BushHog loader cylinders...wow

So my cylinders(both lift and bucket, all pretty much at the same time...guess there number was up) had developed some leaking this year. I took them off last week and took them to a local machine shop that does pretty good work. I went to get them today and turns out, he couldn't get them apart. Really put me behind as I need the tractor in the hayfield.

I called 2 different dealers and replacement cylinders...and wow. There prices were each a little different but both of them were in the $2800 range for all four cylinders. One dealer even had the left hand cylinders a few bucks cheaper than the right even though there identical. That seems like a crazy amount of money to me. I found this hydraulic shop about an hour away. He said they'd fix them one way or another, but worst case he said they could completely custom fabricate each cylinder in the $500 range for each one. Sometimes you just want throw your hands up quit after talking to some dealers...
Hydraulic shop

Did he say why he couldn't get them apart? I've run across several that others couldn't get apart, but with a little time, ingenuity, and a few choice curse words, I got them apart.

Had one awhile back where I had to grind a hole in the barrel in line with a snap ring, and take it out in pieces to ever get the gland out. Now that was a HUGE PITA.......but my time was cheaper than a new cylinder, so it took what it took.

Just tonight I had a 6 inch cylinder off of a 10054 Skytrak that was a challenge. The gland was screwed in and had only two pin spanner holes to get it out. My spanner with a 3/4 Swench on it wouldn't budge it. I wound up welding a piece of flat stock to the face of the gland to give me a striking surface. Given that the gland was cast it the shock broke the piece off after one or two hits, and I had to weld it back on three times, but it finally broke loose and screwed right out.

Now I've just got to call tomorrow and figure out which order the two lip seals go on the piston. When I got it apart, there wasn't enough left to tell what was what. One is like 9/16 wide, and the other maybe 3/16 wide. Given that I've never seen one that narrow in a 6 inch diameter, and the fact usually piston seals are both the same size, I don't have a clue which seal goes to which end of the cylinder. Too, I've got hone some light scratches out of the bore because the piston was riding the bore once the seal crapped completely out.

Going to be another busy day tomorrow, but I'm not complaining......

poke around here, or just call them.
Untitled URL Link

Finding people that can repair hydraulic cylinders can be a challenge. So far i have been able to repair my own but I dred the day I need to find good help.

I like the LeBlond lathe in the link you provided.

These cylinders have the aluminum casing. Both shops said that they sometimes will corode on the inside and seize up. The first shop is small, local shop that an older man works by himself. He's a supper nice guy and has done some work for me in the past that I was more than satisfied with. You could tell from the markings on the ends of the aluminum casing that he had tried to get them apart...

Baun Iron omaha good possibility

Check out Surplus Center and ebay and you'll be able to match up the cylinders.I bought
4 loader cylinders last year I needed for a little over $500 total.

I have been using these guys for years.

http://www.baileyhydraulics.com/

Measure your cylinders and buy new.

I think the snap ring on those cylinders is accessed bygoing thru

the oil port.


george