weldable hydraulic cylinder ends

s219 · Jan 29, 2016

Anyone know of a source for a plain hydraulic cylinder to which I could weld on custom ends to the rod and base? Been looking at cylinders but haven't found anything like this -- from what I can find online, I would need to cut ends off and re-weld my custom ends on, and that seems like a waste and makes extra hassle.

stuckmotor · Jan 29, 2016

It seems like the heat would cause problems with the cylinders. It"ll be interesting to see what the experts say.

mrmikey · Jan 29, 2016

Not a problem cutting ends off as long as you extend the cylinder so you don't screw up the seals on the piston or the rod end of the cylinder with the heat......Mike

kennyd · Jan 29, 2016

Bailey has come parts: Hydraulic AC and DC Power Units

Mysfyt · Jan 29, 2016

I actually did something similar. I bought an inexpensive tie rod cylinder, took it apart and made up new ends and welded them on. I had the luxury of using a positioner to rotate the cylinder when welding it up, though. Kept a wet rag on standby to cool down the cylinder next to the weld when done. Worked well! This was for replacing a custom cylinder on a piece of machinery that had a really tight fit. I could use the rod end that came with the cylinder so didn't have to deal with that, but could have welded an end on there if need be I'm sure.

s219 · Jan 29, 2016

Let me give more background -- I am looking to make a hydraulic side link (all the snow clearing last week proved I need to be able to adjust the side angle of the rear blade on the fly for best results).

I can get an off-the-shelf side link that would be very close to what is needed to my L3200 in terms of length and stroke, but the clevis end on the L3200 needs to be angled and the off-the-shelf side link has a straight clevis.

So weighing all the options, I figured why not cut the swivel and clevis ends off the stock Kubota side link (the non-adjustable one on the left side) and weld them on to a generic cylinder. That would likely save quite a bit of money. Problem is, I have not found any generic cylinders -- they all seem to come with some type of end welded on already. That was surprising, as I'd think there would be demand for a generic cylinder meant to be customized with ends. Maybe it's only available wholesale.

Next best option would be to buy a cylinder and cut off the ends, or buy that off-the-shelf side link and modify the clevis end.

s219 · Jan 29, 2016

BTW, for welding, I was hoping I could extend the cylinder by hand to get the ends far from the rings and seals, and then use wet rags to keep the parts as cool as possible. I am not against taking the cylinder apart before welding, but that is probably not needed if I can take other precautions.

CDN Farm Boy · Jan 29, 2016

There shouldn't be any worries welding the cyl, as mentioned, extend it or strip it down to keep the heat away from the seals. Most of them are welded together in the first place so there shouldn't be any worries cutting/welding it again. I've cut and welded new ends on several without any problems and I'm by no means a pro welder. Of the 3 I've done, I only extended them, I did not fully strip them. I can't even remember now if I cooled them in water after or just let them cool naturally. If I did cool them, it was so I could continue working with them on the project sooner not worrying about the heat transfer.

I see it differently than you as to the market for generic cylinders. Volume wise, I would guess that the market is quite small compared to standard type ends. Due to volume, I don't see a generic cyl being any cheaper than one with ends. Those folks looking for custom ends usually have the ability to fab themself and do as I did and you are considering and cut/weld a stock one to suit.

zmansmac · Jan 30, 2016

I'm certainly no expert on this subject but I did upgrade the loader lift cylinders on my Kubota. I purchased stock cylinders from Surplus Center that met my bore, stroke and retracted dimensions (it was cheaper to go this way). In order to make them work I had to grind off the end that was on the housing end and reweld my newly fabricated end on. Before grinding and welding I had the rod fully extended and wrapped it in painters tape to protect it. I did wrap the housing in a wet towel before welding. The rod end tube had the correct size bore but was too wide so I just cut equal amounts off each side with my horizontal band saw. But cutting off and welding a new connection on the rod end would have been easy following the same procedure. I did this project about 4 years ago and have not had any problems with either cylinder.