kennyd
Advertiser
i just rebuilt one of the bucket cylinders on my jd770/70 loader. of all the o-rings and seals, only two were difficult at all, and one was downright impossible without a special tool.
there was a square edge hard ring seal on the outside of the piston that was hard to get on without scratching/cutting the seal, but it just took some oil and patience.
the really bad one was the seal on the inside of the gland. i don't know what the rod diameter is, but i think it is around 1 1/4", and trying to stuff a 1 1/2" diameter seal into an internal slot through a 1 1/4" hole is hard. the instructions tell you to fold it into the shape of a kidney, but since it was so small, it was not possible with human hands. i ended up running up to the local hydraulics shop and they had a special 3-prong tool that folds the seal up and then it dropped right in. took him about 15 seconds to install it after i messed with it for the better part of an hour.
i think a larger diameter rod would not be anywhere near as bad. this was the first cylinder i've ever had apart, so i don't know if they are all the same, or even at least similar.
The only "tool" I have used and recommended often) is boiling water. You boil the seal for about 5 minutes and it folds easliy.