Hydraulic Cylinder Replacement

bol4fun · May 25, 2022

I replaced the hydraulic seals in the bucket cylinder about a year ago and noticed it was making a creaking noise and leaking the other day. I remember the cylinder arm coming to rest on something a few weeks ago and am concerned it may have slightly bent it???? I have another rebuild kit so will try that but interested if anyone knows where to buy the complete cylinder cheaper than from PowerTrac.
Also need a new wheel motor.....where? I have gotten stuck several times lately and it doesn't seem like they are working properly, having 3 wheels not moving and one spinning. I thought with 4 wheel motors, that they should all be turning. Love my 425 but I hate it when I give it full power and it quickly bogs out and the engine dies. I try to be patient, ease into it, and move the steering wheel back and forth but sometimes it just pisses me off. I had to get the pickup and pull it out 3 times in one day a few weeks ago when I would get into some softer dirt and have a wheel sink off into a ditch.

agjones · May 25, 2022

Well pulling it w a truck is definitely not helping the wheel motors unless you are also finding the patience to deal with the tow instructions.

The cylinders are made by pt in house, unless something there changed. You can get like size one elsewhere I guess but the should match... So that's 2.

I use my 3 pts commercially and have never had a traction problem that wouldn't have been a problem no matter what I was operating. I added some counterweight to the rear of my 425 and it was helpful for a few circumstances. Sounds like it might be helpful for that task you are getting stuck on.

ponytug · May 25, 2022

If your cylinder is groaning, yes, something is wrong and I think that you would be better off not using it. If you have a long level, or other straight edge, you can extend the cylinder and check for a bend, but it could be other issues, as well. Groaning might also be a seal leaking internally or a wear ring rubbing on the cylinder or piston.

Just to clarify, on Power-Tracks the foot pedals control the volume of hydraulic fluid, not the power. You can think of it like a long pry bar; with the pedals barely depressed, you have a lot of leverage like being on the far end of the pry bar, and when you stomp on the pedals, you have almost none, like holding the pry bar close to the fulcrum end. Stomping on the pedals is a great way to stall the engine. If your PT engine is bogging down, you need to back off on the pedals, and increase the engine throttle. Stalling the engine shouldn't be a common occurrence.

4WD drive on the PTs is that all four wheels get power, but there is no "differential locking" going on. If one wheel is in the air, it will spin and all other motors will have limited power. In other words, I am not at all sure that you have a wheel motor issue. I.e. try keep all four wheels in contact the ground at all times. Crossing sharp ditches does require some planning on PTs, but that isn't unique.

Finally, following the towing instructions are extremely important to not damage your primary drive pump. Pulling a dead PT forces oil around the pump, overheating it and damaging it. I would talk with Terry at PT about ditch extractions; perhaps you could have the engine running while easing out of the ditch with a winch or truck.

All the best,

Peter

m5040 · May 25, 2022

Not that this is you , but when a cylinder does not get the required maintenance (lubrication) at the swivel ends, they will start to chatter-squeek-groan and if left unattended, they will start to seize up and transfer the rotation to the cylinder, causing it to leak and bend.
When you get stuck and trying to get out, you will need the engine revved up high as possible to be able to step harder on the control pedals. I have found the higher flow will transfer additional torque to the wheels that have traction. Far from perfect.

I asked PT if they could install flow dividers (they meter the same flow to each motor acting like a diff lock, Moffett forklifts have them) but didn't get a positive answer. You could go through the trouble and do it on your own. I just thought it would be a rat's nest of additional hoses.

I have found PT to be reasonably priced on the cylinders. Unless you find surplus extras, by the time you fit generic parts you will be losing money (and the next time you need one, where do you go if you change anything on the machine).

MossRoad · May 25, 2022

Every time I started hearing squeaks and groans, it turned out to be dry ends on my steering cylinders. I highly doubted it, but Terry convinced me to keep soaking the ends with lube and sure enough, the groans went away.

ponytug · May 25, 2022

MossRoad said:
Every time I started hearing squeaks and groans, it turned out to be dry ends on my steering cylinders. I highly doubted it, but Terry convinced me to keep soaking the ends with lube and sure enough, the groans went away.

Me, too! And thanks to me following @MossRoad's prior posting, and soaking the ends, all better.

All the best,

Peter

Tchamp · Jun 6, 2022

bol4fun said:
I replaced the hydraulic seals in the bucket cylinder about a year ago and noticed it was making a creaking noise and leaking the other day. I remember the cylinder arm coming to rest on something a few weeks ago and am concerned it may have slightly bent it???? I have another rebuild kit so will try that but interested if anyone knows where to buy the complete cylinder cheaper than from PowerTrac.
Also need a new wheel motor.....where? I have gotten stuck several times lately and it doesn't seem like they are working properly, having 3 wheels not moving and one spinning. I thought with 4 wheel motors, that they should all be turning. Love my 425 but I hate it when I give it full power and it quickly bogs out and the engine dies. I try to be patient, ease into it, and move the steering wheel back and forth but sometimes it just pisses me off. I had to get the pickup and pull it out 3 times in one day a few weeks ago when I would get into some softer dirt and have a wheel sink off into a ditch.

I replaced the inner shaft-hydraulic rod on my backhoe from PT and it was only 75.00 plus shipping. The aluminum piece on the end was around 45.00 and the seal kit was 20. I thought it was pretty reasonable to rebuild the assembly, didnt even have to take cylinder off unit, just unattached cylinder shaft and unscrewed cap and pulled assu out of casing. ( had to loosen both hydraulic lines so i could remove the cylinder but over all it was pretty easy. Used a chain strap wrench to remove cylinder end cap.