Most Common Mistakes During Hydraulic Cylinder Repair and How to Avoid Them

Notably, various industrial equipment, construction machinery, agricultural implements, and material handling systems use hydraulic cylinders. They provide the necessary force in lifting, pushing, pulling, and controlling directional movement. When a cylinder is defective, declining productivity, increased safety risks, and rapidly escalating repair costs become problematic. Therefore, keeping the number of hydraulic cylinder repairs to a minimum is needed to retain machinery working efficiently.

This guide identifies the most common hydraulic cylinder repair mistakes made and how these affect the machinery, and the most appropriate actions that can be taken to make the hydraulic repair cost-effective and to make the repairs last. 

Bypassing Cylinder Disassembly Troubleshooting

Repairing hydraulic cylinders without looking at the problem’s cause is ineffective. It is important to troubleshoot hydraulic cylinders before taking the unit apart. 

Some of the hydraulic cylinder troubleshooting are: 

• Internal or external leak diagnosis
• Analyzing the problem of the cylinder being weak or having movement issues.
• Diagnosing a contaminated hydraulic pump.
• Damaged hydraulic cylinders diagnosis
• Diagnosing the repair of out-of-alignment cylinders

Avoiding the problem

Full troubleshooting should always be performed. This includes checking the pressure, hoses, seals, and the quality of the fluid. 

Incorrect Hydraulic Cylinder Repair

The use of cheap, different, or poor-quality hydraulic parts is a problem during repairs. This leads to having a hydraulic cylinder repair that will not work correctly. Trying to put a low price on a hydraulic repair to make the budget is a problem because the cylinder will most likely be broken in a short period of time. 

Avoiding the problem

If manufacturers’ or equivalent-quality parts are not used, the parts should match the original. This is to ensure that the cylinder will work correctly and safely, and will not fail under high pressure.

Insufficient Rods and Tubes Surface Finishing

During cylinder rebuild service, a few technicians fail to adequately polish or hone the rods and tubes, resulting in a rough profile that accelerates seal degradation, increases cylinder leakage, and degrades cylinder functionality.

How to avoid this mistake: 

 Evaluate the smoothness of the rod and tube assemblies and look for evidence of scratching, pitting, or scoring damage. Appropriate honing and polishing methods should be used for the damage and the level of smoothness required.

Wrong Seal Fitting

Seals are essential in creating a vacuum to avoid pressure loss and maintain pressure. A sequence in the repair cycle that is frequently carried out with great ease is seal fitting, where one common mistake is to fit the seal incorrectly. Incorrect sealing leads to leakage very close to and within the cylinder.

How to avoid this mistake: 

Stick to using the appropriate procedural sequence during fitting of the seals and ensure that you properly lubricate them, check the orientation, there is no omission in the groove, and be sure to use a seal that corresponds to the operating pressure.

Failing to Clean Components Prior to Assembly

Most of the cylinders become contaminated, and the dirt contamination should be removed. Failures in hydraulic systems are most commonly caused by contamination and dirt.

How to Avoid this Mistake:

All components should be cleaned individually and thoroughly to prevent cross-contamination. Ensure the workbench is free from dust. Always keep the cylinder covered to prevent dust from entering the cylinder during the repair process.

Ignoring Misalignment

Most cylinder failures are due to misalignment with the machine it is meant to work in. Misalignment will result in unbalanced wearing and excessive movement on the rods, seals, and bearings. If a cylinder is realigned incorrectly, the cylinder will surely fail again in a short time.

How to Avoid this Mistake:

Examine the equipment structure and the mounting points. Make sure the cylinder is designed to move in a straight line without applying bending forces. Replace worn pins or bushings that may lead to misalignment.

Inaccurate Torque in Assembly

Common issues in hydraulic cylinder repair include incorrect assembly, where the bolts are either over- or under-tightened. Such assembly can lead to unintentional damage of internal components, loose fittings, or assembly leaks.

How to Avoid this Mistake:

Throughout the assembly process, a torque specification should be enacted, and a calibrated torque wrench should be utilized to ensure proper sealing. This will eliminate failures and will instill proper structural sealing. 

Ignoring Cylinder Maintenance After Repair

At times, cylinders may fail for reasons that appear unrelated to the repair work. Failure can often be traced to inadequate cylinder care. Ignoring cylinder maintenance, which involves lubrication, fluid changes, and inspection, can lead cylinders to fail.

How to avoid this mistake: 

Schedule preventive maintenance by monitoring system pressure, checking for leaks, and testing fluid cleanliness. Early detection of underlying issues can help prevent breakdowns and mitigate costly repairs.

Failing to Test the Cylinder Before Reinstallation 

One of the most costly mistakes is not testing the cylinder after repairs before reinstalling it. If there are leaks or other performance issues, the cylinder must be removed, which is more costly. 

How to avoid this mistake: 

Test for pressure, movement, and leaks before the cylinder rebuild service is installed in the machine. This test is to certify the repairs and ensure that the machine is safe to install and run.

Trying to Cut Costs in the Wrong Areas 

It is important to lower the cost of hydraulic repairs, but cutting repairs, quality of parts, or testing leads to higher costs in the future. Poor hydraulic cylinder troubleshooting costs more in damaged parts within a machine. 

How to avoid this mistake: 

Thorough inspections, skilled technicians, and quality parts. To avoid repeated breakdowns and save money long-term.

Final Thoughts

The repair of hydraulic cylinders is a tricky and costly endeavor that can be done once the repairer has the required experience and knowledge, so that they will not have to repair them numerous times. When common mistakes in hydraulic repairs are avoided, the owners of the equipment can anticipate longer hydraulic cylinder lifespans, more efficient operation, and better performance. 

With hydraulic cylinder repair, necessary industrial components, and engineered repair system support, THM Haude’s hydraulic systems will be the first in the trade for system repairs to constitute and maintain an engineered, modern, and dependable system. 

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