Help with identifying hydraulic cylinder

[ADSNY]

Hi all,

I'm new around here, and to hydraulics in general, but have been reading a lot of the posts here and some books I found to try and learn more. This site has been a HUGE help, but I can't seem to find any info on my current issue.

The project I'm working on is a Genie TZ34/20 towable boom lift that I'm trying to make safe and operational. In testing the lift, it was evident by leaking fluid that the seals are blown on 3 linear actuators. The dealers can get the seal kits for me, but they are about $200 apiece which seems exorbitant. I was going to try and find out the manufacturer of the cylinders and see if parts are cheaper through them. The three cylinders are each tagged as follows: BH-0037 : 87563, BH-0032 : 79520, and BH-0034 : 79523. Can anyone suggest who may have manufactured these? I contacted a few companies that came up thru a web search, but they did not make these. Thanks for any and all help.

Aaron

 

[flyerdan]

Going out on a limb, but I doubt that there is anything exotic about those cylinders, if you call a hydraulic repair shop and tell them what it is and give the numbers they can probably cross it. If not, take the piston and gland seal in and they probably have the seals in stock. And for considerably less than the dealer.

 

[ADSNY]

I think you're right that there's nothing exotic about my cylinders. I was curious to the manufacturer just in case something inside the cylinder is damaged beyond recognition. On one of the cylinders, there is a split (ie. cut) o-ring on the rod outside the cylinder - just floating there. I'm not sure if that came from inside of it or some schmuck tried stuffing it in the end of the cylinder to stop a leak.

Do most tractor manufacturers produce their own hydraulic cylinders, or are there a few big names that manufacture for them?

 

[oldnslo]

I doubt that Genie builds there own cylinders but since these are on bucket lift they could have a counterbalance valve in the end cap which make them semi special for replacement. This would have no effect on the seals though.

 

[ADSNY]

You, sir, are correct. They are counterbalanced and cushioned, according to the Genie schematic.

 

[mike48130]

If you take them apart and measure, I have bought O-rings and backers from The O-Ring Store online. If you take it to a shop to rebuild, you will eat up the $200 real fast in labor. We have a few O-ring stores around here in MI that I have taken the cylinder too and they just pull them off the shelf. They are usually stock diameter cylinders, just custom to the mounting application. Are they the same seal kit part number for all 3? I have a JLG lift, and holy crap the parts are expensive.

 

[ADSNY]

Unfortunately, each rebuild kit is a different part number. It's almost like they design these machines to be so model specific that buying parts outside of their "network" is nearly impossible. I remain hopeful to find seals locally, tho.

 

[chuckhole]

You mentioned identifying the cylinders. They are usually named for what and how they control something. Lift, tilt, sway, swing as well as bucket, arm, boom, extend, dipper stick, blade, grapple or thumb are used to identify the cylinder. As far as rebuild kits, look for stamped information on the cylinder as well as the serial/product ID of the machine. Parts often change from year to year because of economic or engineering updates. You will need to source your parts based on model, year, serial and part number. Once you know the exact item number, do a Google, eBay and Amazon search. There are aftermarket parts available for just about anything. As far as the prices you mentioned, I am not surprised. Hydraulic cylinders operate at pressures that can exceed 1000's of psi and get quite warm with continuous use.