Woods Batwing cutter cylinder leak

[WeBBeefmasters]

Hello, I have a Woods batwing and I replaced the hose to one of the cylinders that lifts the wings. So now I have fluid leaking from the Vent Plug when I lift or lower the wing. The plug is the type that has the hole in the side of the bolt head and steel wool looking stuff with a mesh screen on the inside. Any ideas what would cause this? Air in the line? The set-up is both wing lines go to a T at that plugs into the tractor. This side leaking is the first side to lift. Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

[RickB]

That cylinder has a leaking piston seal and needs to be rebuilt or replaced.

 

[WeBBeefmasters]

Thanks! I'll start pricing cylinders.

 

[Gee Ray]

I would make a few phone calls and check on a rebuild price before I would by the new cylinder. It might be cheaper to buy a new one but you never know.

 

[WeBBeefmasters]

You're right. OEM cylinder looks to be expensive. I'll see if an after-market is cheaper. A seal kit looks to be less than $100. I've never rebuilt a cylinder but I'm sure there is a youtube video on it.

 

[BeezFun]

Before you buy the seal kit you might want to take the cylinder apart and check the condition of the walls and tube. Sometimes you can get condensation inside a cylinder and that can cause rust or corrosion that tears the seal. If that's the case, a new seal kit won't solve the problem without cleaning up the cylinder. If you store the mower with the wings down, this would especially be a possibility because there is a large volume of air exposed to temperature changes. If you store it with the wings up it's still a possible problem, but less likely.