I have an old John Deere 52 splitter . Original owner used to put tranny fluid in it. It is now mine and wondering if there is something better?. Ram leaks a bit, JD dealer says the parts are obolete and has a kit that may fit it, so I might run it to death and put a new ram on it. Anyone else have one of these? I think it is from the early 80's
Old splitter hydraulic fluid question. John Deere 52
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Mine is not that brand or model
But the manual says to use transmission fluid in colder climates.
Tranny fluid is fine.
Try a hydraulic fittings store, TS or equipment parts store for the parts. I bet it is a standard size ram & seals easy to get.
Probably an easy fix, take the ram with you. Most of the guys in the equipment stores can help if they see the part needing fixed.
But the manual says to use transmission fluid in colder climates.
Tranny fluid is fine.
Try a hydraulic fittings store, TS or equipment parts store for the parts. I bet it is a standard size ram & seals easy to get.
Probably an easy fix, take the ram with you. Most of the guys in the equipment stores can help if they see the part needing fixed.
How bad is the leak? Is it worth fixing? I think I'd just feed it oil until something else requires it to be torn down.
Matt
Matt
I also have an old one from the late 70's if my farmer buddys memory is correct it's not a JD but has been run only on trans fluid and leaks a bit as well. I have found it leaks alot less if I avoid full extension or retraction I plan to run it til it leaks more or blows a line then like bogydave days take it in most of the stuff is standard sizes and you can probably find some repair parts.
Consider some Lucas additive. I had a hard spot (due to a leaking seal) in the rack & pinion of my Explorer about four years ago. I added some Lucas. It took about three weeks for the seal to swell enough, but the hard spot wen away and never came back. Lucas is not snake oil!
By the age I'd bet any hydraulics shop will have the correct seal to make it like new. They are dirt cheap. That's something you don't see too much these days - it used to be instead of a throw away cylinders on all sorts of hydraulically operated machinery they would make them with standardized replaceable seals. I discovered this years ago when I found myself having to replace the seals on the hydraulic steering on my boat. The factory seals cost a hundred bucks a set when ordered from the manufacturer, not much different than a new cylinder. But I stopped by a local shop one afternoon and found out that replacements cost a dollar and a quarter. I had the cylinder with me and the guy popped them in for free.
That was a long time ago, but the lesson was learned. Check and see if maybe you can't pick up a new set of seals for that thing and stick them in.
That was a long time ago, but the lesson was learned. Check and see if maybe you can't pick up a new set of seals for that thing and stick them in.
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