Hydraulic cylinder repair?

[JimS]

I picked up an old log splitter - need to add a valve and planned to run it off tractor hydraulics. It shows signs of leaks around the rod end. I used an air compressor to cycle the cylinder and didn't see/hear any leaks (but the pressure was only up to about 100 PSI tops) but heard some gurgling and leaking around the piston. What is involved in repair? It looks like the rod cylinder end comes out but I haven't cleaned off the grime to see exactly how. The cylinder was said to come off Catapillar equipment of some kind. What do I need to get the proper seals? Rod is 2" with a bit of minor surface rust that I figure I can clean up with emery cloth. OD of cylinder is about 5.3" and a bit bigger on the rod end. I can post some pics later.

 

[BigKansas]

Repairing cylinders is not a hard task to accomplish in most cases. The hardest thing sometimes is getting them apart. Once you get them apart you need to inspect the rod, piston, end cap, and cylinder for any deformaties, pitting, or unusual wear that would make it not economical for repair. Make sure you clean everything up good before re-assembly. You need to make sure you put the same type of seals, o-rings, back-ups, and cups in the way they came out. The seals, cups, and o-rings can be picked up at most hydraulic shops, supply warehouse, or if you are comfortable using a micrometer or calipers you can measure them and order them. You don't want to roll a seal or damage a cup when you put the rod and piston back in the cylinder so use care when re-assembling. I use vasoline on the seals during assembly as this breaks down good in hydraulic fluid. Put the end cap on and secure it. Just take your time and you should be able to get it done if it comes apart with no hassle.

 

[JimS]

I need a few more ideas about how to attack taking this apart... Here are a couple of pics of the rod end of the cylinder. It looks like a small screw holds a snap ring in. There are a couple of gouges in the cap - perhaps used to try to unscrew it?. Does the end just pop out once the snap ring is out? The seal goes in from the back of the cap (inside the cylinder)? Should I undo the snap ring and try compressed air to pop the end cap out?

I barely remember helping my dad replace a rod seal about 35 - 40 years ago but as I remember the part that held the seal in unscrewed from the outside and the V seals came split so they could be slipped over the shaft without taking the piston out. This looks to be quite a bit different.

Also a pic of the wedge. It's about 8 inches high. Not sure about the added wedges at the back - have heard pros and cons.

 

[oldnslo]

Jim,
I can't tell for sure by the pictures but I am willing to bet that the rod end cap unscrews from the cylinder body. Probably designed for a spanner wrench made by Cat. The snap ring is there to prevent the cap from loosening. These end caps can some times be real difficult to turn since over time they may have rusted in place. Possibly try making a spanner wrench or carefully use hammer and punch to see if it will move. Don't round the edges of the slots to much or you won't get it apart.

If you have an air chisel with a punch type tip possibly try that also.

Good Luck

Roy

 

[JimS]

If it had slots those have already been pretty much destroyed - take a look at the V notches on the left and right side of the cap. Looks like they tried the cold chisel approach although I would have thought the slots might run farther along the length. That's why I thought it might now have had slots and might not unscrew. I suppose I could try to cut some new slots...

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Kinda difficult to tell from the pics but is there a snap ring inside the barrel of the cylinder? If so, you need to tap the gland into the barrel to relieve the pressure from the snap ring, remove the snap ring, then use the splitter hydraulics to remove the cap.
Look on the cylinder for a Cat part number. Might be a # followed by a letter then a 4-6 digit #. Something like 6Y-8593.

 

[Diamondpilot]

To be honest it looks like its junk to me. I would try it as is first and see how it does. May be livable.


If not I would just get a new cylinder. My local Rural King has log splitter cylinders for $149 made by Delvan I think. 4" x 24" stroke. I think you will find its going to cost that much or more for the seals and the work needed to clean that one up.

Chris

 

[JimS]

Wayne County Hose,

There is a snap ring. A small bolt appears to hold the end of it.

I pulled the cylinder and found a number on the fixed end. It was raised letters in the casting and kind of hard to read. Maybe SR62294. How would I go about looking that up?

Jim

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Wayne County Hose,

There is a snap ring. A small bolt appears to hold the end of it.

I pulled the cylinder and found a number on the fixed end. It was raised letters in the casting and kind of hard to read. Maybe SR62294. How would I go about looking that up?

Jim

Take that part # to your local Cat dealer. They can give you a parts breakdown of the cylinder and let you know how much a seal kit will cost. Cat makes very good quality anything hydraulic. As long as the steel parts are good, it's worth rebuilding.

Andy

 

[JimS]

The local cat dealer couldn't find anything with the number. I probably don't have it right. They suggested I get the numbers off the machine it came off of, which isn't possible. They said if I brought it in someone in their hydraulic shop MIGHT know what it came off of but didn't sound to hopeful.

Any advice on trying to get a better read on the number? Are any of the internal parts going to have numbers that might narrow things down?

I guess I could still go to a general hydraulic shop and get seals to fit?

I should probably pop the end off to see what the bore looks like before I spend more time on it.