Case 580D Boom Cylinder Rebuild or Replace?

[JRP3]

Took the boom cylinder apart to repack it and found the rod was bent and the piston was scored, I'm assuming the cylinder wall is scored the same amount. I'm thinking with the amount of scoring on the piston that honing the cylinder enough to smooth it out might cause fluid bypass. I'm attaching a pic of the piston, do the grooves look too deep to hone the cylinder smooth? Does anyone know if these aftermarket cylinders are any good? They are a lot cheaper than the OEM's I've seen.
Ebay Link

 

[Diesel Dave]

It’s all scrap for sure !
How did the rod get bent ? You would hate to see a repeat failure.

 

[JRP3]

Not sure how the rod bent. It's an old machine in pretty good shape overall and I've had it for 20 years or so but only occasional use. Pins don't seem sloppy enough to allow a bend in normal use. Maybe it was swung sideways against a tree or something when fully extended?

 

[Coy Lancaster]

You have a damaged cylinder tube so you will need to replace the complete cylinder assembly.

 

[berky]

That's a lot of damage! I think all you have is a big paperweight now. Replacement will be high dollar, I'd look for a used rebuildable unit.

 

[JRP3]

Yeah that's why I was wondering if these aftermarket units were any good.

 

[edgephoto]

A hydraulic shop can repair that. I would prefer that to some Chinese knock off. Call around as you will get a wide range of prices.

I had one done on my Cat 426 and it cost me $1100 but the cheapest replacement I could find was $1500 and cat was close to $2000. If hydraulic shops are anything like auto shops they know the cost of new and price accordingly.

Maybe take it and ask if they can repair it for the price of that new one or a little less. Can't hurt.

 

[berky]

Replacement is either China but I think most likely India. I would still call tractor salvage yards and try to find OEM unit that could be fitted with a rebuild kit. Be sure to ask them if they will guarantee what you get is re-buildable. Use to have an old Ford 4500 from 1966 and I found an excellent replacement backhoe bucket cylinder that way. You will still have about the same cost in the end as that replacement, but you don’t have to worry about the quality. If you go the replacement unit also be aware that if it fails a reseal kit will be hard to find if at all.

 

[Delmer]

That cylinder will be a LOT easier to find used than a bucket cylinder, the bucket cylinder gets the worst abuse and there's only one of them. Plenty of those backhoes in salvage yards and most have two good boom cylinders. I'd do that before an import aftermarket. Or fix yours, but a rod, piston, and cylinder is probably going to be cheaper to find a used one. If you were going to jerry rig it yourself you probably wouldn't be asking, right?

 

[JRP3]

If you go the replacement unit also be aware that if it fails a reseal kit will be hard to find if at all.

Good point, I assumed it would use the same Case dimensions but I suppose it could be metric.

 

[Welder Dave]

Curious what would cause that much damage, badly worn wiper seal letting dirt in or contaminated oil?

 

[JRP3]

Curious what would cause that much damage, badly worn wiper seal letting dirt in or contaminated oil?

I'm fairly sure it was the bent rod which was forcing the piston to one side of the bore on each stroke. Once the packing wore away it was metal on metal.

 

[Tinkerer]

A used Case OEM cylinder will most likely be a much higher quality replacement than any aftermarket cylinder.
It shouldn't be very hard to find one at a decent price.

 

[franklin2]

I know cylinder shops can get/make new cylinder rods. Can they get/cut new cylinders? If they can, they could make a new one, and a little file work you could re-use the piston. The piston doesn't look worn enough that it would let new seals and bushings not stay in place.

 

[Coy Lancaster]

The thing about cylinder shops is that they can make pretty much anything you need but the seals won't be OEM kits. Call Schaefer Enterprises at (800) 626-6046 and ask for Carl. They will probably have one they can ship to you. You may have to put a kit in it but at least it will be OEM.

 

[JRP3]

Thanks, I'm checking with local repair places first to see if there is something nearby that I can inspect before buying.

 

[JRP3]

Or fix yours, but a rod, piston, and cylinder is probably going to be cheaper to find a used one. If you were going to jerry rig it yourself you probably wouldn't be asking, right?

I've thought about it. A machinist friend has a large hydraulic press and has experience straightening rods so I could probably get that straight, then knock down the worst of the scoring on the piston and cylinder bore and have a workable cylinder for many years considering how long this one has been working in this condition. But that's a lot of work for a less than ideal end product so I'm not going to bother.

 

[Delmer]

Machinery trader parts search with the part number, or look for heavy equipment salvage yards, there aren't that many of them around so you won't be calling dozens of places.

 

[JRP3]

I was curious how straight I could get the rod so I put it on my buddy's press this morning and we got it to within 5 thousands on the dial indicator. It had over a 1/4 inch bend overall to start.

 

[JRP3]

After much searching I went with the aftermarket cylinder. Used ones with no guarantee they were rebuildable were going for over $600, used and rebuilt with 90 day warranty were over $1k. The aftermarket was $825 delivered, 1 year warranty, and it takes the standard Case seal and packing set. Bottom end is machined instead of cast like the original, everything lined up. I'll paint it to match when it warms up again next year.