Anybody ever use the cheap o-rings such as sold in the sets at northern tool and harbor freight? I see them all the time but have a hard time believing they could hold up to use in machinery. I am however looking to get a good master hydraulic o-ring kit somewhere. Before I pay out the ying yang for the cat kit, is there somewhere I can order a good o-ring kit with orfs, stor boss, and flange seals that won't leave me walking like john wayne after I pay for it?
You can buy them from Hercules or H&D
I get my kits from local suppliers (not Northern or Harbor Freight). Another source is the o-ring store. > http://www.theoringstore.com/
Been using those for years and they hold up just fine. Were like $7-8 a set.
Believe it or not I've had zero trouble with the cheap kits, until the uninstalled orings get to be 8 or 10 years old. Even my Tigercat kit (high dollar) says they have a finite shelf life.
I'd guess it depends on the pressure, the fluid, and the application (sliding, spinning, or stationary seals) For the best, IMO, go to Parker. Their $500 O-ring set has everything! (or maybe it's a $1,500 set... but the o-rings are relatively inexpensive per piece from the Parker dealer. I just call with the application or sizes, and get them the next day... usually.) This is usually the result with the red-box cheep o-ring kits... no Goldilocks fit, only too big or too small...
The cheap kits are just the standard numbered sizes. Many hydraulic components, and other things use other size o-rings.
I guess that's what I meant, mitch. Everything is OK, until you don't have the correct size o-ring in the kit. For me, it pays to have the expensive kit. The o-ring in the picture came from the (european) Brand Name Equipment Dealer. The Parts Kid , with an ear-ring in his nose, pulled it out of a red box, handed it to me, and said it was the right part... after I drove an hour to the dealer... too many thought went through my mind to repeat, none that I can repeat here. Tearing something down to find that a not-quite-right-size o-ring was the problem has turned me against the cheep kits...
Yeah, I have about 6 different kinds of kits on my truck.
I rarely use the "red" box when working on hydraulic components, the Industrial o-ring kit has the small cross section sizes the red box doesn't have, that's the box that I use the most. > http://www.theoringstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=175_174&products_id=7491
Cat fixer, Look at a o-ring outfit called Qpac they sell kits for about all the major brands. Good luck Bob