SNS 285 Part 1: RV Hydraulic Cylinder 

My Favorite 2x speed content.

Welcome to the world of RV. Everything half-assed enough to get you down the road.

Can tell you exactly about the welds you cut. Yes I said welds. All that splatter tells me, that the parts were first welded back together with a mig gun. The size of the splatter tells me, it was a cold weld. Also the parts were not real clean, hence the porosity that showed when you ground down the second weld which was a sub arc weld. The first weld was what we called a string bead pass. It prevents burn through from the sub arc weld. I'm positive that the porosity never leaked once the sub arc was completed. The glob as you called it was the overlap that was too long. 33 years experience, running mig and sub arc welders at a plant that makes wheels from garden size tractors to the giant earth movers. The giants are what I worked on mostly. Experience, not bragging. Just wanted to share that with you.

Invoice- Client- Mom Cylinder repair Plus parts Total due: 1 chocolate cake

It fantastic to see you're finally getting back to some good old SNS content mate..!!

Great Video Adam....nice to see the RV industry get poked in the eye by fixing their "replace only parts"

This show is an adventure. Better than most shows from Hollywood

Abom! I can't count the number of hyd. cylinders I've repaired and built, and like you said there are more different designs and arrangements than you would ever think, .. but that's the FIRST one I've ever seen with a square anti-rotation guide shaft. Crazy,, but much better than finding a giant spring!!

Ive been following this RV cylinder repair on Instagram and was looking forward to seeing it in real life.

One thing about those "not serviceable" components ... you can't lose anything by trying to fix it, you still might get it back, and you learn something in the process, no matter the outcome.

Very good Adam. Your folks picked the right man for the job. Great work as usual.

Excellent tutorial on the steady rest, thanks👍👍 Shocking that thing is designed to be a throwaway item, good to see some proper repair, as always

Haven't watched your vids for about 6 months, am now back. Your weight loss is impressive and your passion for your work is awesome to see!

Glad to see your back on machining, its why I watch your videos!

I hate it when manufacturers design stuff to fail or like in this case welding something together instead of threading it to force the consumer into buying a whole part. Great video Adam, keep 'em coming

God bless you for taking care of mom. The cheap stuff meant to be replaced rather than repaired is often a bigger job than it should be. Designed to be thrown away, not fixed.

Welcome to the land of working on and repairing RV's. Nothing is meant to be repaired, just remove and replace. Most RV repair places don't have the personnel to do repairs, just replace it.

I repaired a John Deere power steering cylinder that was welded fully welded. We turned the rod end cap weld very carefully in the lathe to only just cut through the cylinder wall and not hit the sealing area. It worked and allowed the piloted cylinder cap to slip out of the cylinder. I replaced the soft parts and then used recorded dimensions and match marks to clock it and set the proper cylinder length and welded it closed. I took precautions to not heat damage the soft parts. It was a lot of work, but the seal kit cost a few dollars, but a replacement cylinder was approaching $1000... If you could find one...

I love seeing not just how you fix things but how they work. Thank you for sharing your work with us that wish we had both the tools and knowledge to use them.

Wow, I growled when I tore down the 4 hydraulic's on our coach. Mine was a breeze compared to what you have. But then again YOU DA MAN..

Adam, it’s good to see you wearing the proper protective gear while using the Metabo. There are plenty of people new to this type of work and they don’t always get the correct instruction. Thanks for being such a positive influence on You Tube.

Nothing is better than prior experience with hydraulics. Good job. 😀

Most people would look at this and say replace the unit. That's why I love this video.

Good to see you getting back into repairs and machining content, looking forward to part two and the future projects coming up 👍

There's nearly 0% chance I'll do such a repair however there are a lot of tips and operations that can be used for another operation. Thanks for taking the time to record this job.

Adam, this is a fascinating video about how these cylinders were manufactured and work. I'm really looking forward to the follow-on video for this!

This channel is great. My great grandfather was a machinist/ lathe hand all through the 40s to the 60s. And he is long gone. So I watch your channel and I think this is how he would've taught me how to do it. Thanks for sharing

Exactly. Fully welded to prevent maintenance = $$$

Hi it’s stacie! I love Saturday because I get to see you and Steve Summers! I hope that your Thanksgiving was good! Take care!

Now we gotta wait ....grrrr like waiting for the next episode of GOT....love the chann from a fellow tinner 😊

Neat to see a "less than Abom sized" cylinder being worked on. I always enjoy your hydraulic cylinder videos. Thanks, and hello to the Booth trio at the end.

Good tip on the use of the grinder. Remember that it's the power tool and that you are only to guide it.

I really enjoy the repair stuff. New machining is what brought me here, but DIY repair, even if you're a pro, is super fascinating. Thanks Adam!

