I just got a 1959 F600. No really bad/structural rust. Runs great, recently rebuilt 292. Drives just fine (I'm actually driving it 70+ miles home on Saturday). $599. I think I got a pretty good deal, here's my question.

The bed is a side-dump, the truck is an old sugar beet truck. The PTO works (although I'll need to get a new cable as right now you have to get down on the ground and flip the PTO lever on the passenger side.) The bed is hydraulically powered off of the PTO. So if I want to use the dump bed (which works) there are two levers in the cab that control the hydraulics. How do I move them to operate the bed?

I'm guessing that one of them will raise the bed and the other will lower it back down? Anybody know which is which or any other information about this system, or my new truck in general?

 

Just guessing here but one engages the hydraulics and the second actuates the movement ie up or down. my father had a 49 IH dump and that was how it operated. two leavers on the floor right? How ever it works no need to say never get yourself inbetween the bed and frame when its up! you would be amazed how many guys will stick their bodies in there to check something out and wam! tragic results.Mark

 

Ok. So you think one basically starts the pump spinning (engages it as the PTO shaft is already spinning), and the other one is for both up and down? Push it one way for one and the other way for the other direction?

And believe me, I know to be careful. I have more than a healthy amount of fear of being crushed or killed in some other way by this kind of stuff. I restore WWII and later military vehicles and this past year I've also become a supervisor - in charge of telling people what vehicles to work on/what to do... And also make sure they don't kill themselves. Got that position because the owner of the company knows safety is first with me.

Its actually part of the reason I'm asking instead of just jumping in and trying it or whatever!

 

Yeah, the 74 LT-8000 tht donated it's running gear and frame to my 55 was the same way, one lever engaged the pto, and the raised and lowered the box.

 

Usually one lever is attached to the PTO on the side of trans. This will engage and disengage the PTO. The 2nd lever controls the hydraulic valve to raise AND lower the bed. All the way in one direction is up, all the way in the opposite direction is down and the middle is a holding position. NEVER trust the hydraulics with your or somebodies elses life.

 

Both levers are attached to rods that run into the hydraulic "thingy" behind the cab. The PO told me the PTO is supposed to be cable activated, but the cable is missing. There is a arm on the side (passenger) of the PTO that you can reach under from the outside to start/stop it from spinning.

 

The PTO, being cable operated, sounds ok. The two levers would then be to operate the bed. One operates the bed, and the other the door on the bed. My dump truck had a single lever that operated the bed and door. The bed raised, and the door opened as the bed went up, and closed as it came down.

 

AH! The Door! Good thinking. I had no idea that might be hydraulically operated - you're right though. I think that is what the other one is for.

 

i have a 59 f-100 with a wood hydraulics dump bed (rear dump) two floor levers, one engages the pto, the other is used to raise and lower the bed. on my truck the dump gate is manually operated. the bed has holes for a lever operated lock for the gate but its a manual lever system, no hydraulics.

 

got any pictures of this beast? id like to see this thing. at any rate guess now all you need to do is jump in it and try the levers out to see which does what.

 

Be sure to push in the clutch before you engage the PTO with the engine running. It normally spins even when the tranny is in neutral.

Later Man...

 

Learn something new every day, I never knew there were hydraulically controlled doors.

My truck has two ***** on the dash. Push the top one in to engage the PTO, then push the lower one in to open the valve and raise the bed. Pull the lower **** out to lower it.

I'm sure you're aware of this, but be sure there isn't a bed hold- down latch before you try to raise it.

 

I don't think that one is for the gate beings it's a side dump. Sounds like one is for the pto and the other is for up and down. I would look under the truck and see if there is a cable or a place to put one running from the lever to the pto. Check and see where the hydraulic lines come from and go to. Pics would be nice. Some of use like to look and not type.