Lift cylinder seals

[Chris611]

I blew the rod end seal on one of the lift cylinders on my 530B. It's a 2" cylinder with 1.25" rod. The rod end cap is a smooth cap with two blind holes that are parallel with the rod. It appreas that there must be a tool that needs to go into these holes to unscrew the cap. I have read other places to use a spanner wrench, but they must have different caps than I do becuase there are no notches to put the spanner wrench in. I tried to make a crude tool by welding a couple pins in a plate that fit over the rod and turning the cap off, but I just ended up bending the pins. Anyone got any advice on how to get this cap off? Are the threads left handed?

Thanks
Chris

 

[kennyd]

A spanner is the proper tool (one with pins), but sometimes a pipe wrench is needed if it's rusted. Should be regular threads.

 

[Chris611]

Didn't even know there was a spanner wrench with pins. I learn something everyday. Thanks for the info. Now the $100 question: I see there are spanner wrenches with pins that range from $14 - $150. What can I get by with. Any pros or cons to the different styles?

Thanks

 

[kennyd]

Do a Google search with the term "pin wrench". I found this easily: OTC - SPX 6613 Variable Pin Spanner Wrench It may not be the exact one you need/want, just wanted to use it as an example. But, since you tried to make one and the pins bent, I am guessing it's really tight or stuck on there-the pip wrench may be your best option.

 

[rdbkr99999]

I just did the cylinder on my 763 and used a pipe wrench. I have a buddy who is a heavy diesel mechanic about it since he did the other side just a couple of months ago. He said that he just used a pipe wrench for it. Mine wasn't on there particularly tight and it didn't leave any marks on the gland nut.

The tool for it is called a gland nut wrench, which run $80 plus.

 

[Chris611]

Well, I borrowed a pinned spanner wrench from a buddy and tried to reomve the rod end cap. I can't get it to budge. I tired doing it on the machine so that the cap end of the cylinder was still pinned. I guess next I'll try draining the oil and using some heat to see if I can get it to break loose. I did try using a pipe wrench and it's tough to hold on there. The lugs on the pipe wrench are about 7/8 - 1" wide and the cap on the cylinder is only about 1/4- 5/16" wide. So the wrench wants to tip over. I try and hold it straight and put some pressure on it. It is digging into the cap and leaving marks too.

 

[brain55]

The pipe wrench is going to dig into the gland, don't worry about it. It doesn't hurt anything, its a tractor. Don't be afraid to put a piece of pipe on the end of that pipe wrench either. If the teeth marks really bother you, you can clean them up with a file afterwards. I have rebuilt hundreds of cylinders over the years. I have only worked at one shop that had spanners, they were a pain, and none of us used them anyway. I have had glands so tight and rusted/corroded in place that I had to put enough heat into them to get them loose that the seals melted. At that point you are probably buying a new gland anyway.

Brian