1984 JCB 1400B loader/backhoe loader bucket curl cylinder...

I have an old yard/farm machine for lifting stuff heavier than I care or dare to anymore, etc...not used for anything other than my own use around here. For years this old gal has given me nothing but help and a smile on my face each time I use it, and the 3K dollars it cost me was a great investment.

This past week we got 18" of snow so like any other day, I fire the old girl up and commenced to moving snow as usual. All of a sudden I hear a BANG, and look out on the loader arm and see the left side curl cylinder shaped like a U. For the life of me, I can't figure out why that did that, unless water got into the barrel somehow, froze and when I retracted that rod it bent it...? Hard telling not knowing.

I hate to have to buy a new rod and go that route, I wonder if anyone can direct me to a used parts yard someplace where I can buy a used salvaged cylinder for this machine, or even a new one if I had to...by the time I'm done paying the hydraulic shop to replace this rod I bet I can just about buy a new one...not 100% sure but that's what I've found over the years.

So, is there any JCB salvage yards around I may check with?

Thanks in advance!
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If you have a good machine shop in your area or a hydraulic repair firm take the cylinder to them and ask them to make up a new ram. The ram stock is usually readily available. When I built my log splitter over 20 years ago, I think my ram stock came from Braun Hydraulics somewhere in the Midwest. They used to put out a small thick red covered catalog. Probably a lot easier than a whole new cylinder. Some industrial supply houses may stock the more common sizes, just a steel rod that is chrome plated and you cut it to the right size.

there are hydraulic specialist in uk who would repair damaged ram which is not much use to you but I assume there are similar across the pond but you should check system right through before using machine when fixed as it looks like something was stopping oil returning from damaged ram

Wengers in Meyerstown Pa should have a used cylinder 800-451-5240

Like said take the rod from the barrel and then to the hydraulic shop where they will cut the eye from yours and weld it to a new piece of rod from stock,they will machine the other end for the piston,why it bent,doubt if it was ice,look at all the pins on the linkage in case it went over center,you could have hit something in the road,unusual thing to happen,I'm in the UK and in the repair business,have never come across that before.
AJ

First off don,t think internal ice caused the bend , looks more like you hit something or the loader linkage bound up some way. Your rod on the jcb is METRIC . Jerk the rod out and call Bailey Hydraulics 800-800 1810 . They can ship you the rod or you can send your to them and they will build you another one. Best Hydraulic service in the country.

(quoted from post at 19:48:33 03/19/17) Wengers in Meyerstown Pa should have a used cylinder 800-451-5240

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Thanks for that number, that's an option!

I didn't hit anything....that loader was in mid air when I simply went to curl the bucket back and heard a bang before I could process it in my mind what it was. Then I saw the rod bent in a horse shoe. My first thought was ice as it was subzero, but further thinking decided that something came apart inside, maybe jammed between the piston and gland and caused it...who knows until I get it apart.

Metric...I ran into that with this JCB on everything. All metric, British threads, all kinds of fun there.

I'm going to try that Wenger's in Pennsylvania first thing tomorrow... if no luck, I have to replace that rod I guess.

Thanks for all this help men!

(quoted from post at 21:26:51 03/19/17) First off don,t think internal ice caused the bend , looks more like you hit something or the loader linkage bound up some way. Your rod on the jcb is METRIC . Jerk the rod out and call Bailey Hydraulics 800-800 1810 . They can ship you the rod or you can send your to them and they will build you another one. Best Hydraulic service in the country.

Click to expand...

Good advice here too...I'm going to first try Wenger's in Meyerstown, Pa. to see if they have a used one...this old machine sits for weeks on end, I may use it 12 times a year so it's not that important but now that it's down I'll need it every day you watch. So I'll try finding a used cylinder...if not then yes, Bailey Hydraulics sounds like a good plan.

Thanks!

(quoted from post at 21:52:07 03/19/17)

(quoted from post at 21:26:51 03/19/17) First off don,t think internal ice caused the bend , looks more like you hit something or the loader linkage bound up some way. Your rod on the jcb is METRIC . Jerk the rod out and call Bailey Hydraulics 800-800 1810 . They can ship you the rod or you can send your to them and they will build you another one. Best Hydraulic service in the country.

Click to expand...

Good advice here too...I'm going to first try Wenger's in Meyerstown, Pa. to see if they have a used one...this old machine sits for weeks on end, I may use it 12 times a year so it's not that important but now that it's down I'll need it every day you watch. So I'll try finding a used cylinder...if not then yes, Bailey Hydraulics sounds like a good plan.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I'm going out there in a few minutes and start studying it and removing the cylinder, so I'll see better what may have happened. I thought the link or pin may have froze, but I grease it all the time and they're not froze up, so something internal I'd say.

(quoted from post at 21:55:09 03/19/17)

(quoted from post at 21:52:07 03/19/17)

(quoted from post at 21:26:51 03/19/17) First off don,t think internal ice caused the bend , looks more like you hit something or the loader linkage bound up some way. Your rod on the jcb is METRIC . Jerk the rod out and call Bailey Hydraulics 800-800 1810 . They can ship you the rod or you can send your to them and they will build you another one. Best Hydraulic service in the country.

Click to expand...

Good advice here too...I'm going to first try Wenger's in Meyerstown, Pa. to see if they have a used one...this old machine sits for weeks on end, I may use it 12 times a year so it's not that important but now that it's down I'll need it every day you watch. So I'll try finding a used cylinder...if not then yes, Bailey Hydraulics sounds like a good plan.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I'm going out there in a few minutes and start studying it and removing the cylinder, so I'll see better what may have happened. I thought the link or pin may have froze, but I grease it all the time and they're not froze up, so something internal I'd say.

Click to expand...

So, I did my due diligence and removed the rod from the barrel. The linkage and pins are all nice and lubed, I pulled the pins by hand as a matter of fact...so no sign of the linkage binding up causing this to bend.

What I did reveal though is the oil that came out of the barrel when I popped the rod out was pure milk, a tell tale sign of water contamination. This is a 33 year old machine and I've had it for 5 years, never changed the hydraulic oil and I doubt the previous owners ever did either.

This solidifies the theory even more about that cylinder having a slug of ice in it behind that piston, and when I retracted it, it bent the rod like it did. It had been down below zero for a few days until this day, it was 24*F but not warm enough to thaw if this is the case at all.

The question would remain, where did the water get in? The fill cap is well covered under the hood by the radiator, so that's not really possible. But again,33 years old and never had a service could be the culprit too.

I looked inside the bore, it's fine inside. That white hydraulic oil is really making me think it's an ice problem, and thinking back several years now I recall one time I had to heat that cylinder with the torch to get it to free up one cold winter when I needed it for snow...I never took the time to address it then, so now I just paid the price obviously.

Ahh, I got the rod out so most of it's done now. I'll check around for a used cylinder at Wenger's first, if not, it's off to the hydraulic shop for a new rod then.