Best place for hydraulic cylinders / hydraulics question

BCinMI650 · Aug 19, 2019

Hello All!

Anyone have a go-to place for hydraulic cylinder replacement? I've got an odd size (I think) on my little bushhog 1846QT loader and can't seem to find a replacement anywhere. To rebuild the parts that are no good cost more (significantly) than a replacement cylinder it seems (if i can find one) so I was hoping someone had a go to. The one I need to replace is a:

(Ognibene & Hol-Mac) 1-1/2" Bore x 15" Stroke, 1" Rod Dia., 9/16" - 18 SAE ORB Ports

and the area I keep getting hung up on is the 15" stroke (I figure I could go to a 14" stroke if I absolutely had to, since it would technically fit) and the sizing. The shaft that extends is easy enough, with a welded cross tube that is a normal pin size and a roughly 2.25" wide, I can find cylinders that match that (or that are close enough that I can make it work with some washers. But the cylinder itself is only like 1.75" and it has the hole for the pin bored through it, so I'm getting hung up finding one that will fit into the space available on that end (the very end of the cylinder sits in a recessed area). They all seem to have a 2" cross tube on either side. I can cut the one end down a little to make it fit, but i think the cylinder may still wedge into the little recessed area.

I'm new to hydraulics and I'm stumped. I don't want to order something that won't fit, and I'm trying to avoid doing any major modifications on the loader arms. It's not something dumb like the stated dimensions don't equal the true dimensions is it? (like a 2x4 is actually 1.5x3.5)

any help would be greatly appreciated

TractorGuy · Aug 19, 2019

You will probably have to make a concession some where and replace the cylinders in a pair to go generic. Most places will have a llink to the technical data sheet to get all the exact measurements. Look close at how the port is on the cylinder. Most of the cross types have the ports facing 90* from the pin. Tang and pin eye cylinders will have the ports inline with the pin.

Here is a 1.5 x 16 cross type cylinder at Bailey. Chief LD 3 PSI Loader Cylinders

I rebuilt a JD loader using Magister cylinders. Had to cut some off one end of the cross and add shims on the other. I might have found some better matches in the pin eye or tang type but I made it work okay with the cross since I was having all new hoses made anyway.

Here is the link to Magister.

You can also check Surplus Center.

BCinMI650 · Aug 19, 2019

You're describing the exact route I was expecting to have to go through. I had planned to do both at once, and then use the removed cylinders for potential parts on the other 2 on the loader. I'd be replacing the 2 that control the bucket, do you foresee an issue if I went with a stroke that is 1" longer or shorter (and assuming the retracted length is 1" longer or shorter) than the OEM? assuming I can cut enough away to fit it into the static end (and the recess isn't an issue), wouldn't it only effect my ability to curl the bucket (if i went longer) or dump (if i went shorter)? I think I'd rather have my bucket be able to curl completely and lose a little dumping angle.