I am rebuilding the lift cylinder on my Case 450 doozer - cylinder ha a 1.25 inch rod. I am having trouble getting the gland seal installed. I have replaced them on my 580 SL backhoe before but the rods were quite a bit larger and I was able to collapse the seal in the center and work it into the groove in the gland. With the 1.25 inch gland I tried but was finding it very difficult to get the seal collasped enough to work it into the gland. I did heat the seal in hot water before trying to install. I didnt want to force it too much and damage the seal - does anyone have any tips on how to install the gland seal with a small diameter rod ?? thanks Gary
The smaller they are the more difficult they are to handle. If you don't have the proper tool, one way that I do them when I forget mine in the field. You need to get it in the shape of a kidney... you know with one side pulled in toward the center. I take a piece of angle iron the right size that will hold it in the vee, then push inward with a round shank screw driver (the side of it) until you can get hold of it with a dull edge needle nose pliers. The pliers can be any old pair that you may have that wont cut the seal. Grab the seal at the point above the shank and install it.
https://www.herculesus.com/product.php?productid=626343 Like Bill said, try to copy one of these things, three phillips screwdrivers will hold it once you have the seal "collapsed". Also, the seal doesn't have to be in one flat plane, stick one end in first and push the rest closer to the groove after the first bit is lined up with the groove.
A bit of heat always helps, on the old Bobcat cylinders with teflon seals you heated them in a double boiler. Of course needle nose and gloves were required to get them installed before they cooled too much. Makes the seals much more flexible.
Check out this link, seems the best price I have found. Do not own one but have seen them used and looks easyier than fighting them like I have done a couple times on Case skid-steer cylinders. http://www.rocklinhydraulics.com/seal-installer-100.html
thanks for the info everyone - I was able to get the seal installed a little bit ago using some of the ideas in the replies - I used a small tie wrap to pull the seal into a tight figure 8 shape - I assume that is what was meant by shape of a liver. I wrapped some elecrical tape around the jaws of a pair of needle nose pliers to protect the seal - I put a piece of 1/4 rod in a vise and pulled the figure 8 shape of the seal around the rod till I could grab the two round ends with the needle nose pliers - I was then able to get the seal started in the hole in the end of the gland - a real tight squeeze but managed to work it in about the the width of the seal by tgwisting with the needle nose pliers. At that point I removed the pliers and was able to work the seal down to the groove by putting a phillips screwdriver through one of the holes in the end of the figure 8 and alternating from end to end and pulling the end of the seal towards the center of the gland with the screwdriver while I worked it down deeper into the gland. Once I got it to the groove in the gland with one part of the seal in the groove I cut the tie wrap and was then able to work the rest of the seal into the groove with my fingers. Next step is to assemble the cylinder and confirm no damage to the seal and leaks. thanks again for the help Gary