How I rebuild a hydraulic cylinder and tools 

Kevin Thank you for taking the time to share your method of rebuiding a hydraulic cylinder. Your video is very helpful. I am also glad that you can ignore the negative comments from the couch potatoes that admonished you to hire a professional. They couldn't find their way around a tool box, and they are just jealous of people like you who fix worn out things on a regular basis. Capt. Art

Professionals do it every day, but they are not superhuman doing things that intelligent others can’t do with a little education and the desire to save money. Very good video showing every step, thanks for publishing this video.

Great tips, my buddy did one but we put the gland seal in backwards so we need to fix that and the tools will be a big help. Locally we take our cylinder apart and take it to Hydraulic Supplee in Orlando FL. They get the seals in a day. Our cylinder's are used in a boat lift and there are no numbers to be found.

Kevin is really good at repairing things and always does his best to show people how easy it is to do it yourself,like he said if you want to pay someone to do it for you go ahead but don't down someone for trying ,,he has saved us so much money over the years being able to diy.Good job Kevin

You are an expert on keeping it simple. Great job on making it happen.

Great tutorial. When ever possible I always do my own home and auto repairs. I have saved thousands of dollars over the years.

Kevin, I very much appreciate your “how to rebuild a hydraulic cylinder” videos. Yesterday morning I watched the first video. With a much greater degree of confidence, I went out to my shop and began tearing down two 3.5” x 8” cylinders on an Artsway sugar beet defoliator. I struggled with the same o-ring you did, but after warming them up for a while they finally snapped into place. I had to use the washer and nut to get the piston on the shaft, and I mentally said, “Thank you Kevin! For that bit of wisdom.” This morning I reattached the hydraulic hoses, crossed my fingers, and pushed the hydraulic lever. The machine rose up with No hydraulic oil leaks, and stayed there! At lunch, I found your second more recent video, and have now ordered the additional recommended tools from Amazon. I was able to order the seal kits from Artsway through my John Deere dealership. I took lots of pictures as I disassembled the first cylinder, but still tried to put one o-rings in backwards. More pictures next time! Thanks again for the time you have spent creating these videos. You, and thousands of other wonderful people like you, are what makes RU-vid such a powerful information tool.

Perfect timing. Just had a cylinder on my Ford tractor go bad, leaking at seal. Thanks for the video!!!!

I'm a certified fluid mechanic and I approve this video. Simple is best and this video hits the mark. (A hint to remember the o-ring orientation - the 'flat' ring is the back up ring to the rubber o-ring so it can't get extruded from its groove.. So...the o-ring always goes between the pressurized fluid and its back up ring...

Very Helpful just did two Gannon cylinders about an hour a piece, got it done without the seal binder but it would have been a lot easier with it seals were totally shot definitely was time

Damn, Kevin! You have the best, and most comprehensive, videos on this subject I've seen!! Thanks from Los Angeles, dude!

A hard working man IS a good man in my bock 👍🤝, great video Mate 👍

This helped my on my first cylinder rebuild

Thanks dude. Yeah i don't have 500 bucks to pay the Shops to do something i can do myself

Did my apprenticeship in a small hydraulics shop and rebuild hundreds of cylinders like that, only things I would add is I would have put a bit of anti seize grease on the main gland on assembly might save yourself a lot of time in a few years

thank, goodness for you're video.🙏

HI Kevin, this coming summer I may have to do this repair. Good tip using the warm water & that tool. First time I saw this tool being used. Full view & 👍 # 804 Wow Looks like you helped a lot of us. Thank you & stay safe, Joe Z

Thanks for the Video Keep em coming .

I rebuild cylinders for a living and you did a good job 👍

Good demonstration. Thanks.

G'day, i am a mechanic and have trained in hydraulics and the only suggestion I have is that to save one step the end od the rod that connects to your machine can be left in situ and may make it easier to undo and re tighten your piston nut. Apart from that you basically have done it the correct way. I have re sealed a number of rans myself and gave owned a number of earthmoving equipment aswell as repaired othes machines. Tgank you.

Thank you after watching this I’m going to try on my own to repair mine . Talked to a couple places near me that repair theses and they both acted like this was a lost art . I asked them to give me a best case scenario $ and a worst case . You would have thought I was asking for there social security number. I’m all for a business making money but like the guy in the video said at least put alight coat of oil on it .

