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Okay, I got this hydraulic cylinder thing figured out

bpost

For the life of me I could not figure out how to get the end off of the cylinder to rebuild it. It is on a Ford/New Holland backhoe attachment on my Mdl.1920.

There is a slot on the end of the cylinder about 1" down the barrel. In it is a bent wire end. You have to scooch the wire over with a screwdriver, then bend it up. Then you have to grab the wire in vice grips and beat the vice grips until the 1/8" diameter wire pulls out. It is wrapped around the inside of the cylinder in a groove that holds the cap on.

After I got all the new parts installed trying to get the wire back in proved to be a PIA. I finally straightened it out and used the vice grips again pounded it back onto the slot. It bent around the groove retaining the cap.

There is no Youtube video showing this type of cylinder. All the videos show spanner wrenches, pipe wrenches and large pliers turning off a threaded cap. These cylinders do not have threads instead using a wire in a groove to hold the cap on.

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Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • dcon12

    Or you could turn the cap backwards and roll the pin out. The new one will be a straight wire. Don

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  • bpost

    I tried that removal method and it was a failure. Rust and dirt precluded those attempts. This cylinder is the support cylinder for the backhoe operation. It gets buried in dirt and muck while using the backhoe. Over the years of exposure the water had worked down into the wire groove making it impossible to back it out without force and vice grips.

    I am building an open sided equipment shed this summer to keep all of the tractor equipment out of the elements. Shade, protection from weather and sun will hopefully prevent further issues.

    It really sucks having the ravages of time and mother nature destroy expensive yet seldom used attachments with little use. On the other hand it is like our bodies as we all age, time and mother nature's wrath is unforgiving.

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  • dcon12

    It makes it hard when the ear breaks off. Really hard to get the old one out. The new one comes with the kit and just turn it in. Don

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  • bpost

    Now I know what the wire with a hook and black capped end was supposed to be used for! I never considered it a replacement for the wire. I thought it was a pry tool to hook the end of the old wire. I reused the old wire fighting it all the way in.

    Live and learn, thanks for the info. Now I know how to do it correctly for the next rebuild. Every cylinder on the tractor and attachments has the same type of wire and groove cap retainer.

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  • mogley98

    Or you could rent a machine

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  • Mobuck

    I thought I'd seen every possible type of hydraulic cylinder but reading this post, I have NO IDEA of what is being described.

    I've seen cylinders that required 4 hands, 2 long slim screwdrivers, and a bench vise. Cylinders that required dislodging a snap ring by reaching through the hose port. Don't remember anything resembling this scenario. Guess you figured out how to deal with the problem so good enough.

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