Welding a hydraulic ram

ACEngineering

Member
Location
Oxon
Main lift ram on a 634 is £1300. I have just done one. Have also replaced 2 telescopic rams on different machines this year @ £1000 each. All 3 had a crack just as the steel supply pipe is welded to the cylinder. Took the telescopic rams to a local ram fabricator. They examined them and said that they could not repair them and get them to pass a pressure test. With the lift ram we just changed it didn't want to risk anything.

When you start asking questions it is surprising how many manitou rams get changed.

Bg

MLT parts are cheaper the MLA stuff Manitou don't sell a lot of so it tends to be more expensive especially if its the last of stock as they don't really want to reorder stock like rams and other model specific items etc for them now as too old.
 

PostHarvest

Member
Location
Warwick
I support ACE Engineering's advice to scrap the tube and buy a new one. When you see a tele-handler boom drop on its own, it really makes you realise how dangerous they can be. Another problem in trying to weld the tube is getting good penetration without blowing through the metal. Hydraulic cylinder tubes are honed inside. Any weld metal or slag inside a welded repair will rip the piston seals to pieces the first time you use it. This is one thing you really can't afford to bodge.
 

ACEngineering

Member
Location
Oxon
Must be a fault in the tube? Or is it just too thin I know what you mean though

Not a fault of tube as such, its common for tubes to get hair line cracks in them when a hole is drilled in them and then a pipe welded in. Most machines are only running 210 bar, while a lot of manitous are running 270bar that little bit extra soon finds weak spots in pipes, welds and joins etc

I try and have made were possible tubes out of a thicker wall, another option is to have a second tube slid over or strap around the end of tube were the pipe is welded in to add extra strength.

I should add that machine in picture had done near 9k hours when It failed and if customer had not tried to weld the original crack it would have been unlikely to do what it did.
 

Mrs Brown

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Orkney Islands
Our 741 blew the threaded section that holds the gland nut .
The rest is OK will have to get the ram re tubed as a spare ,the new one cost £1500. What sort of money are we talking to get one repaired
 

ACEngineering

Member
Location
Oxon
Our 741 blew the threaded section that holds the gland nut .
The rest is OK will have to get the ram re tubed as a spare ,the new one cost £1500. What sort of money are we talking to get one repaired

For a new thicker walled tube and gland nut plus seals etc I expect your looking £900ish

Some Manitou rams are not silly expensive new IMO but others are. like most stuff I guess.

At least if you have it repaired with thicker wall its unlikely to happen again.
 

sawdust

Member
Location
Argyll
Not a fault of tube as such, its common for tubes to get hair line cracks in them when a hole is drilled in them and then a pipe welded in. Most machines are only running 210 bar, while a lot of manitous are running 270bar that little bit extra soon finds weak spots in pipes, welds and joins etc

I try and have made were possible tubes out of a thicker wall, another option is to have a second tube slid over or strap around the end of tube were the pipe is welded in to add extra strength.

I should add that machine in picture had done near 9k hours when It failed and if customer had not tried to weld the original crack it would have been unlikely to do what it did.
:confused: Every brand of machine will have their own working pressure to suit machine :bookworm:
Tigercat crane pressure is 320 bar and the harvesting head pressure is 280 bar. :geek:

Agree with you about getting the ram tube pro repaired, 1 got welded on a jd forwarder, then left over night and split the tube on start up the next morning, nearly identical to your photo :wideyed:
 

ACEngineering

Member
Location
Oxon
:confused: Every brand of machine will have their own working pressure to suit machine :bookworm:
Tigercat crane pressure is 320 bar and the harvesting head pressure is 280 bar. :geek:

Agree with you about getting the ram tube pro repaired, 1 got welded on a jd forwarder, then left over night and split the tube on start up the next morning, nearly identical to your photo :wideyed:

I know that but was talking about general agri stuff.

Manufactors keep upping pressures with out making rams and pipes stronger.
 

7610 super q

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
Thread resurrection. This time the crowd ram. At full crowd, a spurt of oil squirts out from somewhere in the headstock neck area. Only when the ram reaches full travel. On inspection oil seems to be weeping from where the pipe is welded to the tube. I can't be sure unless I completely remove the ram. Surely though, if a pipe has a leak it'll leak as soon as the ram is pressurised, not just at the end of it's stroke ?
 

ACEngineering

Member
Location
Oxon
Thread resurrection. This time the crowd ram. At full crowd, a spurt of oil squirts out from somewhere in the headstock neck area. Only when the ram reaches full travel. On inspection oil seems to be weeping from where the pipe is welded to the tube. I can't be sure unless I completely remove the ram. Surely though, if a pipe has a leak it'll leak as soon as the ram is pressurised, not just at the end of it's stroke ?

On you old mlt 629 /633?
Could be were the pipe is welded or were the eye is welded.
If its the eye get a ram shop to take the eye right off clean it up and mostl
Likely be able to reweld it back on properly.
If its the pipe then scrap the tube and have new one made or new ram.
Priced a new ram for mlt 634 today was just over £1k plus vat.
 
So I’ve had both these problems, priced up a new ram, then took the existing one to a hydraulic specialist and we remade the ram using a thicker casing and making sure the holes for the solid pipe were of suitable size to take the flow
 
Thread resurrection. This time the crowd ram. At full crowd, a spurt of oil squirts out from somewhere in the headstock neck area. Only when the ram reaches full travel. On inspection oil seems to be weeping from where the pipe is welded to the tube. I can't be sure unless I completely remove the ram. Surely though, if a pipe has a leak it'll leak as soon as the ram is pressurised, not just at the end of it's stroke ?
Go see le-bretton in withybush(y)
 

mo!

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
York
Bottom port on the compensator ram on our 627 leaking today. Machinist took one look and said no, new tube being made next week...
 

Mursal

Member
We would grind out the old weld and clean the joint with a solvent (thinners petrol etc).
Wind the arc welder up a notch or two so you can burn the oil out of the joint and proceed with caution.
Don't let the end of the piston seals get heat or the end seal.

Pressure test before you refit, you might have to grind out and repeat ...............
 
We would grind out the old weld and clean the joint with a solvent (thinners petrol etc).
Wind the arc welder up a notch or two so you can burn the oil out of the joint and proceed with caution.
Don't let the end of the piston seals get heat or the end seal.

Pressure test before you refit, you might have to grind out and repeat ...............
Hydro test it to 1.5 times max working pressure at least
 

ACEngineering

Member
Location
Oxon
We would grind out the old weld and clean the joint with a solvent (thinners petrol etc).
Wind the arc welder up a notch or two so you can burn the oil out of the joint and proceed with caution.
Don't let the end of the piston seals get heat or the end seal.

Pressure test before you refit, you might have to grind out and repeat ...............

waste of time the bores get hair line cracks in them coming out from were the holes are drilled to take the steel pipes. they just crack again and again and if your unlucky they do as in my post on the first page of this thread!
 

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