Nice job Adam. You hit the nail on the head when you said “RV” and “have to sell you a whole unit” in the same sentence. I’ve been an industrial maintenance mechanic my entire career and RV’s are my passion and hobby. In the RV world I’ve found very few parts,especially hydraulic, that are serviceable. The slide rams on my coach are welded just like that. One was leaking internally allowing the slide to creep outward. The dealer quoted me nearly $1k for a new ram, no labor just the ram. I told them I was going to try fixing mine and they insisted it was a non-serviceable component. I ground the end cap off, replaced the seal/packing, reassembled and welded it back together to the tune of a couple nights work and about $65 in parts. That was nearly 8 years and 40+ thousand miles ago and still works like new. I love seeing others repair items like this. Mist rams in the industrial world are serviceable so they are much simpler to repair/reseal. Thanks and great job. Mike

Not a comment on this video so much as a general THANK YOU to Abom79 for sharing his knowledge; I was asked to help a friend of a friend extract some broken exhaust manifold studs from an aluminum cylinder head, and using the "left-hand drill bit in the mill" trick that he (Abom) has shown a few times, all three busted studs were removed with no damage to the head. I fully recognize that there was an element of luck involved (because they don't always come out that easily), but it sure was nice to see those busted studs backing out of their holes!

something about a machinist with a quiet machine speaks volumes

I have to admit, I never get tired of seeing you true stock in a 4-jaw. That would have taken me an hour and a half.

The piston is off an RV and the industry works on the idea, that if you can afford to buy the unit, you are not likely to complain very loudly about buying a replacement, in this case, a cylinder. Thank you for showing how to make repairs at a reasonable rate. I have worked hydraulic for many years but never encountered an anti-rotation shaft but it makes perfect sense...

An engineer, and bean counters, are responsible for the design. Great work to get it apart in good order. See you in part two.

Adam! Good job on that protection equipment while cutting. Guard is aligned right (most of the time), wearing safety glasses, gloves, and a shield with an apron.. Good man!

343k subscribers, wow! I'd like to see the smile on your ma's face, when this job is complete...PRICELESS!

Great work Adam. Bet a lot of people wouldn't touch that job. Thanks for sharing

Hello Adam, I really like your clean shop. That is just the way I remember my neighbors shop.You are on the right path working with the cylinder. Keep on doing the job the right way too.

I have a Winniebago Sightseer RV 2003 that the cylinder would leak a lot when retracting the lifters. (This is a two way cylinder with two hoses.) The rod seals were bad. I ordered new seals. I mounted the cylinder in my Logan 9" lathe with the rod in the chuck. The tail was supported by a 1" diameter plug with a center hole. (There is a 1" threaded part that has a switch in it that I removed.) The flange was left on making it necessary to use the bull gear. I mounted an angle grinder with a 1/16" cutoff wheel. I plunged through the nose weld and removed the nose after grinding away .217 inch wall plus the weld on top.. The bad seal was easy to remove and replace along with a wiper seal. I welded with a Miller MIG welder and it welded great with no leaks.

The thing with RV’s is that they build these things to hopefully outlast the vehicle and not ever need to be repaired or replaced.

Welcome to the world of RV parts. Everything is designed to be replaced rather than repaired, and designed so that you either have to reengineer the whole system, or buy their RV specific parts.

The inner square piece may be there also to help with the side-loading that the cylinder sees lifting up a motorhome -- it's not like in a machine cylinder where the side-to-side motion is constrained - that thing is subject to the weight being off-balance due to a sloped surface, and unequal loading.

Nice tip squeezing the spring caliper for measuring a groove ID.

So satisfying to watch for an engineer that never learned or have the skills to use tools on this level. Love it.

Jeez, you are super talented on that lathe. It and your shop clean and organized. Wish our shop looked like that.

This is why he's a master machinist, no matter what he says.... Adam!!! :-)

Great video , I thought it had to much verbage at first but then as I continued to watch I realize it was very necessary . Thank you for your talent and craftsmanship . Very well done . I look forward to the next part .

Another great job Adam, having some good tools is an enabler but it's your experience with hydraulics that allows you to get this stuff done. Inspiring work :-)

Nice to see you wearing the best PPE and guards on the grinder, so many people ignore the safety aspects of the job

can't wait for part 2'

Great idea to take your grinding outside, I do the same, keeps shop clean, LIKE this post as always Adam.👍👍👍

That old repair looks like it was done by me. And I can't weld, nor do anything else remotely like that. Love your shop and love your attitude. Makes me wish I'd have a friend like you where one could learn things that are interesting.

Good on you, face shield and gloves while grinding.

Thanks for doing these sort of videos. You inspired me to rebuild the cylinders on my tractor loader rather than having them done at a shop. Thankfully they are a screw on gland type

I have an ozzy clean machine too. Love it. Anyone who doesn't one is truly missing out.

Dang. The minute you pulled the back off and that square rod popped out I was thinking the day was over. And when you said it's getting weird you took the words right out my mouth.

