Backhoe Cylinder Rebuild Questions

[mmranch]

I have a TYM T603 tractor with a BT400 backhoe. I need to rebuild the cylinders of the backhoe as they are leaking to varying degrees. I haven't rebuilt the cylinders before but I am sure I can do it. I am going to rebuild the bucket cylinder first (which is leaking the worst) and do the others later.

I am doing a 'pre-think' on this (which always seems to take more time than the actual job?) and am wondering about the position of the backhoe itself. I want to remove the backhoe from the tractor (as I have other things I need to do with the tractor) but the backhoe bucket is used to dismount the backhoe itself and also to stabilize it as it sits there.

So when I drain off some fluid and loosen the cylinder cap (while the cylinder is still attached to the dipperstick and bucket) and then go to remove the cylinder itself... I'm feeling like the bucket and dipperstick and boom are going to droop into some other sagged position and I might have a difficult time getting the cylinder installed again.

Any ideas for the positioning of the backhoe to make it stay in the same position so the cylinder can be installed easily? I'm thinking I could dismount the backhoe and then position the bucket on the ground and then drive some stakes into the ground around the bucket so it can't move and hopefully keep the whole backhoe stable. Then uninstall and reinstall with it in this position.

When all the hydraulic pressure is relieved from the cylinder... how hard is it to move the rod & piston back in forth in the cylinder to get the install position right? Can it be done by hand?

Thanks for any ideas!

 

[the old grind]

I swap out a bucket for a digging tooth on the Terramite, and suggest that you likewise r&r the cylinder w/o dismounting the BH itself. Rest the stinger/bucket onto props, pads, or jack stands like you mentioned, wiggle the stick to relieve pressure, and have caps or plugs at hand when you disconnect the lines. One pin will be easy, and one will require some finagling to line up when you reattach. (There's a spud wrench in your toolbox to get you close?)

It only takes one cyl swap to get a good feel for doing the rest, fix or replace. There should be no difficulty in adjusting gross position when you reinstall, as seal friction should be all you need to overcome by elbow grease. (get a feel for that when you take it out ... and catch the spill.)

btw, I wouldn't go as far as draining fluid down without knowing it would drain only from the part I'm working on. More handling means more loss and more chance to introduce nastiness. It might/should(?) siphon down some if you disconnect the line in higher position first and wobble the stick. With all cylinders at rest, and presumably no pressure about, there should be little to no spilling. Maybe like the bit you wipe up when hooking/unhooking QDs.

 

[mmranch]

Thanks very much for the ideas! I got side-tracked onto another project but will be back to this soon.

Thanks again.

 

[Texasmark]

I wouldn't worry about having the correct distance for reinstallation if that becomes a hassle. If you have the hoses disconnected at one end the piston will slide to the desired distance without much force. Connect the piston and then hook up the fluid lines.

Don't know your experience but after you get it all back together and oil filled, just operating back and forth over and over will purge the air...keep tabs on your fluid level as it may change significantly if you have a lot of air to displace.

I didn't do a backhoe but have redone tractor loaders and a JD combine where I learned how to disassemble cylinders with different designs.....how they hid the release mechanisms is intriguing to say the least. I think the combine had every imaginable type of release system in the dozen or so different types of cylinders used therein.