Nice work on all fronts .. I will be Trying to make my own spanner wrench for my 79 c300-40 Clark

I am trying to find out if my lift cylinders are the same as my bucket tilt cylinders. I replaced the tilt cylinder seals and I love the response of the tilt and now I'm want to reseal the lift cylinders . I'm trying to figure out if they are the same Seal kits for the lift and tilt cylinders. After 60 years my Massey tractor is due for new cylinder seals..

Wish I had seen this last week. Had 2 rebuilt, nothing to it, thanks

Thanks Kevin, I'm hoping to rebuild the stick ram in my 89 JCB Backhoe. Its leaking badly. I think your video will be a good start. I do know that there are aftermarket kits for many pieces of equipment including mine. I think a shop would charge $500-$750 to rebuild this $750 if the "head" (the part you took off with your homemade wrench) is badly rusted and has to be replaced... Thanks again.

Ignore the haters. No need for a professional on this job, just some common sense and basic tools. These videos are exactly what youtube is for in my opinion.

Thanks for the video buddy enjoyed it you didoutstanding job your friend G-man

great video please keep making them.

Great video Kevin. I have a cylinder that has started leaking on a backhoe and after seeing your video I feel like this is something I can do. Besides the closest shop is 50 miles away. Thanks!

Will be giving this a go in a week or two.... great video and never realized how simple it was to rebuild these cylinder. Thank you!!

Thanks Very Much for the Video,I found it very helpful and informative,I’ll going to do my Cat Skidsteer 4 in 1 bucket Hydrulic cylinders now! Cheers Mate

You are great sir fuck them they don't like your video, keep it up

Well done walk-through. A bit too much apologizing and equivocating. Anyone wants to gripe, let them. One thing I would say was not covered is how you deal with larger cylinders where it can be a real bear just getting the thing open. People use huge vises or presses and monster cheaters on monster wrenches.

your unreal Kevin, you are a professional probably better , and a great teacher

Thanks Kevin, nice job explaining all this...will make things much easier for me. I recently took a similar size cylinder to a shop for simple rebuild, no machining or difficulties and they charged $240 cash/$270 credit card. I have another one leaking and doing this one my self, kit was $43. Again, you are much appreciated!

Let haters hate Your videos ARE GREAT. If I was a rich kid I would have it done for me of course but with prices of everything being so expensive I end up taking and fixing the best I can my own stuff. I bought a land without understanding fully the zones so any money I get I try to add it to the land so someday I can live on it . And i can not afford luxury I need solar and a well and road so THOSE HOUSE PRICING OF EXCAVATORS either live in one of them or buy old equipment with no luxury.

Very helpful thank you

That tool is called a c spanner or a hook spanner

Nice job Kevin, thanks for letting us hang out in your shop. Be well my friend.

Excellent video Kevin. I've wondered for awhile if rebuilding a cylinder was not just replacing some O-rings and seals. I can hardly wait to try this. Thanks for the lesson.

Thanks Kevin for taking the time to put together a great informative video. All the best to you, from Perth, Western Australia. ....For all you haters out there, ....your comments are a true reflection of yourself! ...think about it before making a comment, if you have nothing good to sat ...say nothing, ...you know who you are. ha!

I rebuild alot of hydraulic cylinders, I enjoy it, I've got a machine shop,that helps, lol, I charge 50 bucks +seal kit it's not at all hard,great video man, keep'um coming.

Nicely done with lots of tips.. The only thing I would add is to spray down every component with brake cleaner as micro-grit it the number one enemy to pre-mature wear. The other thing to do is once the rod clevis is installed, spin the rod several revs to remove wrinkles and seat the O-rings. 👍✌

Thank you so very much for making this video. You have taken the fear of tackling a job like this for a novice like me.

Awesome video Kevin! Thanks! I have the same cylinders that needs to be rebuilt. I didn’t want to spend the money or time sending it in to a shop. In am now confident I can handle this project!

Don't listen to the naysayers. Keep rebuilding cylinders and you'll be very good at it. :-)

Liked your video .My addition is take pictures during disassembly and use diesel fuel to clean extra dirty parts. Thanks

Be yourself enjoy the video origin Joy when I can learn something and always good to learn from somebody that's not a know-it-all see you next time

great attitude towards the haters. keep up the great work

This is an excellent video, and I appreciate you uploading it. I have a Kubota with a bad steering seal, and now I know I can fix it if I can just get it out of the tractor.

