Why are my loader cylinders out of sync?

[Xfaxman]

Q- do these typically get bent based on a mismatched load of left vs right side?

No, it is typically the lever on one side coming unlatched.

And I do recommend twisting the tube back the other way to line up the sides again. You have to go slightly past straight to allow for the springback in the tube. Go slow and small until it comes back straight.

 

[JCoastie]

Looks like I may have just joined this twisted timing bar club too. Glad to see this post and that it likely isn't a major repair.

My question is, how do you know which side needs to be bent back into place?

 

[ccogg]

There is no easy way for you to un-twist a specific side. Just figure out a way to twist the plates opposite of the problem. Little by little until it’s close enough. If for some reason it gets further out of wack you’ll just have to replace the bar. If you can put a block of wood between one plate and the loader arm (on whichever side gets closer first) and then pull against it with the hydraulics, the other side should bend in and you won’t have to deal with any other parts flexing.

If replacing the bar, the stiffness is mostly determined by diameter so a hollow shape is usually a better choice. Of course, if you have a solid bar handy, are constrained by outside diameter or just don’t care about the weight then solid should work great and will be a bit stiffer than a hollow tube of the same diameter.