Bent hydraulic cylinder rod

[Mechanos]

While diagnosising a problem with my loader tonight, I noticed that one of the bucket cylinder rods is bent. It has about 2.7ｰ of bend at the end that connects to the bucket. Pressure tests indicate that the cylinder is still holding just fine and it does not leak. I guess my options are to leave it alone, take to a hydrualic shop to see if they can straighten it, or buy a new cylinder rod. What would you do?

 

[wdchyd]

If you do straighten it I'd at least take it apart, protect it with aluminum when pressing and repack it when reassembling.....

Some TBN'rs have straightened them without taking them apart but you run the risk of doing internal damage to the gland/barrel/piston......

It's hard to tell from the pic just how bent it is.....

 

[pat32rf]

Any idea how long its been bent? Any nicks where a stone might have got caught between the rod and the frame causing it to bend?
Not leaking and still working great, leave it a while.....might not leak for years.

 

[Egon]

A shop with the proper equipment should have no trouble straightening it.

 

[magicheater]

If you do straighten it I'd at least take it apart, protect it with aluminum when pressing

Imperative! It is amazing how a small aluminum shim keeps the damage from the rod itself. I have experienced this first hand myself.

 

[Mechanos]

I do have a 20 ton press. I might give it a shot trying to straighten it myself. If I decide to replace it, a new rod is $125. It seems to be working fine still, so I will probably leave it alone for the time being.... I have other things on the tractor I need to spend $$$ on right now.

I have no idea how long it's been bent or how it got that way. I bought this loader used... or should I say abused... a few months back and just noticed the bent rod tonight.

 

[cowski]

if it is not leaking ,i would leave it alone.when you need to press a rod ,i use wooden blocks off of a combine straw walker. they work real good.

 

[Short Game]

I bent both of mine on my Cub Cadet so badly that the rods bound up enough that they would not easily go back into the cylinders. I didn't have any money and I didn't know any better than to figure out a way to straighten them. With the rods fully extended, I clamped them to the booms where the centers of the bends were with blocks of wood between the clamps and the rods. By rolling the bucket back, I carefully forced the bends to go the other way and after a few repetitions (to avoid going too far) got them straight. I bent them again another time even worse, so bad they would not even retract. Did the same fix again. That was about eight years ago. Never had a problem since.

I did eventually learn how to not bend them.

On edit: Thinking back on it, I seem to remember going too far on one of the rods, so I just put a block of wood under the rod against the boom and tipped the bucket forward to get it back to straight. Call it, "a poor man's press."

 

[J_J]

Don't fix what really ain't broke. However, if it bothers you, try and bend it to your satisfaction, and go on living. Do not replace both cyl if only one is bent, broken, leaking, etc. There is no reason to think that one of two of anything will break just because they are used in pairs.

An analogy, if you have two wives, and one breaks, does that mean the other will break also. Maybe if you are man enough to wear them out at about the same time, and if that is the case, replace them both.

 

[Mechanos]

I've got plenty to do right now as it is anyway. Worst part of the bend and the majority of if, is the part that doesn't ever retract into the gland. One of these rainy days when I have nothing else to do, I may get the wild hair to pull it off the loader and try to straighten it. If I manage to fubar it, I would just order a new rod.... not the whole cylinder.