GSP9
New member
The other day I was trying to dig out a small stump when after a few minutes I noticed a slight squeak coming from near the bucket. I jumped off and noticed what looked like a very slight bend to the bucket cylinder rod. After inspecting, I noticed that the rod was extremely hot and also had a slight burning smell to it. After I realized my night was done, I waited a few minutes and tried all other functions of the backhoe and at one point noticed that the stabilizer jacks would go down but would not lift the rear wheels off the ground. And most other functions would not do anything once pressure was applied to them. After a few minutes, all functions returned to normal. I had this happen a few years ago and the dealer assumed either some dirt or air was working thru the unit. It lasted for a few days, cleared up and never reappeared until after I bent the rod the other night. I'm not sure if the two items are related but it just seems odd that they happened a few minutes apart the other night. FWIW, the hydraulic oil was replaced about 10 hours ago with SUDT and the level was where it should be. A few questions:
1. Is the rod capable of being bent straight again by a hydraulic shop or am I better off just paying the $280 and getting a new one?
2. The unit isn't leaking any fluid so would I need to spend the $125 for the seal kit or can I just use the seals that are in it now? $125 just seems like a lot of money for a seal kit but I've never opened one up before to know how uncommon the seals are.
3. If I do end up replacing or taking out the rod to be straightened, how difficult a job is this? I would consider myself a pretty handy guy but I have never tackled anything along the lines of hydraulics except for replacing a hydraulic line or two. I do all my own maintenance and have remodeled a house, restored an old car, etc.....but like I said I just never tackled something hydraulic like this.
4. If I do end up doing this myself, are there any special tools that would be needed or has anyone ever done the same thing and can offer some insight into how it was done?
5. Any ideas on what caused this? The stump was just a small birch tree, maybe 10" in diameter at the stump and was fairly easy to get out. I would say the engine was running around 2,000 rpm so I certainly wouldn't say I was pushing the tractor too hard. I used the search function but was unable to come up with any similar situations. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
1. Is the rod capable of being bent straight again by a hydraulic shop or am I better off just paying the $280 and getting a new one?
2. The unit isn't leaking any fluid so would I need to spend the $125 for the seal kit or can I just use the seals that are in it now? $125 just seems like a lot of money for a seal kit but I've never opened one up before to know how uncommon the seals are.
3. If I do end up replacing or taking out the rod to be straightened, how difficult a job is this? I would consider myself a pretty handy guy but I have never tackled anything along the lines of hydraulics except for replacing a hydraulic line or two. I do all my own maintenance and have remodeled a house, restored an old car, etc.....but like I said I just never tackled something hydraulic like this.
4. If I do end up doing this myself, are there any special tools that would be needed or has anyone ever done the same thing and can offer some insight into how it was done?
5. Any ideas on what caused this? The stump was just a small birch tree, maybe 10" in diameter at the stump and was fairly easy to get out. I would say the engine was running around 2,000 rpm so I certainly wouldn't say I was pushing the tractor too hard. I used the search function but was unable to come up with any similar situations. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
