Reluctant Hydraulic cylinder gland nut removal.

[joea]

Need to find a good relatively cheap tool to help remove a cylinder end cap, with "radial" holes, picture attached. I have tools to remove the ones with holes "on top". Seems like Kubota chose hole sizes a bit small for most tools for that cylinder diameter.

Bought a "gear wrench" set on Amazon, which had a video of a guy wailing away on it. Me? broke the pin off first try. And I am no King Kong. Eh, they do provide 4 or 5 sizes in the set and I needed to use the smallest on. So, guess there is that.

Regardless, I need to reseal these cylinders on a Kubota B21 bucket (TL421). The holes are 5mm max, OD is about 2 to 2.5 inches.

Don't want to take these to a shop, have seals and tools, and have done all the others myself.

I guess I could make up something, if I can find hardened steel rod for the pins, but, last resort. Things like pipe wrench and heat are further away than that.

 

[Flintknapper]

Stop using that method and get a pipe wrench. You can put the cylinder in a vice (if careful not to tighten too much) but easier to just leave it on the front loader until you've broken the nut loose.

 

[D2Cat]

You might get it started with a punch, striking it to go in a counterclockwise direction. 5mm isn't much of an opening to get anything into!

 

[Fedup]

Stop using that method and get a pipe wrench. You can put the cylinder in a vice (if careful not to tighten too much) but easier to just leave it on the front loader until you've broken the nut loose.

There's the right answer. I break the head loose while the cylinder is still on the machine. I never use the "special tools" that fit in the holes. A pipe wrench and if needed, a cheater pipe on that. If you're too picky to put up with a few scratches when you're done, then buy new cylinders and keep it all "shiny".

 

[joea]

Got a replacement set of the spanners coming, but for now used a 24 inch pipe wrench to get it loose. Did not mark it up too badly. That's fine for the "Boom" cylinders, but the bucket cylinders have a smaller gland, and not as "thick" so it will be harder to get a pipe wrench on that. The pin spanner should work fine on those anyway.

The aftermarket seal kit seems to be working fine, so far. I'll do the other side in a few days.