Hyd cylinder repair

[Richard]

We've got a 10' Rhino rotary cutter. There is a hydraulic lift on the back of this thing, the rod diamater might be an inch? the body length of the cylinder might be 12/15 inches?

All just guesses as I've not really looked at the thing.

It's a single acting cylinder so it's got the little weep hole (or spray hole in my case!) in the back of it

There are four rods/bolts outside the casing of this to hold it together as best I can tell.

I'm presuming that I can undo the 4 bolts and somehow take the guts apart and install some new gaskets.

My question is, where might one go to get the gaskets and be sure they are the RIGHT gaskets for the cylinder?

Also, any special tools maybe necessary other than a sledgehammer and pic-axe?

Meaning, any spreader tools or perhaps a dental pick to remove gaskets? Just jam them out with a small screwdriver?

I've never repacked a cylinder and don't know if I'll start on this one.

If I take it to a shop to have done, is this a $10 job, $100?? I ask that because I took a crowd cylinder on my backhoe to the dealer (industrial) and near flipped when the bill was over $600. I wasn't expecting that.

Now I want to have a clue before I delve into this.

 

[Richard]

Part II, in the online manual I've been looking at it talks about "stroke control spacers" that can be put onto the cylinder shaft to hold the weight of the machine at the low cutting height and take that weight off the actual cylinder.

Are these things someone can get at a co-op or cylinder repair shop?

 

[AlanB]

Yes, you can get the stroke control spacers at Rural King and TSC here, so I imagine the co-op would have them as well, and certainly any hyd shop.

You may find a good machine / hydraulics shop will do your cylinders far cheaper then a dealer.

That said, depending on the cylinder, TSC, co-op, online like surplus center may have a replacement cylinder cheap enough, to make it more effective to just replace then too rebuild.

Good luck.

 

[john_bud]

post a picture of the cylinder and how the end is put on. Then someone can offer advice.

Best way I've found is to take it apart, measure the parts and order the replacements.

H&D Distributors, Inc. Your Complete Source for Seals

This place has the parts - download the catalog. It's about 10 meg, but has pictures of the parts and that really helps!

jb

 

[Richard]

Thanks guys...

I stopped by TSC on way home and by golly, they had them!. I bought a package of them but upon looking at the shaft, I might need to buy either two packages of them or adjust something on the cylinder. Seems with the cutter on the ground there is STILL something like 6" of shaft showing. Makes me wonder if its the original cylinder on there or perhaps a slightly longer one.

I'll delve into it further tonight/tomorrow when I can. I'll try to get a pic & post it.

 

[Soundguy]

My jd mower has cyls like this.. looks very similar to the red lion type cyls TSC has..

I use the spacers too.

Soundguy

 

[Richard]

Here's picture of mower. The first picture is with the wheels fully raised (deck is on ground). What I find interesting is even AFTER doing that and inserting the cylinder clips, I STILL have about an inch of extra rod open to me. Do I just slap MORE clips on it or do I need a shorter rod? As it is, the clips are starting to get into the threaded area of the rod. I'll admit that doesn't bother me a WHOLE bunch.

Picture 2, the Rod fully compressed (fully defined as only by weight of mower driving it down) is about 24" eye to eye

Picture 3 shows just under 6" of open rod with mower in lowest position.

Picture 4 shows about an inch of threads exposed and if I put more clips on I"d fear they'd booger up the threads.

Makes me wonder if this is the stock cylinder?

Fully extended it's about 28" so there seems to be about a 4" stroke between mower on ground and fully raised.

Since we've deduced that the cylinder is leaking some (by the oil squirting out when raising mower) I don't mind getting that fixed. I ALSO don't mind simply leaving it as is using the clips to hold the weight of the mower when cutting and use the cylinder to raise it only when necessary.

I of course, do not know if there is anything "wrong" with that logic which is why I'm putting it here.

 

[AlanB]

If it was mine, I would probably look on the Rhino website and see if they have specs on the cylinder for that mower. If they did not I would call and ask.

Looks to me an awful lot like a cylinder I could pick up at TSC etc... I doubt I would fool with rebuilding one as cheap as they are new.

It would not bother me at all to put the blocks over the threads.

After looking at it again, could you not just screw that upper clevis in a bunch (at least till it came close to hitting the arm) and thereby reduce the amount of exposed thread, and inherintly the amount of spacer's needed, or would that make it not extend / raise enough?

 

[Richard]

Welp, it does seem that's not the stock cylinder. I just hung up with their technical help people and he informed me the stock cylinder is a 2 1/2" x 8" cylinder with an 8" stroke.

he also went on to tell me that I really REALLY need to replace one of the bolts that hold the gearbox on. For some reason, it's sheared (probably when ever they hit what ever they hit that caused the other issues)

So, now that I know the seriousness of that bolt, I'll make sure I replace it prior to using the machine.

 

[FLHayman]

I keep the height on my 15' batwing mower supported by the spacers. I feel that it takes a strain off the cylinder, but my real reason is for going back to the original height after lifting up slightly to avoid a scalping area.

Looks like you just a need a few more. Remember, they are only loaded in compression, and the only damage to the threaded part would be when the spacers are rattling around loose, and would seem to be insignificant. A split pvc pipe or some spiral wrap, maybe, if it seems to be a problem?