Cylinder removal, repair, replacement, Part I
When I purchased my 1702T for a pretty good price, the top was stuck in the up position. I decided to give it a try. This thread is for info for anyone contemplating cylinder work.
1. The Problem: The top was jammed in the up position. The pump, motor, electrical and fuses checked out as OK. So we went under and discovered the following:
a. The guide Rod was bent at the outer end by about 1/2". Dirty, rusted, and corroded. No evidence of cleaning or greasing.
b. The cylinder rod and pulley head were bent 1/2" off centerline. The cylinder was jammed in the extended position, could not be rotated, compressed, or extended.
c. The previous owner says he did not hit anything or run over anything. Only option is removal of cylinder.
d. The front of the top was lower by 2" and the cables were not equal tension.
2. Research: I hit search on this website and entered everything I could think of regarding the cylinder. I tried " hydraulics, cylinder, cables, lowering, etc " I wanted to see what others had encountered. Here are the most helpful tips.
a. Jack up the trailer for more room. It helps to roll over when under. Safety first, use jack stands. Plan ahead and have all tools ready and under the trailer.
b. Oil drain pan. Useful when disconnecting lines. You must rotate cylinder when removing. Avoid big mess.
c. TyReps the cables. When you remove the pulleys on the head, use electrical TyReps to hold the cables in place so they don't slip off the pulleys.
d. Safety Bar. I put some wood screws in the floor adjacent to the safety bar. Wired it up out of the way. One less thing to jam things up.
3. Removal. This went pretty easy. Had to hacksaw the guide bar in two places for removal. Used a recip saw ( SawsAll ) Mild steel which cut pretty easy. The rest of removal was just disconnect pulleys, lines, etc. You have to rotate cylinder to remove. Mine was in extended position so somewhat awkward but it came out OK. It weighs about 32 lbs so don't let it hit you when it finally comes out. Protect head, throat, collarbone, etc.
4. Repair. OK, who can fix these things. The factory ws closing at the time so off to the yellow pages. Looked under " Hydraulic Equipment Repair, Auto Repair, etc" Found lots of places to fix it. I went with a local Auto Machine Shop that does lots of cylinder work.
5. What did it cost? In my case parts were $45. Cylinder repair was $120. A new cylinder rod was needed and had to be cut to length and threaded for the 3/4" pulley head and nuts for $130. Total: $295. A new cylinder was priced at $ 300 to $ 325. Maybe more shopping and DIY could save some money but I was stuck.
6. Replacement. This went pretty easy. Just reverse the steps and put everything back in place. I was careful to clean, grease and seal everything involved. When the cylinder was repaired it could be rotated with leverage and extended and compressed with jacks, come-alongs, etc. It is stiff but manageable.
7. Start Up. When I got it all together and checked out it started fine. The cylinder does initally stutter and chatter when moving ( air in the system ) But it seems to self-bleed out the air after a few cycles.
It took about one hour to remove and replace the cylinder. Total: 2 hours. In Part II I will try to explain how the guide rod and cylinder got so screwed up and bent out of shape. More Later. This website was a life saver for me.
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