all four hoses.
Caution:
Do not completely fold or unfold the TMA until it has been jogged a few times
to work out any air in the system. Add oil at the filler port any time that the pump begins
to cavitate.
E. Jog the system a few times by depressing “FOLD” or “UNFOLD” (depending on the
current state of the TMA).
2. Check for These Problems When a System Fails to Prime
Correct pump mounting, with the motor on top and reservoir at the bottom. All SS180
TMA
®
’s shall have vertically mounted pumps. Mounting a pump in some other orientation
would prevent the suction line from picking up oil, causing cavitation.
Note:
Vertical mount pumps have a label stating such designation.
A solid plug in the reservoir filler port instead of a vent plug (See Reservoir section).
Reservoir
Note:
Do not use a solid plug or fill cap without a filter/breather element, or damage will
be caused to the pump and/or reservoir.
1 Use Recommended Fluid:
Fill reservoir with Dexron
®
III only (See Hydraulic Fluid section).
2 Proper
Filling:
A. With the TMA UNFOLDED (cylinders fully retracted), fill the reservoir so that oil can just
be seen in the filler port.
B. Operate the unit several times starting with short cylinder strokes, increasing the length
of each successive stroke.
C. Recheck oil level often and add as necessary to keep the pump from picking up air.
D. Reinstall the filter/breather plug provided.
