Hydraulic cylinder?

My little backhoe has 8 hydraulic cylinders. So
far, I've had three that developed leaks and I
rebuilt them.

Is there a way to make them last longer? I don't
leave backhoe outside for rain to wash the fine
dust particles in the cylinder.

Do they make something that wips the cylinder rod
off to keep the dirt from reaching the hydraulic
seal that is prone to leak?

I've always purchased the complete rebuilt package
of seals, around $40, when just one seal is the
problem. I really need to find a place to buy just
the one seal.

So, is there a device sold that will keep dirt and
dust away from the cylinder? Place to buy just one
seal?
Thanks
George

Best advice I ever got was, "Don't ever own a backhoe". :>)

Allan

Baum iron omaha On line catalog I have used for years and sold much back in time when I owned farm store I have seen both leather and canvas covers for cylinders. Works. best on shorter stroke ones.Keep the cover oil soaked to remain flexable. Take care old friend!

Thanks Wild Bill,
How is life treating you? Did you get a backhoe?
George

I'm a little dim for sure but I don't get it?????

What type of backhoe do you have?

If you don't own a backhoe it won't give you any problems.

(quoted from post at 04:51:33 07/13/14) My little backhoe has 8 hydraulic cylinders. So
far, I've had three that developed leaks and I
rebuilt them.

Is there a way to make them last longer? I don't
leave backhoe outside for rain to wash the fine
dust particles in the cylinder.

[b:ecaf9a2899]Do they make something that wips the cylinder rod
off to keep the dirt from reaching the hydraulic
seal that is prone to leak?
[/b:ecaf9a2899]
I've always purchased the complete rebuilt package
of seals, around $40, when just one seal is the
problem.[b:ecaf9a2899] I really need to find a place to buy just
the one seal[/b:ecaf9a2899].

So, is there a device sold that will keep dirt and
dust away from the cylinder? Place to buy just one
seal?
Thanks
George

Click to expand...

hey's called wiper seals.
Any decent hydraulic repair shop sells individual seals

Oh, sorry, I didn't make the connection. Couldn't a person say the same thing about a lead pencil? A backhoe is virtually maintenance free compared to a baler or a combine.

When you look at the head of the cylinder, where the rod comes out, the first part you see is a wiper. It"s designed to do exactly what you are asking, and wipe debris off the cylinder rod. The next piece in is typically going to be the seal that actually keeps the oil pressure from blowing out of the cylinder. Yes they do make covers for the rod, but they are designed more for really extreme environments that your usually not going to see with a typical piece of equipment.

I"ve built hundreds of cylinders over the years, and, like you say, the majority of them only "needed" the wiper and the rod seal. The cause of the leak is rarely dirt, etc getting to the seal, it"s simply that, like any other plastic type part, the seal gets old and hard and can no longer seal. In fact I have seen some that have all but disintegrated. That said, when the wiper, which is exposed to the air and sun, gets hard and quits wiping properly, it will then allow dirt and debris to get to the seal. With the seal already hard, it is then easier for it to get eat up and begin to leak due to the contamination. Too, if there is damage to the rod, then a standard U cup type seal is only going to last so long before the damaged place sliding past it cuts the seal and causes a leak. That"s one of the times when the old V ring packing is far superior to the newer U cup type seals.

In the end you"ve got to pull the cylinder apart already to change just those two parts, so why not spend the few extra dollars to buy the kit and do a complete rebuild. Granted I have seem many cylinders where the piston seal/seals don"t appear to be worn, but even if the actual seal piece looks OK, it doesn"t mean there isn"t a few thousands of wear in it, or that the rubber (like an O-ring) energizer behind it hasn"t taken a set and/or gotten hard (depending on seal type). On that type you can"t see the energizer ring without damaging the actual seal to get to it.

In the end, when you think about it, all of the seals are the same age. If you had to get separate parts, that means trying to match up the piston seals, the rod seal, a buffer seal on the rod (if it has one), as well as the O-ring and backup ring that seals the head to the barrel. Given that there are multiple different types and sizes of each one, expecting someone to have everything in stock all at the same time is asking a bit much. In other words by the time you order parts, pay shipping, etc you"ve got more into the parts than the cost of a complete kit.

