Bent FEL rod/piston

[MDM]

I'm trying to help out my mother in law with problem with the ML108H FEL on her Mahindra 2810 HST. Her husband has recently passed and to make a long story short, nephew may have jacked up the loader somehow. As you can see from the pic, the far cylinder rod that operates the curl function is fully extended and bent slightly. The bucket is stuck in this position. I can raise and lower the loader, but the bucket is locked up in this position and she won't curl. The cylinder that's not bent acts like it wants to work but its a no go.

Any help here is appreciated. Obviously I'll need to pull that hydraulic cylinder and replace it. Can that bent rod cause the issue of the curl locking up? It also looks like its over extended.

 

[oosik]

There is a "bucket stop" in the curl down position. I doubt the hydraulic cylinder is over extended. However - being bent and possibly also jammed - it could definitely prevent proper operation. Check carefully to ensure that both cylinders/rods aren't bent.

 

[MDM]

I really have no idea how long that rod has been bent, if that's causing the issue, or something else is causing the problem. That's just what stuck out to me when I went over to look at it. It was used recently to clear snow but I'm unsure it was bent the last time it was used or if it was just put away like this and now something is causing it not to curl.

 

[skipmarcy]

It looks like the rod is bent for sure and this is strictly a guess but it might have the piston inside the cylinder cocked and locking it. Personally I would remove the bucket pin for that cylinder and try to curl it. It does not look like the bucket is "over curled", my bucket will go back that far and the cylinder rods are down close to the loader arms when fully curled.

 

[Reb954]

Pull the bucket end pin so the rod is free. Remove the end cap off the housing and pull out the rod. Inspect the piston and packing for damage, replace if necessary. Straighten the rod and reassemble.

Or take it to a hydraulic shop if you don't feel comfortable rebuilding it yourself.