Serious Hydraulic Techs - Please Save my Bacon

[BukitCase]

My Case 580B has a few cylinders still leaking, so far I've kitted both swing and both stabilizer cyl's and one of the loader curl's - the other loader curl, 1 of the boom cyl's and the hoe bucket curl are all in need of TLC, some more than others.

I made a tool out of 1/4" flat bar that, along with a rebar bender for a cheater, worked OK for some of the cyl's but the loader curl wasn't gonna cooperate til I retracted it, grabbed the rosebud and changed its color from ugly yellow to a dull cherry red, then managed to get a 36" pipe wrench to just barely grab the thin (about 1/4") lip on the gland nut, remove the gland, let things cool, dig out the burnt junk, polish things up and put it back together.

At one point, I had a hydraulic pull-back ram hooked to the end of my 36" rebar bender and another porto-power pushing the flat plate against the end cap so the pins wouldn't slip out of those little holes - as a result, the grade 5 bolts for the pinholes sheared off - I changed 'em to grade 8's, they SNAPPED off - that's when I grabbed "rosey" and the pipe wrench.

That was 2 years ago just before shoulder surgery. Slow forward to today - it's about time to do the other curl, it's leaking enough to make it to the top of the list.

The problem - Same as the other curl cylinder - plus, I'm hoping that each of the other cyl's (8 left to go) doesn't become a life-long crusade like the last one.

I'm hoping that at least one of the serious hydraulic guys here have beaten this problem and have an easier (not necessarily free) way to get this done during THIS lifetime

I considered the Case spanner tool, but from pics I saw it looked less robust than the one I made. Hard to tell without actually fondling it

Any serious help/epiphanys greatly appreciated... Steve

 

[bcp]

Sometimes lots of impacts on a short handle work better than steady force on a long one. I'm thinking of an air hammer at about a foot out from the cylinder, while trying to turn it with a steady pressure at the same time.

Bruce

 

[kennyd]

I've had good luck with gland wrenches like these: Amazon.com: OTC 1266 Adjustable Gland Nut Wrench: Automotive

If you have that many cylinders to do, it may be worth the investment.

Bruce's advice is good also...

 

[dieseleric]

Cut a little bit of that steel piece you have bolted to the head of the cyl. out away from the rod. Weld that piece onto the head of the cyl. Get a 6lb sledge and beat on that flat piece of steel. I do a bunch of cyls. When I have that style barrel and cyl head thats how I do them. Works like a charm. Heat the end of the barrel up some too. Don't worry as much about the head as much as the heating of the barrel end were the head screws into that. Just leave you enough room to grind or torch that steel piece off the head before putting it back on. I actually use a chain wrench to reinstall them. Never had good luck with bolts and a spanner fix. Tried it a bunch and always broke the bolts do to the holes being small.

 

[dieseleric]

After lookin at it. Cut that peice alittle bigger C shaped and weld it on in a few places. You will be amazed at what the little heat off the welder will do in aiding you. Works amazing!

 

[BukitCase]

Guys, thanks for the quick responses - sounds like I may have a fighting chance using some of each these puny little holes in the face of the gland nuts are a joke (and not a GOOD one)

Reminds me of the Fisher pneumatic valves I used to work on (before I started staying home and working HARDER ) - They have a pneumatic "air motor" that pushes a plunger down into a "cage", the bottom of which forms a seal with the plunger at end of travel - at partial stroke, the shape of the holes in the cage determines the "characteristic" (response curve) - you can change the cage type to change the response curve.

The manual states "to remove the cage, first remove the top of the valve, then use two screwdrivers in an "X" pattern and gently pry the cage up and out of the valve body" - My thoughts were more like, "yeah, right - have you bozos actually TRIED this on a valve that's not BRAND NEW ??!?" (reality check - got a BFH and a torch?)

Anyway, thanks again all - I'll update this when I get the FEL QA system, diverter valve and grapple usable (don't hold yer breath, may be a while) ... Steve