Hello. I had a snapped piston rod on my bx2810 front hitch. I have no idea how it snapped but I ordered another through the local dealer. I hooked it up and noticed that it worked fine out of the box. However, it started to extend but only retract about 1/4 of the way. I heard that I should be able to manually retract the piston rod once the hoses were disconnected but it seems like it's stuck being extended. Have you guys experienced this before? Thanks.
BX2810 cylinder
- Thread starter Laceman
- Start date
While I have now idea what a hitch cylinder does, I'll fire out a few suggestions.
If the hoses are disconnected and open ends (not closed couplings), then yes you should be able to open and close the cylinder by hand (anchor one end). It might take a little tap to get the tight seals moving but then should move firmly both directions.
When you first hooked it up,did you bleed the air out of the cylinder? It could have just air locked part way. The ideal way to install the new cylinder would be to prefill both ends of the cylinder with hydraulic oil. It takes time and patience to get all the air to slowly bubble out, it's a little messy. Once filled, carefully hook it back up with loosing as little oil as possible. The little air that does get back in the system will work itself out. Try to top off the hoses before hooking them up also.
I hope this helps.
I'm curious where and how you snapped the rod. Is there something else worn or bent that put too much strain on the cylinder rod. I've seen some bend a lot without breaking.
If the hoses are disconnected and open ends (not closed couplings), then yes you should be able to open and close the cylinder by hand (anchor one end). It might take a little tap to get the tight seals moving but then should move firmly both directions.
When you first hooked it up,did you bleed the air out of the cylinder? It could have just air locked part way. The ideal way to install the new cylinder would be to prefill both ends of the cylinder with hydraulic oil. It takes time and patience to get all the air to slowly bubble out, it's a little messy. Once filled, carefully hook it back up with loosing as little oil as possible. The little air that does get back in the system will work itself out. Try to top off the hoses before hooking them up also.
I hope this helps.
I'm curious where and how you snapped the rod. Is there something else worn or bent that put too much strain on the cylinder rod. I've seen some bend a lot without breaking.
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G.rid, thanks for the reply. The cylinder is hooked up in the hitch in the same way as the old cylinder. One thing i noticed is there is a dent in the top (solid end) of the cylinder and this same dent is on the old cylinder as well. I'm thinking the hitch may just not be lined up properly. I ended up taking the piston out of the cylinder (it took a bucket loader and a chain to remove it) and the rod was bent. I'll work on getting the cylinder replaced and the hitch unit looked over by the dealer. One question - can you get replacement piston rods for the hydraulic cylinders? The parts manual just shows the cylinder as one part. Thanks.
If you removed the rod and it is slightly bent, I would take it to a machine shop and have them put it in a press to straighten it. They'll put some brass pieces as needed to protect the shaft and get it straight. Won't take, but a few minutes.
If you have a friend with a press he can do the same thing.
If you have a friend with a press he can do the same thing.
If the dealer can dig in to the parts lists, then yes they should be able to. If you have a decent machine shop around, they should be able to make one quite a bit cheaper. You just need to supply the old shaft and piston for measurements.
I priced out the rod for one of the cylinders on my hoe. Dealer wanted around $400. I priced out the hard chrome shaft through work, $120.00. If I had to pay full rate to machine it, it would be approximately 2 hours labour (2x $70/hr). Total $260. Luckly I can work through my lunch or stay after hours to use the lathe, so I only need to pay for the material.
Now unfortunately if I had the other Machinist make the same shaft, he'd take at least 4 hours. He's stuck in low gear and uses HSS tool bits most of the time. He's blown away when I crank up the lathe on hardchrome using ceramic inserts. The chips come off as a steady orange glow. He's a little hard headed to change but a lot lazy!
I priced out the rod for one of the cylinders on my hoe. Dealer wanted around $400. I priced out the hard chrome shaft through work, $120.00. If I had to pay full rate to machine it, it would be approximately 2 hours labour (2x $70/hr). Total $260. Luckly I can work through my lunch or stay after hours to use the lathe, so I only need to pay for the material.
Now unfortunately if I had the other Machinist make the same shaft, he'd take at least 4 hours. He's stuck in low gear and uses HSS tool bits most of the time. He's blown away when I crank up the lathe on hardchrome using ceramic inserts. The chips come off as a steady orange glow. He's a little hard headed to change but a lot lazy!
Thanks for the replies guys. I'm gonna run this by the dealership because I think there may be something up with the front hitch. This new cylinder never worked properly so I'm not sure if the hitch is bending the piston rod or what. The hitch is still under warranty so I'll be good there. The cylinder may be a little bit of a fight to get them to cover. A machine shop is a great idea as well.
Thanks again guys.
Thanks again guys.
If you are going to have the rod straightened, then pick up a set of seals for the rod. Good chance that they will leak, after it is taken apart for repair. The kits are usually between $25 - $40 the last time that I bought some.