Modify old friction crane to use low pressure hydraulic, air or electric actuators

We have an old P&H 440 TC crane. This is a friction based crane and the drum clutches are driven by brake components, i.e. compensators which drive cylinders using standard break fluid. We have a lot of problems with the crane with constant air in the lines and the need to always adjust the cylinders as they move very little and have to account for rust and wear of the clutch brake lines. We would like a cheap solution to have this work better. Our ideas are replacing the current cylinders and compensators by either low pressure hydraulics, pneumatics or electric actuators. If you do not know how friction cranes work, please do your research before bidding. Project will be done in two phases. This is phase one which is to identify the best solution and create a rough schematic/prototype drawing. Phase two will be separate project which should be detailed designs and material list of needed parts.