Damaged lift cylinder head - repair or replace?

[wateka]

See pic - I'm still reassembling my new-to-me 853. In changing the lift cylinder seals I looked at the head (6539236) and saw that the outer flange that retains the wiper seal is damaged. New ones are $180.

Anyone repaired this before?

Since the wiper seal has little pressure behind it I'm thinking of cleaning up the damaged area, putting the new wiper seal in, and then molding some Devcon aluminum putty in the damaged area. I haven't read the Devcon instructions yet, but I'm sure, like epoxy, it needs to be clean and have something to adhere to.

 

[laurencen]

its for a wiper seal, myself I would try to push the area deformed back in place, clean it up and use it as is, there is no pressure on it so should be good to use, if you are concerned clean well, rough the surfaces and build up with epoxy, then use a lathe to recut the groove

 

[wateka]

Aluminum putty did the trick for this application. I used a piece of the old wiper seal as a mold and it pried right out this morning.

 

[cdmccul]

Aluminum putty did the trick for this application. I used a piece of the old wiper seal as a mold and it pried right out this morning.
View attachment 4277

Looks good!

With perspective and reflections, hard to see exactly... Going to have to massage it a little bit and clean it up with a file?

 

[Jyuma1]

If it were mine, I'd replace it. True the wiper has little pressure on it but that's only one of the functions the gland provides. I might even go so far as to ask how the gland got in such bad shape.
Every time you need to replace the seals on that cylinder, you'll need to first remove that gland. It would be the best $180 bucks you ever spent.

 

[wateka]

The damage question prompted a good idea. Replacing with new part is always a sure bet, but with the ability to see the the damage, and knowing my expected usage, the repair route was the direction I went. The damage occurred by a tab on the lift arm support that was somehow bent inwards. When the operator lowered the lift arm support on to the cylinder, the bent tab dug into the lift cylinder head. Thinking about how the damage occurred gave me the idea to swap heads between the left and right lift cylinders. The bent tab has been repaired and the lift support is only on the right side, so swapping the heads was a good thought - thanks for asking the question.

 

[oiu789]

Find a local tech school and see if they have a student that needs a lab project. Buy the material and kick in some for the lab and they might build one for you.

 

[Tazza]

If you have access to a lathe, simply machine the wiper seal to take a knock in style, i have done this modification quite a few times, with no issues at all.

There are two styles i have used, one has the wiper lips sitting proud of the gland, you can also get a style that will sit flush with the end of the gland. You just need to be sure the style you choose matches the eye, if it's too long, it may be damaged by the welds on the eye if it retracts too far, just something to note, but there is usually some clearance to make either style work.

 

[wateka]

If you have access to a lathe, simply machine the wiper seal to take a knock in style, i have done this modification quite a few times, with no issues at all.

There are two styles i have used, one has the wiper lips sitting proud of the gland, you can also get a style that will sit flush with the end of the gland. You just need to be sure the style you choose matches the eye, if it's too long, it may be damaged by the welds on the eye if it retracts too far, just something to note, but there is usually some clearance to make either style work.

A lathe is my next purchase. Any suggestions as to what size lathe to get to work on a Bobcat?

 

[Equip]

I would have repaired it and reused.
Only a wiper seal.
Cheers

 

[Tazza]

Ideally get a bigger lathe than you need, but no matter the size, you will find larger jobs you need one for.

for me, i did a bit of work on a small lathe, but later upgraded.

My current one has hole in the head stock that i can feed 1 1/2" rod through from memory, so i can machine threads on new chrome bar for rams. These are the main items you'll need a lathe for on a bobcat that i have found.

 

[wateka]

Ideally get a bigger lathe than you need, but no matter the size, you will find larger jobs you need one for.

for me, i did a bit of work on a small lathe, but later upgraded.

My current one has hole in the head stock that i can feed 1 1/2" rod through from memory, so i can machine threads on new chrome bar for rams. These are the main items you'll need a lathe for on a bobcat that i have found.

What size is your current lathe?