Do the lift retrofit kits change the tractor's original hydraulic system?
No. The LFT20, LFT54 and ELF-812 do not touch the hydraulic line, the pump or the valve; the intervention is on the control side, not on the fluid side.
No. The LFT20 and LFT54 make no intervention at all in the hydraulic line, the pump, the valve or the three-point hitch. Only the end of the existing Lift-O-Matik cable that sits outside the tractor is detached and connected to the kit's cable entry socket; the original connection on the tractor side is never removed. No hydraulic oil is drained, no union is opened, and no risk of a leak arises.
The practical consequences of this
- The pressure circuit is untouched. Working pressure in tractor hydraulics is typically in the 180-220 bar range; since no connection is opened, that circuit stays exactly as it is. The pressure and flow values do not change after the kit is fitted either.
- The relief valve and the settings do not change. The lift capacity, the drop rate (response) lever and the quadrant range of the position lever keep working as they originally did.
- It is fully reversible. Removing the kit and putting the cable end back where it was is enough; no permanent trace is left on the tractor. Only any holes you drilled to fix the enclosure remain. The detail is on the removing the kit and restoring the tractor page.
- Manual use is preserved. You can still operate the lever by hand with the kit fitted.
Why the intervention is on the control side
On a cable-controlled Lift-O-Matik mechanism, what moves the hydraulic control lever is already a cable. The kit takes over the outer end of that cable and does the same job with an electric actuator. In other words no new control path is added to the system; you step onto the end of the control path that is already there. That is why the valve itself, the spool geometry, the flow paths and the relief settings are never even seen. For how the mechanism works, see the cable-controlled Lift-O-Matik page.
What does not change, and what does
| Component | State after the kit |
|---|---|
| Hydraulic pump and lines | Untouched |
| Control valve and relief valve | Untouched |
| Three-point hitch and lift capacity | Untouched |
| Lift-O-Matik cable | Only its outer end is connected to the kit |
| In-cab control | A switch or joystick is added |
| Electrical installation | A supply and a fuse are added |
The point that the tractor-side end of the cable is not removed matters; the answer to whether the existing cable has to be removed follows from it.
The situation on the ELF-812 side
The ELF-812 does not enter the hydraulic circuit either; the lead-screw linear motor is attached on top of the hydraulic control lever and moves the lever mechanically. Here there is not even a cable, the motor works directly on the lever. The connection geometry is critical for that reason; a badly made fixing restricts the lever's range of movement. The detail is on the connecting the linear motor to the lever page. So on all three products the intervention is on the control side, not on the fluid side.
Frequently asked side questions
Do I have to drain the oil? No, since no union is opened the circuit stays closed. Does it need bleeding? No, no air gets into the system. Will my lift capacity drop? No, the capacity is set by the hydraulics and the hydraulics are not touched. Does the speed of the lever change? The drop rate lever keeps its original function; the kit only changes the position of the lever, not the flow setting.
What to do in practice
Before installation, note the current state of your hydraulic system: is there a leak, is the lever stiff to work, is the cable sheath crushed. The kit neither solves nor hides these problems; a defect present in the mechanics will be seen in just the same way after the kit is fitted. Put the mechanics right before you make the hydraulics do any work, and fit the kit afterwards.
The full topic: Converting a tractor hydraulic lever to electronic control