JC I noticed in one of your earlier posts that you had pictures of the lift cylinder and piston when you replaced the seal. My question is when you take the 6 bolts off the piston housing does the cylinder and piston assembly come out with the housing? I have a shop manual but it does not go into detail about this. Also what is necessary to do to seperate the piston and how big a job is it to replace the assembly into the tractor after the seal is replaced. I figure since you have done this procedure you probably can pass along the do's and don'ts to get the job completed correctly. Ray
JC-jetro
Elite Member
Hey Ray,
The whole assembly comes out as whole. cylinder and head comes apart by a little force, they are oringed together if there is a term like that. Make sure the orientation of seal lip. it is a one time try ,can not take the seal off without damaging it. Also be careful with piston orientation and the ram rod that rotate the rock shaft.
JC,
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JC or Anyone else, I found the piston seal cracked and am now replacing it. Is there any special way to put the seal into the piston? Does it have to be warmen up, oiled or do I just stretch it over the piston? There must be a trick to it. I am a first time replacer. I need all the help I can get although if it streatches it looks easy enough. I don't want to ruin it and have to reorder. Ray
Texas Blues
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2008
- Messages
- 339
- Location
- Manvel Texas
- Tractor
- Massey 1655 Ford 1700 2cyl, Ford 1600 2cyl Massey 135 3cyl gas
Hey Ray, I just replaced mine a few days ago. It is a tight fitting seal. It was tough to get it to go over the piston because the seal didnt stretch much if any. I shot some wd40 on mine and I suppose it helped some. I did it by hand without the use of a pry tool and eventually got it to go over the piston. The slicker it gets I imagine the tougher its going to be getting a grip on it to stretch it over but it will go. I wouldnt suggest using any pry tools on it as you may cut it or damage the seal in another way. Also as JC has shown, make sure you have the lip of the seal in the right direction. I think his pictures show the flared side of the seal should face the red end of the piston (the top). Look in those other posts about hydraulics and you will see some really nice pics from JC. Good luck! Tex
Texas Blues
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2008
- Messages
- 339
- Location
- Manvel Texas
- Tractor
- Massey 1655 Ford 1700 2cyl, Ford 1600 2cyl Massey 135 3cyl gas
Texas Blues
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2008
- Messages
- 339
- Location
- Manvel Texas
- Tractor
- Massey 1655 Ford 1700 2cyl, Ford 1600 2cyl Massey 135 3cyl gas
Glad to hear it Ray. I was fortunate as well, the piston seal was all mine needed.
ComputerGuy
New member
Thanks to all you for your posts. I have "taken over maintenance" of a 1986 Ford 1910 that sleeps under a hackberry tree when it is not being used. I just bought a new Modern 5' mower to replace a worn out Howse, and the lift was not doing a good job lifting it. After reading this, I decided the seal in the lift cylinder might be the culprit.First, I drained all of the hydraulic fluid I could get. The old fluid looked like chocolate milk! While it was empty, I took the head off -- not a problem because the weight of the lift arms wanted to push the rod all the way through -- much easier after I supported them!
Imagine my surprise to find that the seal was completely gone! No telling where it is.
The new seal kit they sold me is different from the pictures -- they said this was a new design. It has a black "rubber" O-ring and a white "nylon" ring that is split. They said the O-ring went to the "oil side" of the piston, and the white ring was used to fill the gaps.
Took some "encouragment" to get the piston back in the cylinder, but it finally went in. Reassembled everything, filled the transmission with new hydraulic fluid, replaced the filter, and tried it out. Now the 3 point hitch is rock solid again, and the "position control" lever can now be used to, well, control position!
I briefly thought about buying a new tractor with about the same horsepower, but I think this one still has a lot of life left in it after I finish my rehab. As time (and funding) permits, we plan to build a garage and it will get to sleep inside -- should make a lot of difference.
Once again, thanks for the pictures, the advice, and for posting notes about the journey. Not only did I save a lot of money fixing this myself, but I learned a lot more about how the hydraulics work on this machine!
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JC-jetro
Elite Member
Great to hear your success Computer Guy, There is a lot of good info and knowledge here about 1000 series ford tractors. They are well designed and not at all difficult to work on and pretty manageable for most of us "Weekend Warriors".
JC,
, There is a lot of good info and knowledge here about 1000 series ford tractors. They are well designed and not at all difficult to work on and pretty manageable for most of us "Weekend Warriors".JC,
ComputerGuy, One other thing to keep an eye on is the rubber boots on the gear shifters. An earlier problem I had when my tractor sat outside all the time was water getting into the transmission through cracked boots when it rained. Water in the transmission can cause the fluid to get a milky color (or chocolate milk color?) When this happens the lift will be jerky as the water interferes with the hydraulic performance. Check your two boots to see if they are cracked or raised up on the shifters. Replacement is quick and easy by sliding new ones down on the shifters and they are inexpensive as well. Cracked ones should be replaced. Ray