When you are bumping the piston onto the msin rod from the bottom, why not screw the fork piece back on to it's thread on the end of the rod then there is no danger of damaging the thread itself. Just a thought.

The link to the seal installation tool is just what I needed. I found one for a dollar more but I will get it at least 5 days sooner. Thanks.

thank you and to hell with the haters. just remember you get haters when youre doing something good

OOPs !!! sent to wrong guy.Sorry

You are the best I like to try repair them myself. Thank you for showing me.

Thank you for this demonstration. You are a good teacher. Don't worry about the experts. There is at least one that always chimes in with their vast knowledge.

Great job - it’s a great help. even if we had the money there is not a skilled engineer in place that has repaired a cylinder. Having taken over 3 months to get the replacement seals I was nervous of doing the seal replacement myself but this video has skated my concerns. Many thanks

Kevin, I'm rebuilding a 30 year old backhoe. Got the price to have the leaking cylinders replaced and after watching your 2 videos, I think I'm going to give it a shot. Nice explanation, clear video work, understandable instruction. I appreciate you posting them both. Thanks!

Hello sir I am from India... I am working on hydraulic cylinders manufacturing and rebuild it Can you please suggest a book for manufacturing hydraulic cylinders and standard size

👍👍👍👍👍

You did a great job my truck was leaking and I don’t know what to do with it so thanks it’s a tow truck

thank, you for you're video it all worked out easy to rebuild.

Cheaper version is just take the parts to a hydraulic shop and match up the seals. It’s usually 1/4 the price of a factory kit

A lot of people are saying that hes good at building things but i think the opposite. being a hydraulic tech and building cylinders for a living everything hes done is not correct. one he didnt polish the piston, nor did he polish the cap. his terminology of each seal is not stated in video. the middle seals that are on the piston is a back up ring and Oring. when he took the seals off he used a sharp pick. the proper tool for that should be a spoon pick. the reason for this is to not scar the area you are rebuilding. or slice the seals. this could cause a bad seal. notice when he first disassembled the cap on the rod end he used a Spanner wrench. but didnt bring to anyones attention that you could find yourself upon a allen key inside the tiny holes sometimes. the reason that you need to be very careful with building cylinders because they withold a lot of pressure and hydraulic fluid mixed with air. if not sealed correctly the deteriation of the seal could find itself in the pump. some cylinders have holding valves to act as a safety feature of your machine from if it fails it doesnt come crashing down. considering this is a small cylinder it goes to probably an excavator or some type of bucket. if he was to work on genie, excavator, skid steer, or any rental place id fire him. now this could be a easy way to build a cylinder inside your garage... but if not building a cylinder correctly can end up costly... especially doing this type of work for someones machinery that they pay good money for you want it done the right way. he didnt even properly inspect the rod, nor the barrel. the only way you could get a good look at the barrel/bore is if you clean it out properly and shine a light into it. whats the sense of rebuilding a cylinder if you just throw new seals into the barrel/ bore.... never in this video did he explain what it went too.... because believe it or not depending on where its located the cylinder could get access water inside it and start building up rust.. wouldve been funny if he left a cap on the adapters and it acted as a vaccum.. lol

Why, you don’t mention the names of the type of seal

A professional is just someone who makes money doing something. If you have no blow by then you did it as good as a shop would do it.

I've been in the industry for over 15 years, you did fine. If I am getting paid to repair a cylinder I take a few extra steps and make it like new, but that should work just fine.

Great video Kevin! Thanks for taking the time to share your expertise with us. Merry Christmas!!!

Hey Kevin, my first cylinder of course was the single boom cylinder on my 307 Cat and a bit of a monster. It took a come along to extract it just as an example of the task along with a small sledge. Leave the gland in just shy of the threads because you must keep it perfectly aligned. I had to have a machine shop break that 3-5/16" lock nut loose because I couldn't break it loose with a pipe wrench and 14' pipe. (they didn't even have a socket that big and used a huge pipe wrench and machine table and fork lift). Today I am faced with reinstalling it in the cylinder. Yikes. Btw I think the seal tool is less needed on the big cylinders. I used it but felt it was unnecessary. Yesterday I put everything back on the 3" shaft and I had to use the nut to press the gland back on while keeping it lined up. I'm sure I won't get it back in without compressing that main seal with tape and hose clamp. Wish me luck guys. Btw I made a nice gland wrench out of a BMW suspension part my son donated with a 6' handle. Worked great. Carved it out with a cheap HF grinder and cutting disk. Cat gets $350 for that sucker and the Proto spanner wrench I foolishly paid $130 for was a total joke but handy once it was broken loose. One more thing I must mention is be sure to shop around for seal kits. I paid $75 (a US company) and I have seen it since ranging from $55 to $310 so beware. That Proto spanner starts around $55 but it wasn't until I had the Proto name and model # in my hand that I easily found ii for $55. I'm tempted to return it and repurchase it at half the price I paid. 😡

