Hydraulic cylinder scratches and pits

[Mtjohnso]

I have a front loader on an IH350U that has scratches and pits in the top 12 inches of the rod. I have sanded out the rust with 600 grit sandpaper and light lubricants.
I have done some research on repair of the rod. Here is the recommended solutions
Fill scratches and pits with JB Weld or equivalent
Rechrome the rod
Replace the rod
Replace the cylinder
I would like to find and economical solution for now.
Will rebuild cylinder if I keep it and can fix the rod.
What have done that was successful?

 

[Ray,IN]

Electroplating is not a solution to filling-in pits and scratches.

 

[DennisDW]

I have the similiar situation on an IH1501 loader on an IH424. The bucket tilt cylinder was scratched so I took it to local hydralic repair and they recommended replacing vs rechroming/repairing. It was cheaper to replace. The lift cylinders are in the same situation where they most likely will need to be replaced due to scratches and rechroming will likely be more that replaceing.

 

[showcrop]

I repaired pits in a power steering rod with JB weld around 15 years ago. Still no leaks. I cleaned it good, applied the jB, when dry I sanded it down with 600 then 1200. When a rod is bad hydraulic shops cut a correct length of new rod from "bulk" stock rod and weld correct ends on.

 

[Jim.ME]

First research the availability and cost of an identical replacement cylinder (bore, stroke, open and closed length, rod diameter, etc. This is critical if it has two cylinders and you want to replace one; they need to match. If it is a single bucket dump cylinder it is not as critical but changing specs much will affect performance.

With the cost of replacement known you can evaluate repair. A good shop can get bulk rod stock and make a new rod, as well as repack the cylinder, which might be less than a replacement cylinder. I have had that done for several cylinders.

 

[moresmoke]

Electroplating is not a solution to filling-in pits and scratches.

When cylinder rods are rechromed, they grind the rod, plate it, the regrind to final diameter. Which is why as others have commented, it is usually cheaper to replace the rod.

 

[Ray,IN]

When cylinder rods are rechromed, they grind the rod, plate it, the regrind to final diameter. Which is why as others have commented, it is usually cheaper to replace the rod.

So is the shaft ground down to eliminate the pitting, then re-plated with enough thickness to be able to grind the plating down too? If a corrosion pit is .025" deep, I seriously doubt they can apply that much plating, let alone grind down that mirror finish.
I agree, buying a new one is the prudent choice; the plating alone would cost more than a new shaft.

 

[Jaden]

To compare prices of new cylinders, try Surplus Center.com. They have a great selection.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

Option 1 with jb weld or similar epoxy is a no this likely if not sanded correctly would temporarily solve the pitting and permanently destroy the seals if it travels that far in. If it doesn’t travel that far no reason to fix it in the first place.

Option 2 rechrome rod. This isn’t a 988 5000 dollar cylinder. This is done regularly on mining equipment not small cylinders.
Again no.

Option 3 rebuild with new rod AND new seals. Yes if you find the parts certainly an option I’d take the seals in to get matched up at your local hydraulic shop maybe they even have a cylinder option to contemplate

If you pull the rod plan on resealing the head and the piston both. If I were you and you want to learn what it takes to fix it I’d certainly take a crack at repairing the existing ones then they are matched to each other and you know what to do next time

What brand and model loader? Looks like there were a few options

 

[Stan Coryell]

Rods are typically lathe cut, spray welded, lathe cut, ground, and then plated.

I had a dump cylinder rod "ground and re chromed" and the cylinder repacked 3 or 4 years ago. The rod was 1.875" x 31". The cost was $1k. The reason I took this route is the other cylinder was/ is fine, the rod is "gun drilled " (bored the length for the return pressure making it tough to make another one), and being able to reuse the hoses and clevis mounts. It also saved a significant amount of time and saved some money.

Last year I busted a dump cylinder. They both got replaced. That was the best option as they both needed new rods and to be repacked.

Neither solution was cheap. Re-chrome, replace the rod, or replace both cylinders are the only economical options (if you valueyourtime). If the hoses are on their way out and/ or the clevisis are worn, I'd lean towards new cylinders. Price it out and make a choice.

Surplus Center has a comprehensive selection.

 

[m16ty]

Sanding down any high spots and filling the low spots with JB Weld has worked for me in the past. Other than that your only options are to replace the whole cylinder or have a new rod made. If it’s a common size cylinder it’s often cheaper to replace the whole cylinder than to just have a new rod made.

 

[m16ty]

Rods are typically lathe cut, spray welded, lathe cut, ground, and then plated.

I had a dump cylinder rod "ground and re chromed" and the cylinder repacked 3 or 4 years ago. The rod was 1.875" x 31". The cost was $1k. The reason I took this route is the other cylinder was/ is fine, the rod is "gun drilled " (bored the length for the return pressure making it tough to make another one), and being able to reuse the hoses and clevis mounts. It also saved a significant amount of time and saved some money.

Last year I busted a dump cylinder. They both got replaced. That was the best option as they both needed new rods and to be repacked.

Neither solution was cheap. Re-chrome, replace the rod, or replace both cylinders are the only economical options (if you valueyourtime). If the hoses are on their way out and/ or the clevisis are worn, I'd lean towards new cylinders. Price it out and make a choice.

Surplus Center has a comprehensive selection.

Since your rod was center drilled you probably went the best route. If it was just a standard solid rod it would have probably been cheaper to replace the rod. You can buy rod stock fairly reasonable, and then have a machine shop machine it to accept the piston, and then weld the eye or whatever on the end.