Broken and Bent Ram Shafts

More often than not when the threaded stub (which holds the piston in place) breaks, we can install a larger grade (8) eight bolt to hold the piston to the chromed shaft. Great savings can be realized using this repair method.

P.S.: We have straightened a countless number of chromed shafts over the years. So bring your bent shafts in for us to straighten and more than likely we can save you a bundle of money.

HELPFUL HINTS......

Steel studs or bolts broken off in aluminum, brass and bronze may be treated in like manner as cast iron. Place nut one size larger over the broken stud and weld. The nut and stud being welded together may now be removed with a wrench. The heat will help loosen the stud..

Maintenance Tip: Heat finds H2O

You may need to learn whether water is present in a hydraulic reservoir, contaminating the fluid. This problem normally occurs when the reservoir ingests humid ambient air as the fluid level drops. Later when the system cools, water can condense on the inside of the reservoirís walls. In other situations, sanitary requirements may dictate an equipment washdown. In either case, a water-contamination check should follow.

Two very simple tools - a spoon and a cigarette lighter - can accomplish this test. Fill the spoon with fluid from the reservoir, then heat it over the lighter. In about 30 second if water is present, youíll see bubbles forming at the bottom of the spoon and rising to the fluid surface. If there is no water, no bubbles will appear. Learn more by reading Contamination.

Leak Testing Hydraulic Cylinders

There are several ways to check a linear actuator's seals. One of the simplest is to dead head the piston (move the ram and piston all the way to one end) and disconnect the return line of the cylinder at the valve.
With the disconnected hose end in a container to catch oil, continue to apply pressure through the valve to the cylinder, if a stream of oil flows out of the hose, then the seals on the piston are defective and need replacing.