Adam, love your video's. Always interesting and informative. As an apprentice (many years ago) we were told never to attach the magnetic base indicator to the lathe bed. Instead, we mounted the magnetic base onto a length of flat stock (eg. 1/2" thick x 3" wide) long enough to span across the top of the lathe bed. Once you set the indicator to centre height, leave it set on the flat stock. This makes it quicker to move the indicator anywhere you want without having to reset it to centre height each time. Also prevents any unnecessary wear or scratches on your lathe bed.

I love teardown & repair videos.

Yep it's easier to mount a new one then spend the time to fix it. That is the motto for all dealers. Just parts hangers now days, awesome video Adam very professional and informative.

Really like your machining segments. Thanks very much.

Good to see the Monarch again !!

Wow! Abom79 is a genius! He can take anything apart, machine weld it back together again and it comes out better than the original assembly. Great Saturday night special.

Until today I never understood why Adam used the four jaw chuck over the six jaw, as it takes a fair bit of work to get the workpiece to run true. But today he chucked an asymmetric workpiece and it dawned on me.

I just love your catalogue numbers... a such and such "2 no, 1!". It obviously matters but I still smile when you quote technical. Impressive or what?

Superb presentation and narration throughout...thankyou!

When you get this one done, I hope the other 3 don't swarm on you. Good job, man!

Lookin good Adam! We love the cylinder jobs!

Porosity. Caused by contamination in the parent metal or in the weld consumable. Gotta keep it all clean. Great show Mr Booth.

This one is amazing! Thank you!! I have always wondered how such devices (hydraulic pistons) were made inside!!

For all the people going on and on about 'why don't you just replace it', that's all fine and dandy...if you can find a replacement. Often it's not just the component in question, but the system it's connected to. Proprietary hydraulic cylinders (basically anything that goes on mobile equipment) are so specific in terms of fittings and mounting style that you often can't find an aftermarket replacement, or you have to pay out the nose for OEM replacement parts, especially for a model that's no longer in production. My first job was in an electric motor repair shop, and it's entirely possible that some of those repairs were more expensive than purchasing a new motor of similar capacity. However, that might require replacing not just the motor, but the motor mounting, the shaft coupling, the motor drive, and it simply might not fit in the space available, especially in a machine tool. A lot of that work was for motors that simply aren't made anymore, and rebuilding an entire machine just to put a new motor in it was far more difficult and expensive than rebuilding the motor.

Nice to see you making chips again!!!!

Your Channel is realy great, showing lot's of techniques. So many details to learn! I just bought a Weiler220LZD. It is an old Machine but in good shape, totally fine for a homeshop, still pretty precise. It is so cool to see Professionals not only doing CNC! This Comment is not related to this Video directly. I realy like the Channel in general. Thank you! Best Regards, Eike

Some of Adam's mean-and-potatoes work. I love learning from your hydraulic cylinder's expertise.

oh a square peg in a round hole.👍

never come across a ram like that in 40 years as an engineer.

Did enjoy it, indeed. Thanks for posting. Looking forward to part two. 👍🏼

Quite fascinating! I would have liked to see you weld it back up and the finished product. Thanks for showing us that!

Всегда приятно посмотреть на работу профессионала

Ive been watching your videos for a while and the way you true the work in the machines so quickly always fascinates me. your so damn fluid. takes me forever and a day to do the same thing. bravo sir!

Man he is so fast when setting up the 4 jaw. Would take me like half an hour.

Adam your videos are great. I just wish RU-vid would let me push like more than once. I would have pressed it like 4 or 5 times in this video alone. Thanks ABomb!

Thanks for the video Adam. I pulled the cylinder out of my motor home toy hauler lift gate after the seal deteriorated. It had one of those spring wire inserts on the rod end. Watching one of your previous videos put me in the right direction. It took about 3 hours from extraction to reinsertion and test. The seal kit alone was a little over $100. Saved me money by DIY rather than sending it to a shop. J K

I love too see hydraulic repairs Always nice too se you in work

Your editing is spot on.

Old school engineering - fantastic👍🏻

132k views in three days, that's awesome! Congrats Adam!

Great point about taking pictures. I have been doing that for awhile. Much better than writing things down.

I've repaired a few throw away welded cylinders like that. Built like a Bic lighter. Your right, that is an oddball, I was a machinist for a hydraulic shop for 12 years and never seen one quite like that. Obviously some engineers have no oversight or restraints and sometimes no common sense.

Great work. Those welded cyl are a pain. Thank you

Good job Charlie Brown, I been there before on similar cylinders.

Good on you for fixing that cylinder, those things are about $800 a wack.

I always take photos too; I have blueprints for aircrafts; however the print and the photos make assembly and repair much easier 😎

accuracy and quality....i bet you can rebuild it and it's better than original....awesome job!

Adam, Nicely done video sure a strange cylinder looking forward to part two thanks for sharing.!.!.!.

I imagine that Adam walks into his shop in the morning thinking... which vise will I use today. Similarly to how I decide which shirt to wear