Someone suggested to me to use used chrome cylinder rod to replace worn pins on an mini excavator. Is this a good idea? Thank you for yours comments Ronald.
It's a great idea if you happen to have rods laying around that are the right size
Don't know why it would not work as long as its the correct size & you can fit & hold it proper . We have used everything under the sun for pins ....... Cold rolled shaft works as well . Main thing is a snug fit between shaft & bushing . Axil shafts work good as well . Have some old 460 Farmall tractor axil shaft pins in the blade arms on the International TD25C dozer . Same company ..... They just forgot to mention in the book the farm tractor axils also fit the dozer blade .
Have used cylinder shaft several times, works good. Even picked up discarded shaft at the hydraulic shop and they give it away, even better.
Believe it or not have used old high chromium shafts from rebuilt pumps from previous employer, hard to machine but well worth the effort.
We have always kept the old rods when we build replacements for cylinders, just for this reason. Well that and I tend to be a pack rat too, but they work great, and are free.