This New Holland skid steer loader arrived at the workshop
with both the 4 Way bucket cylinder leaking oil badly.
At first we thought that it would be a case of the usual old
collar seals on the top end of the cylinder.
After stripping the cylinders down though, another picture
emerged.
Yes , the seals were leaking, but not necessarily because
they were old and worn.
On close examination the shafts were badly worn in the
middle and the chrome was damaged.
The straight edge solved the problem, the shaft were indeed
bent!
But why?
 |
| Notice the two chrome shafts, even with the eye one can see they are bent. Bend the shaft and the cylinder will leak. |
 |
| But how did the shaft bend? Spotted the clue in this photo? |
 |
| Much more evident in this photo. |
 |
| The cavity behind the cylinder fills up with soil and stones, and as the bucket opens and closes every time it compacts the soil into a solid wedge. The cylinder needs to travel inwards to open the bucket, but it cannot because of the compacted soil. The only way to keep moving is to bow the shaft in the cylinder, and after a few strokes the damage is done! |
