Replacement tilt cylinders for a KL6010 loader.

[JimR]

We had a 27 inch snowstorm last week. I somehow bent both of my tilt cylinders on my loader. I was able to straighten one of them out. The other one snapped when I tried to straighten it out. Has anyone found an alternate to these cylinders other than from Kioti? I could rebuild it if I could find the parts. I do not see a breakdown for the piston on Kioti's parts website. I am going to call a local hydraulic place to see if they can do anything with it. Update, I did find the breakdown for the tilt cylinders.

 

[ptsg]

Michigan Iron Equip lists just the rod for $280 or the entire cylinder for "only" $846.

Either way, an hydraulic shop should be able to make to new rods easily. Don't know about the pricing though.

 

[JimR]

Michigan Iron Equip lists just the rod for $280 or the entire cylinder for "only" $846.

Either way, an hydraulic shop should be able to make to new rods easily. Don't know about the pricing though.

Thanks, I looked up the parts again and found the cylinder breakdown on the parts sheet. Not cheap on a cylinder. I'm calling the local place now to see what they say. I also see the complete seal kit is available. My outer seal is leaking on the cap.

 

[ptsg]

Thanks, I looked up the parts again and found the cylinder breakdown on the parts sheet. Not cheap on a cylinder. I'm calling the local place now to see what they say. I also see the complete seal kit is available. My outer seal is leaking on the cap.

Inspect the gland/cap very closely for any possible damage. Bent rods can damage the gland in an hurry.

 

[JimR]

Inspect the gland/cap very closely for any possible damage. Bent rods can damage the gland in an hurry.

The plan after going to a hydraulic shop is to rebuilt them myself. I'm going to buy two new piston rods and replace them and anything else that is damaged as in forward seals in the caps. Cost to rebuilt one cylinder was quoted at a minimal of $600 - 700. I can do this work myself. If I was still working I could have made my own piston rods on the lathes there.

 

[JimR]

Update, The piston cylinder end caps do have some rub wear from the bent piston rods. I know that I could clean them up and they will seal fine but decided since everything moving inside is going to be new that I will replace the caps for another $121.00 for the pair if the place honors their prices. Total parts comes out to $657.79 + shipping if the advertised online prices are correct. If not, then the price is more like $764.02 + shipping to rebuild both cylinders. Either way that price is cheaper than the cost of one new cylinder at $846.02 + shipping. that price is not much more than to pay a company to rebuilt one cylinder. Time to be a little bit more careful. It was simple to take them apart right on the tractor. I disconnected the rod pin and blocked up the pistons. Using a spanner wrench the end caps loosened right up. The two outer tubes show no internal damage and a straight edge on the outside shows no bending of them. Now to order my parts in the morning.

 

[JimR]

Michigan Iron & Equipment got my order for all my parts to repair my cylinders. All the parts are in stock at the warehouse. I'm having them drop shipped directly from Kioti in N.C. to me to cut down on downtime. My parts should ship out today and arrive on Friday. Looking forward to warmer weather now that Spring has arrived.

 

[JimR]

Parts arrived at 2pm yesterday and my tractor was back together by 4pm. The bucket curl works so much faster now than ever before. Two of the seals were flipped over. I'm thinking that this has been this way since new. Total cost was a bit more than expected. The cost was $959.02 to rebuilt both of them.

 

[LD1]

So my question is how did the rods bend? And whatever you were doing, have you learned what you did wrong as to not repeat it once repaired?

 

[JimR]

I have owned 3 tractors since 1978 and never bent a tilt piston on any of them. The only thing I did with my tractor last week was back dragging heavy snow away from my barn doors and large garage shed door over at the farm. I don't recall getting hung up on anything that would have caused this to happen. My guess is that the bucket was at too sharp of an angle and the snow was too heavy. I have done a lot of work like this before without doing any damage. This machine is mostly used up in the woods for taking down trees with a logging winch, hauling logs, moving cord wood in totes with pallet forks on the loader, etc and never bent a piston rod before. Those rods are cased hardened. You can see it in the metal where it snapped off.