Ultimately it"s cheap insurance to do the job right while your already there and replace everything before the next "weak link" causes you problems a few months down the road.

NCWayne,
Your advice sounds good, replace everything. Is it normal to spend around $40 for all the seals, rubber pieces? Is there a cheaper source for parts? Do most cylinders use the same parts, different based on rod and diameter of piston?

I have to order my parts from dealer. I have no idea what brand of cylinders I actually have. No name or ID on cylinder that I can find.
George

That about the same as saying the food that is the leading cause for divorce is a WEDDING CAKE.

Nope just hiring neighbor to do any backhoe work needed. I finished stacking brush last week and listed my caterpillar crawler loader with bucket and a root rake -blade for sale in photo ads. Its good old cat but I just don't have the health to run it any more. Hey you need a genuine cat don't you?? only $6000.00 It would look good at your place!!

Bill,
I have a cat, a stray cat. Already had it fixed. Good mouser. Don't need another cat. BTW, what is the official name for the dust boot called?

I wish I knew a cheaper source for seals, but have no clue what size I need.

Only option is to order from dealer. Perhaps I'll check out old packages of seals and look for
a number. Just my luck, there are 3 different size cylinders used.
George

(quoted from post at 10:54:40 07/13/14) NCWayne,
Your advice sounds good, replace everything. Is it normal to spend around $40 for all the seals, rubber pieces? Is there a cheaper source for parts? Do most cylinders use the same parts, different based on rod and diameter of piston?

[b:056d193439]I have to order my parts from dealer. I have no idea what brand of cylinders I actually have. No name or ID on cylinder that I can find.[/b:056d193439]
George

Click to expand...

ake your old seals to a hydr repair shop,..they usually have all the seals for any size or make cylinder from the smallest to the largest at half the price of the dealer.

I think you will find baum iron has every seal you can imagine many by brand and all by size. They will likely send a catalog but is on line. all hyd. sheaves, belts, chain, bolts whatever.

Wayne, thanks you sure saved me a bunch of typing. You said exactly what I was wanting to tell him. I just can,t see the normal operating dirt causing seal failure. I think is problem is normal wear or bad rods. We see backhoes that go a lot more than 4 years running ever day with no problems on the cylinders. Doubt that adding anything external is going to increase the life of what he has. By the time a man picks and chooses and get tow or three wrong parts lots better to get the right kit dealer or aftermarket.

Based on the ones I"ve built, $40 is cheap for all of the seals, be it as a set or in individual parts. In fact the last set I bought was for the tilt cylinders on a Case loader and they ran nearly $100 per kit.

As far as ordering a kit, I usually just get mine from the dealer, unless it"s something odd, or there happens to be an aftermarket source. As a "middle man" I still don"t mark up parts simply because I"m not in the resale business. Still I have to charge for my time finding and picking them up, so even if the mfg is $20 or so more than aftermarket, etc, it"s still usually cheaper on the customer for me to get the OEM parts and not have to spend extra time hunting for what I need.

As far as aftermarket, one good source is Bulldog hydraulics. Click on the link below and then on their hydraulic catalog for a 700 plus pages of seal kits for different models and brands of mahcines. Depending on what you have as to whether they would have a kit or not. If not then your pretty much stuck either going back to the mfg, or getting all the parts individually. In that case your best bet would be Hercules hydraulics. I believe, from what I"ve seen, that Bulldog is a division of Hercules that sells just the kits, but I know the individual parts are available from Hercules.

If you get the parts individually, you need to figure out the ID, OD, thickness, and design of each seal. Like I said in the first post, there can be multiple sizes of each design when it comes to thickness, etc, so it"s vital that you know exactly what you"ve got before placing an order.

If you run into any problems post back and I"ll be glad to help out any way I can.
Bulldog hydraulics

Hercules hydraulics

$40 is cheap for a kit so get another kit then take that kit in to a hydraulic repair place {look in yellow pages} and get them to match up what you want.

NCWAYNE,
I'm not 100% sure my cylinders have a wiper gismo. I watched a U-tube video and it didn't have a wiper. I've slept since I made my last repair

Sounds like I'm getting a bargain at $40. Going to order another kit. Will post back when I get around to repairing the cylinder. It's just leaking a little.

I think the reason my seals leak is dirt sticking to the cylinder rods.

Thanks to all.
George