FEL cylinder rebuild

[pat32rf]

Well, the creep down problem with my curl has returned (been loading heavy logs which bounced a bit). I read pclausen's post (09/30/08) and have switched the lines so I am confident that its the cylinders and not the valve. (the C-clip style)
My problem is that my dealer is over an hours drive away (at 10mpg). We have about 3 hydraulic shops within 15 minutes however (due to all the logging in the area) and I'm wondering if my cylinders use standard O rings, clips etc that I will be able to get locally or should I phone the dealer and get a coupla rebuild kits on order? My BIL used to rebuild cylinders when he worked at a local machine shop but he has never worked on these....and I don't want to tie John up any longer than I need to. (Funny thing is that it only leaks in one direction, if I press down with the curl, then go for lunch, I am still "wheels up" 1/2hr later)

 

[kennyd]

I got my rebuild kits at JD for about $25.00 a piece, there is not really O-rings but more like packings. You could take one to a hydraulic shop and get a estimate, or your dealer may mail then to you for a small fee...

Waht loader do you have and what's the serial #? Do you know how to use JDParts?

 

[pat32rf]

Its the 420 loader, didn't realize it would have a serial number...I wish now that I had ordered the 430 but I took the advice of the salesman who said that the 420 was ample.(meaning that they had a 420 in stock)
The lift and curl cylinders look identical and are the C clip type....
Up until last week our internet was too erratic and slow to try JD Parts. At $25 each I'll phone my service dealer (not the selling dealer) and check stock. We will plan a Christmas shopping trip to "town" when the kits are there....

 

[kennyd]

Pat,
Take a look at THIS thread-it has some good tips for rebuilding the cylinders.

And yes, the lift and curl cylinders are the same. And-FYI, the only difference between the 420 and 430 models is the size of the cylinders.

I just looked in JDParts, They should be part # AH176273 at $27.50 each.

 

[pat32rf]

I've got two kits on order, they should arrive at the dealers tomorrow. $32 each
But now I'm thinking, there is probably only one leaking. If I pick the right one to rebuild, I will then have a kit to keep as a spare. Any suggestions on how to choose, other than switching out one curl cylinder with a lift cylinder....?

 

[Wayne County Hose]

I've got two kits on order, they should arrive at the dealers tomorrow. $32 each
But now I'm thinking, there is probably only one leaking. If I pick the right one to rebuild, I will then have a kit to keep as a spare. Any suggestions on how to choose, other than switching out one curl cylinder with a lift cylinder....?

Rebuild them both. They are sister cylinders, they both move exactly the same and should have the same amount of wear. Even if only one is bad, you don't want one real healthy cylinder and one older.

 

[kennyd]

I've got two kits on order, they should arrive at the dealers tomorrow. $32 each
But now I'm thinking, there is probably only one leaking. If I pick the right one to rebuild, I will then have a kit to keep as a spare. Any suggestions on how to choose, other than switching out one curl cylinder with a lift cylinder....?

Rebuild them both. They are sister cylinders, they both move exactly the same and should have the same amount of wear. Even if only one is bad, you don't want one real healthy cylinder and one older.

Yup, do them both...If one is leaking then the other has been doing more work than it was designed for so it just might start leaking a week after you rebuild the first one.

 

[pat32rf]

And here I just bought two hose caps and identified the bad cylinder....If the parts come in tomorrow I will do the bad one, get the rest of my firewood logs moved, then do the other. Better now than some cold night in Feb.....Will probably pick up a spare for the lift cylinders as well.
Should I blow a lift seal during snow season I'd be in big trouble....

 

[pat32rf]

NO PROBLEMS, almost....
Once the cylinder was off the loader and over to my BIL's it was an hours job. Next time it will be a 15 minute job.
He recommended only doing the one cylinder and since the wiper seals were OK that we only replace the piston seal (he's the expert). He also pointed out that any machine shop that did cylinder work would probably have the seals needed in stock, or could get them, for a few dollars. (The JD kit seems to have seals for two different sized cylinders)
We could have made things easier for ourselves if we hadn't driven the end cap so far down into the cylinder, but we were looking for a sharp shouldered snap ring grouve, instead of the tapered on we found.(and passed) We could have also saved time if we had just hooked the rod and cylinder to the two trucks (to separate them) first, instead of messing around with the hammer, ATV winch etc.
When we re-assembled we also made a point to coat the end cap with water-proof grease as there was a bit of rust build-up to remove where the water had seeped into the none-pressurized section.

 

[kennyd]

He recommended only doing the one cylinder and since the wiper seals were OK that we only replace the piston seal (he's the expert).

Expert? Sorry, but I think replacing only some of the parts while its apart is a bad decision.

We could have also saved time if we had just hooked the rod and cylinder to the two trucks (to separate them) first, instead of messing around with the hammer, ATV winch etc.

Did you use the orange "tool" that came with the seal kit? If so the rod should pull right out of the bore with very little trouble or effort. No hammers, winches or trucks are required to get these cylinders apart!