Hydraulic cylinder rod wear

   / Hydraulic cylinder rod wear #1  

matains

New member
Joined
Apr 10, 2021
Messages
1
Tractor
Massey Ferguson 5713SL
Hello!
Is it likely that rods on my 3point hitch cylinders wore out before the first seals were even changed?
I brought both of cylinders to repair shop to fix a minor oil leak this week. The tractor has 3000 hours and the hardest job it has done hitch-wise is plowing probably 15 hectares with a 4-furrow reversible plow. The leak was pretty minor (oil runoff didn't even reach the other end of the cylinder). I just wanted to fix it before it gave me any trouble during hay season. After putting back supposedly repaired cylinders it turned out nothing has changed - i saw oil on both cylinder rods from the very first time i raised the hitch, no load at all. Guys from repair shop are telling me that they changed both seals and if leak persists it must be that rods are worn out. I'm not an engineer but is it realistic that steel rods wore out faster than rubber seals around them?

-matains
 
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   / Hydraulic cylinder rod wear #2  
Extend the cylinders so the rods are exposed and then closely look at the rods. Any scoring or pitting will cause leaking. Are they bent at all? A good repair shop would have checked for damage to the rods while repairing them.

No I would not expect rods to damaged but anything is possible
 
   / Hydraulic cylinder rod wear #3  
The rods are hard chromed. It's very wear resistant though anything can wear in the right circumstances. You (or the shop) could measure with a micrometer and compare to the spec.

When hard chrome wears it often gets a dull appearance instead of the usual mirror finish.

Scratches on the chrome that could cause leaks.
 
   / Hydraulic cylinder rod wear #4  
I bought my first tractor - Ford 1700 - in 1982 and traded it in, in 2009. Twenty seven years of use and no leaks, drips or visible wear. The Ford and now my Kubota was/is always stored in a large carport stall. Out of the sun and weather.
 
   / Hydraulic cylinder rod wear #5  
Damage to the rods would be the more likely problem.
 
   / Hydraulic cylinder rod wear #6  
I’d bring them back for a warranty repair or find a new shop. Either they were too blind to notice damage on the hyd rods or they didn’t polish inside the gland area to notice rust (more than likely the issue) or the glands are worn in excess or they cut the seal going in. Plenty of so called repair shops don’t do the extra of polishing and inspection before going back together.
Rod wiper failure allows corrosion under the rod seal and if it goes undetected it results in oil leaks and call backs.
 
   / Hydraulic cylinder rod wear #7  
........oh yea, another thing......sometimes the person that is repacking the cyls scratch the inside under the rod seal with oring picks when removing seals.
🤬
 
 
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