L1801 (L185) no filter in hydraulics , what to do next

[mowerman]

I have had a L1801 for quite some time now. I decided to do a hydraulic fluid and filter change because I was getting some jumpy motion from the lift. I did remove the top off the read diff under the seat and also replace the piston o-ring. Drained the fluid and pulled the cover for the filter off and there was not one. Do you think I need to pull anything apart and check for crud, like the control valve under the seat since I was getting some jerking in the lift arms. You could feel it thumping in short burst if that make any sense. Just wanted to get your opinion.

 

[mowerman]

Update, I cleaned the reservoir out as best as possible. Got it pretty clean. To my surprise it looked good. Not much contamination . So I decided to put the filter in and fill and see what happens. Got it all back together and everything works great. The erratic jumping of the lift is gone as the lift stays up after engine shut down. I think most of it was the piston o-ring was worn along with the old oil.