Is my cylinder seal bad?

[simmysam3]

Roughly 50 hours on a 3 yr old bradco 3265.

Main boom cylinder started a habit of shuttering badly. Pushing the boom down till you planted it in the ground stopped it.

In the last 10 hours of use I have not seen it, but now I don't seem to have any strength in the boom. Can barely lift a well heaped bucket.

All the other cylinders are working fine.

Thanks for any ideas...

 

[john_bud]

Sounds like it.

You can test it. Disconnect the ram from the hoe. Then extend the ram fully. Take off the hose from the side that would retract the ram. Then operate it to extend the ram and hold the control to keep the cylinder pressurized in the full extend condition. Note the amount of fluid coming out. Put the retract hose back on. Then fully retract the ram. Take off the extend hose and repeat while holding it in full retract mode.


You should have only a few drips of fluid coming out the port. If you have a dribbly stream it is weak. If you have a texas oil well gusher it's a totally blown seal.