Sod harvesters can have hydraulic systems that are configured to actuate components with precise timing. The hydraulic system of a sod harvester can be configured to maintain the temperature of hydraulic fluid both during harvesting and while harvesting is paused to thereby eliminate or minimize the occurrence of periods of variation in the timing of actuation of the components that the hydraulic fluid drives. As a result, these components can be consistently actuated with precise timing even after harvesting has been paused. Additionally, such configurations can minimize the amount of time required to warm the hydraulic fluid to a steady operational temperature.