HELP! - Hydraulic Cylinder Dissasembly

Good Evening Gentlemen, the hooklift assembly on our Dads roll-off truck needed to be re-shimmed. He mentioned that the jib extension cylinder was creeping a little bit on him during road travel between locations. We decided to repack the cylinder during the shimming procedure since 1/2 the disassembly would be done at this point. Fast Forward...we got the hydraulic cylinder out of the truck and on the work bench. We removed the retaining wire and began un-threading the gland nut with minimal force. We achieved about 1/8" of separation between the gland nut and cylinder body. The gland nut will spin either direction but we can't get it on or off. What are we missing or doing wrong? Is there a piece of the retainer wire broken off in its groove?

Thanks fellas!

Looks to me like you got the whole retainer out, so your good there.

Usually what happens is the o-ring around the head will get stuck in the retraining ring groove in the barrel. Either this, or it's just tight coming out.

Either way, chain the end of the barrel to something. Then hook a chainfall, comealong, etc to the rod end, to pull it apart.

I've had to do many cylinders like that over the years. That said, be careful as it may pop apart with some force, depending on how bad it's actually stuck.

Going back be sure to clean up the end of the barrel, especially around the ring groove. Then put some anti-seize on it before going back together, to make removal.easier next time.

Good luck.

Maybe pump some grease in the retaining ring groove to help the o-ring slide past, and then use a come-along like Wayne said, wrap it in a blanket so it doesn't fly out and hurt itself or someone!

My Dig-It brand TLB has those kind of retaining rings on all the cylinders of the backhoe. I almost never get one to come out that whole. I have to saw the outer barrel apart in the retaining ring groove, take the cylinder apart, repack it and then align it and weld the groove back together and then rewind the retainer. Every time I get a kit from the manufacturer it does not have these square type soft retaining rings. The local hydraulic shop says they cannot get them either. Can either of you gents tell me where to get them? I have been able to reuse them so far, but my luck is going to run out eventually. Possibly when I take the bucket cylinder off to pack it since it is leaking some now. Gene Davis Tennille, Ga.

Them retainer wires are called " marion wires" I get mine from my Hercules distributor.

make sure tall hoses are removed from the hydraulic cylinder as well as any breather plugs. If one is left it creates a vacuum and will not let you pull out the rod. that being said if all hoses and fittings are removed tap gently with a hammer it should come out.

It's not threaded, like has been said pull it out, be careful!

Hi There is some good advice about suction here, I can't tell for sure if you got all the wire out from the picture. There should be a 90 degree hooked end that was inside the cylinder in a hole in the gland to pull the wire in when it was put together, and to help push the wire out on disassembly. That ends usually about 1/4 " or so long. Its not uncommon for somebody to twist it to far. or turn the end cap the wrong way and snap it off with some types of wire. I think you got most it with how far apart it is just check for that end.

Now I just did a cylinder like this design for a customer JD discer. The dealers did it last time and messed that wire up breaking the end off and the seals in the gland making it leak !!!!!, but it came apart unscrewing it like it should. I had a pig of a time getting that little bit of wire out of the gland locating hole though. it was burred and semi stuck so i couldn't pull it out or drill it as it spun. Those fittings where clocked so I couldn't use a different hole that was there either.

In the instruction sheet I read before re assembly L.O.L it stated to cut the o ring and back up washer( looks like you just got the ring) and dig them out of the wire slot in the barrel before removing the end cap to free it up for easy removal. All the others I have done never had the instructions and the end just pulled out fairly easy using the rod pulled right out to the end as a slide hammer, but not easy on a huge cylinder. This one did to but maybe yours has more rust in the groove internally and it's real tight.

Big Hint if you never done one before ! When you get it apart you will see the groove in the cylinder wall and maybe the rust, make sure you get that rust and any burrs out of that ring groove and off the lead in taper right in the end. it will need to be real clean so when the new piston seals go in they slip in nice without catching on the rust/burrs, Don't ask me how I found that out with a $150 seal kit once " I thought it was clean enough" Also go real careful keeping everything parallel when sliding the piston in,it don't take much to pinch the seals.
Regards Robert