Backhoe 375 backhoe, bent bucket cylinder rod

[Wayne County Hose]

and also, wouldn't the relief valve of any activated cylinder be engineered not to destroy another cylinder not activated? That doesn't make sense. Here is the scenario I could see this happening by: A guy is pulling major stump, doesn't have enough gusto with hoe to get it so wraps chain around bucket and stump and tugs with tractor. Now that might do it!

Not sure what is going on here, but doesn't make sense to me with these bent cylinders..... I hope this isn't common, because I will not be happy if this happens to mine.... it is a design flaw.

Ummm, newsflash. Your backhoe was not designed to do this. Look, don't argue with me about it or get mad at me. I'm just explaining how it happens. Now you go ahead and bend that rod and go to your dealer and demand warranty. You got a better chance of getting a tax cut from your future prez.

 

[jrutherford]

Ummm, newsflash. Your backhoe was not designed to do this. Look, don't argue with me about it or get mad at me. I'm just explaining how it happens. Now you go ahead and bend that rod and go to your dealer and demand warranty. You got a better chance of getting a tax cut from your future prez.

That was an example I was using - I'm not that stupid!! I know people who would do that!!! Not me though.... probably didn't communicate that right that this is something I would never do! and in fact, quite a bad idea....

 

[jrutherford]

Ummm, newsflash. Your backhoe was not designed to do this. Look, don't argue with me about it or get mad at me. I'm just explaining how it happens. Now you go ahead and bend that rod and go to your dealer and demand warranty. You got a better chance of getting a tax cut from your future prez.

Also, your last line, giving me good chuckle this morning... I'm down with that!
All I know is if I'm just happily digging along and hit a root or am tugging on a stump and that cylinder bows like that one fella's picture - there will have to be a warranty claim!

 

[jdjllee]

My spindly bent cylinder rod looks much like cydertom's. I tend to agree with the spirit of jrutherford's posts. I'm not a veteran hoe operator. I've got 100 hrs on my 3320 loader/hoe, a lot of it hoe work on trees. I'm not deliberately beating the equipment up. i'm digging down around the tree and along side or under the big roots. I'm cutting big roots with an axe. I have broke several of those. No warranty on an axe. What amazes me is how small the tree was that broke my hoe. But like I said, I may have grappled it wrong. Can't say for sure. I did do something I have not done. Because the tree was small and laying over I put the bucket over top the stump with the end of the stump in the bucket (the tree was laid over away from the hoe). I think I curled the bucket some and then I pulled the pintle in. The action of pulling the pintle in, with the stump in the bucket, may have caused the stump to act as a lever against the bucket. It's a theory. It's all I can say. I don't actually know when exactly the rod bent. No noise, no violence. I went to curl the bucket out. It would only open half way. I was surprised, It took me a minute to see that the ram was bent. The cylinder is pinned on both ends. It can really only see tension or compression. In this case compression load. The failure just looks like a slender column compression failure. Even though I think my circumstances could have contributed, who knows, I think a larger diameter rod may have been a better choice by the mfg. $600 plus for a new cylinder! The dealer wants $210 for the rod plus the seal kit plus labor. $300 let's say all told. Dealer wanted to know if the end of the cylinder was broken. I asked what part specifically. He said the end cap or gland often breaks with a bent rod. He's seen these before. There's money in the repair business. The original equipment is not cheap. I think it could be built just a little more stout for same price. Dealer said there is no warranty on bent cylinder rods.

 

[skidoo]

My spindly bent cylinder rod looks much like cydertom's. I tend to agree with the spirit of jrutherford's posts. I'm not a veteran hoe operator. I've got 100 hrs on my 3320 loader/hoe, a lot of it hoe work on trees. I'm not deliberately beating the equipment up. i'm digging down around the tree and along side or under the big roots. I'm cutting big roots with an axe. I have broke several of those. No warranty on an axe. What amazes me is how small the tree was that broke my hoe. But like I said, I may have grappled it wrong. Can't say for sure. I did do something I have not done. Because the tree was small and laying over I put the bucket over top the stump with the end of the stump in the bucket (the tree was laid over away from the hoe). I think I curled the bucket some and then I pulled the pintle in. The action of pulling the pintle in, with the stump in the bucket, may have caused the stump to act as a lever against the bucket. It's a theory. It's all I can say. I don't actually know when exactly the rod bent. No noise, no violence. I went to curl the bucket out. It would only open half way. I was surprised, It took me a minute to see that the ram was bent. The cylinder is pinned on both ends. It can really only see tension or compression. In this case compression load. The failure just looks like a slender column compression failure. Even though I think my circumstances could have contributed, who knows, I think a larger diameter rod may have been a better choice by the mfg. $600 plus for a new cylinder! The dealer wants $210 for the rod plus the seal kit plus labor. $300 let's say all told. Dealer wanted to know if the end of the cylinder was broken. I asked what part specifically. He said the end cap or gland often breaks with a bent rod. He's seen these before. There's money in the repair business. The original equipment is not cheap. I think it could be built just a little more stout for same price. Dealer said there is no warranty on bent cylinder rods.

Maybe you can turn this into something positive. Start doing seminars involving techniques on how to avoid damage. I would like to learn more about the forces involved and where the weakest/strongest maneuvers are. I would be interested to see a picture of a simulation of the position of it about when you think it caused the damage.

 

[Reg]

I have an Amerequip 8600 hoe on mine, but havn't bent anything yet.
I'm generally against up spec'ing parts, e.g. cylinder diameter for more force, but if/when I do bend a rod I'll probably go to the next size up - rod diameter only.
OK, I would have less force when retracting, which is dumping the bucket, or extending the boom if it is the other one.
That might be an OK trade off.