Re-seal cylinders myself?

[J_J]

I would think Wayne would jump in here and give us the low down on cylinder rebuild pricing. It seems quite high, unless they did something extra, like hone the cylinder, burnish up the rod a little, and strip and paint.

Always get a quote, even from friends, including a phone call above a certain price.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Depending on the shop, $800 might not be a bad price. I know of shops that charge that much, but they re-machine the entire cylinder assembly. Does a homeowner need that kind of quality? No way.
Anyhow, sure a machine owner with some mechanical ability can do this. I would go invest in a good quality 3' pipe wrench, not some Harbor freight pos. Do not, absolutely do not boil seals. Most are rated for 212 degrees max. You can heat them, but do not boil them. Always heat them in some kind of fluid, oil or water.
Probably the first thing you want to do is extend the rods all the way out. Now, take your thumb and index finger and grab the rod. Keep your minds out of the gutter now because I'm being serious. Run your hand slowly up and down the rod feeling for anything not perfectly smooth. If you have a beat up rod, no sense in putting a seal in it. And, if they are sister cylinders, absolutely rebuild them both. It's kinda like having bald tires on your car and one goes flat. The other one still holds air but do you just get one? There's more theory behind it, but that's the simplest way to put it.
Post pics and if you run into a snag, just ask.
Andy

 

[MarkV]

Andy, glad you jumped into this discussion. I still wonder what would be a ball park price to replace the seals in the size cylinders you see on our small tractors or log spiters? Richard has an industrial size machine so I can understand it being more expensive. But $800 for one cylinder seemed high to me.

MarkV

 

[Richard]

Thanks for all the comments.

Since I'm at it...let me add this question...

My backhoe bleeds over to one side. Not the other side but ONLY to one side (the right side).

This tells me I might need my swing cylinders rebuilt but more than likely for a machine this old (1985?) I probably need to rebuild the box that the wiggle sticks are connected to.

I don't have a manual in front of me so I'm speculating on some of my comments here.

I think this machine has a cartridge type valve? My guess (and it's only a guess at this point) that the whole assembly unscrews and is then servicable.

Two years ago, I went to this dealer and said I wanted all the parts to rebuilt this box. (the box is maybe 15" x 15"???) The two wobble sticks and the two stabilizers are all contained in this assembly box.

So.... just for general conversation and not to get into specifics, is a situation like this servicable at home by someone mechanically inclined?

I personally think it must be... can't be too much rocket science to remove the box (if need be) or remove the valves themselves and take apart to replace some seals & gaskets?

Is my ignorance preparing to bite me on this one?