ProGator 2020 - Raising the dump bed

[Salisburysenior]

I have a ProGator 2020. The dump bed is down and I need to raise it to service the engine. The oil has been drained from the engine, so I can't start the engine to raise the bed. How can I raise the dump bed without the engine running? I was considering having someone hold the dump lever in the 'down' position while lifting the bed with the bucket on my tractor. My thinking is the lift cylinder could suck hydraulic oil from the tank as the bed was being raised. Is this a solution or is there a better way?

[BillT]

I'm not familiar w/ the ProGator but I'm assuming the dump bed is operated by hydraulics, yes?

1) Disconnect the hydraulic arm w/ the box in the down position & raise it by hand? I assume you can't do this because the box is lowered & you can't reach that release point.

2) Maybe put a jack on a stand & raise the bed using a jack? Remember to place a wood / plastic block between the jack & the bed though. You don't want to mark up or damage the dump bed box. Use a bottle jack if you have 1.

Hope this helped.

[Salisburysenior]

Reply to Bill T -

​Thanks for your reply. Yes, the cargo bed is operated by hydraulics and requires the engine to be running. You are also correct the release point can't be reached with the cargo bed lowered. The good news is the problem is solved! I raised the cargo bed with my tractor front end loader. The lever for lowering the bed was held open as the bed was raised very slowly to allow the lift cylinder to draw hydraulic fluid from the tank as the bed was raised. Once oil was added to the engine, the cargo bed was lower and raised successfully using the engine and hydraulic system. I'm not sure this is a 'John Deere approved" method, but it worked.