Backhoe 757c backhoe seal - parts & dealer rant

[crash325]

Not real happy with New Holland & local dealer. Now I am in favor of Holland the dealer making a profit. But I don't like being gouged.

I need to replace the seal in the stabilizer cylinder, part #5 in the diagram. From the picture it looks like there are 3 separate seals.

Object moved

Local dealer will only sell a repair kit for $85.54 & if I want it installed it 1.5 hours at $102 an hour. Pictures of the kit don't even show these seals. My guess is those would be extra cost. $236.54 + seals at extra cost.
For that price I can buy a brand new off brand cylinder. $238.95, Nh wants $733 + tax.

It appears that the only thing holding the end in is a lock wire. Part #16. I would think that it should screw in, but does not appear that way in parts breakdown.

Has any of you worked on these cylinders??? Any suggestions?? Think I will try & fix it myself. If it does not work out, just buy an off brand cylinder.

 

[RickB]

If you took time to read the part description for the seal kit reference # 17 before flipping out you would know that the seal reference #5 is included in the seal kit.
If the dealer can't buy the parts separately, how do you figure he can reasonably sell them separately? Conventional wisdom is to replace ALL soft parts when rebuilding a cylinder, hence the complete kit. Additionally, it is impossible to replace the v-packing #5 without trashing the dust wiper #4. The gland in the pictured cylinder clearly is retained by a wire which is supplied in the kit. If your cylinder doesn't have a slot in the barrel and a wire visible, you are probably looking at the wrong cylinder.
If you want to buy individual seals by dimension, go to a local hydraulics shop or an online supplier like Hercules and have at it.

$102 per hour for a dealer shop rate isn't unusual or exceptionally high by comparison. if you don't want to pay that rate, do the repair yourself. 1.5 hrs is probably the worst case scenario, ask if you will be billed that amount flat rate or actual time. if it comes apart without a fight an hour should be plenty.

 

[crash325]

Hi Rick B.
Thanks for the kind words. Nice to know that I flipped out.
I have worked for dealers ( Auto & truck) they do charge the flat rate & anyone that can not out run it does not last long. I have seen mechanics that made 2 days wages in less than a day. Dealer mechanic split is all over the place, guess every dealer sets their own.

$102 an hour is not reasonable when in this part of the world, in order to get any work, its hare to get $50 an hour for me & the backhoe or tractor. Throw in a truck & maybe $60.

There is no reason that a dealer can not purchase those seals separately, should they desire. One of the company's that I looked at kits on had pictures & they did not show the ":V" seals. Chances are the seals are an off the shelf item at some of the places you suggested or locally at about 1/3 the price from New Holland. Example of price gouging is the lock nut for over $16, very pricey for a not.

 

[RickB]

Hi Rick B.
Thanks for the kind words. Nice to know that I flipped out.
I have worked for dealers ( Auto & truck) they do charge the flat rate & anyone that can not out run it does not last long. I have seen mechanics that made 2 days wages in less than a day. Dealer mechanic split is all over the place, guess every dealer sets their own.

$102 an hour is not reasonable when in this part of the world, in order to get any work, its hare to get $50 an hour for me & the backhoe or tractor. Throw in a truck & maybe $60.

There is no reason that a dealer can not purchase those seals separately, should they desire. One of the company's that I looked at kits on had pictures & they did not show the ":V" seals. Chances are the seals are an off the shelf item at some of the places you suggested or locally at about 1/3 the price from New Holland. Example of price gouging is the lock nut for over $16, very pricey for a not.

Your ability to get $50 an hour for a CUT with a backhoe that 100,000 other guys own as well has nothing whatever to do with dealership shop rates be they farm & consumer equipment, automotive, or construction equipment. There are service technicians out there that have as much invested in tools as you do in equipment, and not many of them cash $50 per hour checks.
Your assumption that tractor dealership shops charge on flat rate is probably less than 25% accurate nationwide (my estimate, no verification). None in my area do.

As far as selling cylinder seals piecemeal, if the manufacturer offers them that way so be it. But I need to have it explained to my why I (as a dealership parts manager) need to cater to a customer who insists on performing a partial repair. I don't have the dimensional data necessary to procure the seals individually without measuring & inspecting your seals, and if I did, I'd be paying retail for them and either handing them out at zero margin, or marking them up beyond generic seal retail prices and incurring more of your wrath. Not interested in either scenario.
For what it's worth, a competent parts counter person would walk over to the hardware bin and pull that lock nut and sell it for less than 1/5 of the OEM part number price. That's because the part is readily available on a wholesale basis and something he probably has on hand.

I gave you facts and alternatives and some opinion. What you do is up to you.