Bobcat snow blade - leaks from two pin hole on bottom side of hydraulic cylinders

ylsf · Dec 11, 2017

So, took a while to get around to getting equipment ready for this snow season. We only do a couple of our own properties with it. Yesterday I noticed that after I parked the machine with the snow blade attached there was some hydraulic fluid on the ground by the hydraulic cylinders. I lifted up the blade and tilted it down so I could see the bottom and activated the hydraulics again. I could see hydraulic oil coming out of the two pinholes on the bottom of the cylinders. I never noticed this before. It looks like those pinholes were meant to be there but I tried googling to see what is suppose to happen under normal operation and I couldn't find any info. I checked 2 old cylinders that we have (broken arms on those ones) and I see that they have the same pinholes on the bottom. Is this a sign of seals going on them? Any suggestions on where to start or more background info on what those holes are supposed to do?

Tazza · Dec 11, 2017

The cylinders, do they only have one hydraulic line going to them? if so, they are single acting cylinders, if oil is leaking out, the seals are leaking internally and need replacing.

flyerdan · Dec 11, 2017

Tazza said:
The cylinders, do they only have one hydraulic line going to them? if so, they are single acting cylinders, if oil is leaking out, the seals are leaking internally and need replacing.

Are the holes on either side of the rod coming out of the cylinder, if they are, they are for spanner pins to unscrew the end cap, and what might appear to be fluid leaking from them would be where it pools after leaking past the shaft seal.

ylsf · Dec 14, 2017

Tazza said:
The cylinders, do they only have one hydraulic line going to them? if so, they are single acting cylinders, if oil is leaking out, the seals are leaking internally and need replacing.

Yes, they only have one hydraulic line going to them. Thanks for confirming, I will remove them when there is no snow scheduled for a while and bring them to a shop to replace the seals.

wings5j · Mar 29, 2018

ylsf said:
Yes, they only have one hydraulic line going to them. Thanks for confirming, I will remove them when there is no snow scheduled for a while and bring them to a shop to replace the seals.

I have a Bobcat snow blade as well. Today I am out of town but will try to check my manual when I get home. My cylinders have those two pin holes as well and I always figured they were there for a reason. When I first start the Bobcat to head out and plow snow, I always do a warm-up procedure. I run the loader lift up and down two or three times and then while partly up I run the tilt up and down two or three times. Finally, with the loader partly up and the tilt mostly down I pivot the blade back and forth a few times. Usually a little oil comes out those pin holes (so I call them weep holes) during the first cycle or two and then quits. It has been that way for the ten years I have used the blade. It hasn't seemed to get any worse, so I have always treated that as normal. FWIW, John