In your last hydraulic maintenance email, I wrote
about the problems that can occur if case drain
lines from piston pumps or motors are filtered
or otherwise restricted.
Today I want to switch gears and talk about a major
cause of rod-seal failure in hydraulic cylinders.
As a product group, hydraulic cylinders are almost
as common as pumps and motors combined. They are less
complicated than other types of hydraulic components
and are therefore relatively easy to repair.
As a result, many hydraulic equipment owners or their
maintenance personnel repair hydraulic cylinders themselves.
And this is why I included a whole chapter about carrying
out effective repairs on hydraulic cylinders in my book,
'Insider Secrets to Hydraulics'.
An important step in the repair process that is often
overlooked by do-it-yourself repairers, is
checking rod straightness.
Bent rods place load on the rod seal causing distortion,
and ultimately premature failure of the seal.
So rod straightness should always be checked when
hydraulic cylinders are being re-sealed or repaired.
The procedure for doing this is explained in detail
on pages 82 and 83 of 'Insider Secrets to Hydraulics'
http://www.hydraulicsupermarket.com/books.html
In most cases, bent rods can be straightened in a press.
It is sometimes possible to straighten them without
damaging the hard-chrome plating, however if the chrome
is damaged, the rod must be either re-chromed or replaced.
BUT a word of CAUTION before I go.
Attempting to straighten induction-hardened rods
can cause the hardened case to shatter - with
the potential for serious personal injury and/or
property damage.
For this reason, before attempting to straighten
any cylinder rod - make sure it hasn't been
induction-hardened first.
Yours for better hydraulics knowledge,
Brendan Casey
Author of 'Insider Secrets to Hydraulics'; and
'Preventing Hydraulic Failures'.
http://www.hydraulicsupermarket.com/books.html
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