Case 850D bypassing cable plow

Hi all, I'm working on a Case 850D that has a cable plow mounted on the back. The owner wants to run the dozer without the plow attached. Can I connect the hydraulic pump supply line directly to the main control valve, or will that cause problems? Do I need any additional plumbing setup for this to work properly?

It really depends on how the plow hydraulics are set up on that 850D. There might be a power beyond adapter on the valve. The easiest approach would probably be to couple the inlet and return hoses for the plow together, similar to how you'd couple the hoses on a quick attach backhoe when you take it off. Just make sure you don't run the machine with those hoses uncoupled or you'll deadhead the pump. If the plow only uses an extra spool on the main valve, you might not need to do anything besides removing the plow itself.

The inlet line from the top of the hydraulic pump goes to the cable plow and then to the control valve. Now that all the cable plow hydraulic plumbing has been removed from the unit itself, I'm trying to figure out the right way to connect things. The previous owner apparently used a tee fitting to join the pump inlet line directly to the control valve, then started it up and blew the pump. That doesn't make sense to me either.

They deadheaded the pump. You'd probably need a power beyond adaptor on the valve. I'd say your best bet is getting someone who knows equipment hydraulics to take a look at it. A hydraulic schematic for the machine would really help you plumb it back to how it came from the factory.