I have no use for this type of video, but I still enjoyed watching it.

hi i got a stuck gland i have tried everything pipe wrench the spanner wrench air hammer i just cant get it what can i do

good info thanks for takeing the time to make vid. I have rebuilt many ag cylinders . Alot of people will not mess with them .. It is broke what you can go wrong roll the dice :)

Thanks Kevin, You're the BEST teacher!

So when given a disconnected cylinder like this. You crack the top off with the spanner. Any pressure to worry about or everything is already safe to disassemble?

Good stuf

I think you should ignore the bitter negative comments. I really enjoyed the last video on Hydraulic Cylinder. I was wondering how you overcame the issue of that difficult seal inside the top component. Thanks for what you do

To find seals other than from the OEM is find local seal supplier. Take everything, the gland nut preferably removed and the piston to them plus whatever has a seal or o-ring on it. They will need to measure so as to match. Bobcat Australia wants nearly $200aud for the seal kit for a lift arm ram where as I paid $39aud for a seal supplier all matched plus the seal supplier is closer to me than bobcat. Whos not to say Bobcat don't buy the seals from the same manufacturer. For the hour it took to change even if they fail in the next few years big deal will change again. Thanks Kevin great video.

Thanks for this very thorough video! I was wondering what a machine shop would do to the bore of the cylinder hone it out? You could hone it with a drill and extension and the right size hone.

Doesn't seem to be a link or name of the tools. Best wishes Pete

the honing tool works out well to

The tool you made is a spanner wrench. FYI

Thanks Kevin!! Your video was very helpful. I just picked up two small cylinders that I had rebuilt about the same size as the one in this video and the bill was $540. I wish I would have seen this earlier, but now I feel that I have more confidence in trying a cylinder repair after seeing your video. I believe I can probably make a spanner wrench like the one that you made. Thanks again God Bless I really appreciate it.

Nice job! FYI, I never take the clevis off. You cant slide seals over it anyway and many are welded . It also gives one an advantage to pull apart a stubborn cylinder. Thanks!

ANYBODY WHO PORTRAYS THEMSELVES AS AN EXPERT SHOULD BE SUED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That hydraulic cylinder is for a forklift? My forklift hydraulic cylinder is leaking and I searched the model# in Google and I can't find the kit and the serial# I can't really see it, because my forklift it's really old 😆😆🙈🙈

Get to the point! Too much blah blah#

Thank you

The tool is called "Gland Nut Wrench/Spanner". There is an adjustable one that can covers different cylinder sizes.

I have in my hand, bought at Walmart, a "waterproof" pill bottle. In 1860 this would have been a MIRACLE, same with a hydraulic piston in the twelfth century. We take so much for granted now a days. Another helpful video. I see you got 35K subscribers !!!! :-D

The hydraulic shop I use always says "o-ring wants to see the oil, the concave side of the flat backup seal wants to see the o-ring".

Thats some good tools 👍

How I open kobelco mrc 20t cylinder piston rod pin,, to repair cylinder leakage....

There are other types' for instance hook spanners, and adjustables with a hinge as someone noted below. And with a hole instead of a pin for fire or water hose, etc. Also face spanners with two pins at an angle usually. hinged like a nut cracker.

You should be the dude who issues man cards... well done friend

very good step by step video kevin. i wish every one i watch was as informative as this one. i am now going to try to rebuild one of the lift cylinders on my skid steer myself. thanks

hi kevin the top seal on the inside of that cylinder cap would probably be called the wiper seal good jop

Nice professional resealing with perfect tools .👌👍

Thanks for making this video. From Cyprus

if they don't like it they should go somewhere else.. thanks for the info