I had one of my 555e swing cylinders rebuilt and I noticed it leaking pretty well the other day. Here to find out the gland backed off probably 2 turns. I tightened it back up, but it continues to leak, but not like it did before. My guess is it ruined the oring that goes on the outside of the gland. Has anyone had this happen to them? Any ideas why it happened? I didn’t know it was possible.
It happens some time. Probably not done up tight enough. Oring will be blown. Pull it off and take it back to rebuilder.
I figured as much about the o-ring. Luckily I can do the repair myself, the reason I took it to the shop was because I couldn't get the gland off. I won't have that problem this time! I just wasn't sure if it backing off was a sign of something else. Thanks.
Quite possibly. A bur on the mating surface could of caused gland not to seat home. Threads may be stretched, gland may be cracked. Oring may be too big and bound.
Could there be a small allan head set screw to prevent the gland nut from loosening that's missing or wasn't tightened?
I suspect that either the ring shown below broke and was not reinstalled, or it was not properly staked once the gland was tightened. If you can get the O-ring and backer, it should be easy to replace. If the ring shown below is missing or broken, the cylinder must come apart for repair. #85800302 RING, SNAP
I was finally able to take the cylinder apart today. Easy as pie… thanks Swetz for the manual. It came in handy when I second guessed myself about which way the piston went after I cleaned it off. The oring was trashed as Cliffy said. It was still there but in rough shape. The backup ring was no where to be found. I can’t imagine they would have forgotten it. There was a lot of rubber in the barrel and on the gland. I’m assuming that was the backup ring shredded and pieces of the oring. I’m guessing the culprit was the ring was not staked. There is one spot on the gland and one spot on the barrel. The ring was smooth as can be. I had a spare kit as I was going to do the other side years ago. I need to buy replacements now or I will forget and be mad at myself down the road
Found this discussion quite interesting as I have to replace the seals in the swing cylinders of my 580N backhoe. Was hoping that I could do the repair without removing the complete cylinder. Appears from your photos that you were able to work on yours while still on the machine. Can you offer any tips to make things easier or things to avoid during the repair process?
First and foremost I know nothing about a 580N or if it’s even possible to do while on the machine, however, here are a few things that might help. Swing your backhoe the opposite direction of the swing cylinder you are repairing about 1/2 way. Roll your backhoe bucket outward and stake the teeth into the ground so that it won’t move. Crack the incoming and outgoing lines on the cylinder. If not you won’t be able to pull the rod/piston out as it will create a seal on the backend. I still had a seal regardless, so I used a ratchet strap to pull the rod out. Just make sure someone is there to catch it when it falls out of the tube. Make sure you have a nice work area prepared to do the work. I used the tailgate of my truck. Make sure you watch your feet and legs as you pull the rod out. I forgot about the oil on the backside and soaked my leg and boot. Obviously having all of the tools, seals, gaskets, etc., are a must and I wouldn’t start the job without them. Honestly it’s just like repairing any other cylinder. The biggest difference is you don’t have to take everything apart, take it out of the housing it’s in, remove all the surrounding pieces, etc. Good luck.
Hi Cosmaar1, I apologize for taking so long to respond to your note. Tips you provided are greatly appreciated and will undoubtedly be helpful when I start pulling the cylinders. I agree, preparation is the key to getting the job done successfully. Nothing like having the catch pail fill with hydraulic fluid, and finding nothing else in sight to catch the overflow! Anyway, installing new seals sounds pretty straight forward so I'll tackle it when the weather warms up in spring. Thanks again for your help.