Skid Steer Hydraulic Cylinder Repair

Iron Ax repairs, rebuilds, repacks, and manufactures hydraulic cylinders for skid steers, compact track loaders, and related construction, agricultural, landscaping, forestry, and material-handling equipment. We work on lift cylinders, bucket tilt cylinders, quick-attach cylinders, steering-related cylinders, and hydraulic cylinders used on grapples, forks, brush cutters, rakes, and other skid steer attachments.

Whether your skid steer cylinder is leaking, drifting, losing lifting power, bypassing internally, or has a bent rod, damaged barrel, worn gland, broken mount, damaged piston, or failed seals, Iron Ax has the experience and in-house capabilities to evaluate the problem and provide a practical solution.

Our full-service hydraulic cylinder facility, fabrication shop, and machine shop allow us to repair damaged components, manufacture replacement parts, rebuild the existing cylinder, or manufacture a replacement cylinder when repairing the original is not practical.

Main Office: 478-252-0022 | Augusta Area: 762-529-0070

Skid Steer Lift Cylinder Repair

Lift cylinders raise and support the skid steer loader arms and attachment. These cylinders are exposed to repeated cycling, heavy loads, shock forces, contamination, impact, and uneven loading. A leaking or damaged lift cylinder can reduce lifting capacity, allow the loader arms to drift, create unsafe movement, and take the machine out of service.

Iron Ax can disassemble and inspect the lift cylinder, evaluate the chrome rod, barrel, piston, gland, seals, mounts, and related components, and determine whether the cylinder should be repacked, rebuilt, repaired, or replaced.

Skid Steer Bucket Tilt Cylinder Repair

Bucket tilt cylinders control the angle of the bucket or attachment during digging, grading, loading, carrying, dumping, and material handling. These cylinders can experience high breakout forces, side loading, impact damage, bent rods, seal failure, worn barrels, damaged mounts, and internal bypassing.

If the bucket or attachment will not hold its position, moves slowly, drifts under load, leaks hydraulic oil, or lacks normal digging and breakout force, the tilt cylinder may need to be inspected and rebuilt.

Iron Ax repairs and rebuilds skid steer tilt cylinders and can manufacture replacement rods, barrels, glands, pistons, clevises, mounts, and other cylinder components when parts are damaged, backordered, obsolete, or unavailable.

Quick-Attach Cylinder Repair

Hydraulic quick-attach systems allow operators to change buckets, forks, grapples, rakes, and other attachments. A leaking or damaged quick-attach cylinder can prevent the attachment from locking securely or releasing correctly.

Quick-attach cylinders are often exposed to dirt, corrosion, debris, impact, and damaged linkage. Iron Ax can inspect the complete cylinder and determine whether it needs seals, rod replacement, barrel work, mounting repairs, machining, or complete replacement.

Hydraulic Cylinders for Skid Steer Attachments

Skid steers and compact track loaders are commonly used with hydraulic grapples, tree shears, brush cutters, land-clearing attachments, root rakes, buckets, forks, augers, breakers, mulchers, and other specialized tools. Many of these attachments use one or more hydraulic cylinders that are exposed to dirt, impact, side loading, corrosion, and demanding operating conditions.

Iron Ax can repair attachment cylinders and manufacture replacement rods, pins, bushings, clevises, mounts, and other components when required. Our machining, hydraulic, welding, and fabrication capabilities are located under one roof.

Common Skid Steer Cylinder Problems

Complete In-House Hydraulic Cylinder Capabilities

Iron Ax has the professional equipment, experienced technicians, and in-house manufacturing capabilities required to repair and manufacture hydraulic cylinders of virtually all sizes. Our dedicated hydraulic cylinder service center includes a 26-foot repair bench, specialized tooling, and equipment capable of providing up to 40,000 lb-ft of torque.

Combined with our full-service machine shop, we manufacture hydraulic cylinder glands, pistons, chrome rods, and cylinder barrels in-house, allowing us to complete everything from routine repairs to complex rebuilds and custom hydraulic cylinder manufacturing. When required, we can also accommodate larger cylinders using specialized handling and setup procedures.

Bent Skid Steer Cylinder Rod Replacement

A bent or damaged skid steer cylinder rod should not simply be resealed and returned to service. A damaged rod can quickly destroy new seals, damage the gland, cause side loading, create internal wear, and lead to another failure.

Iron Ax manufactures replacement chrome rods in-house and can machine the required threads, shoulders, grooves, retaining features, clevises, rod eyes, and mounting details. We can then install the new rod as part of a complete hydraulic cylinder rebuild.

Cylinder Mount, Pin, and Bushing Problems

Cylinder failure may be caused or accelerated by worn pins, bushings, clevises, rod eyes, loader linkage, or mounting points. Excessive movement and misalignment can side-load the cylinder rod, damage seals, wear the gland, bend the rod, and shorten the life of the repair.

Iron Ax has machining and fabrication capabilities under one roof. In addition to rebuilding the cylinder, we can evaluate and manufacture damaged cylinder mounts, clevises, eyes, pins, bushings, and related components when they are part of the failure.

Custom Replacement Skid Steer Cylinders

OEM skid steer and compact track loader cylinders may be expensive, backordered, discontinued, or unavailable for older, imported, modified, or specialized equipment. When repairing the original cylinder is not practical, Iron Ax can manufacture a replacement hydraulic cylinder using the existing cylinder, measurements, drawings, equipment information, or available specifications.

Our ability to manufacture rods, barrels, glands, pistons, mounts, and other components in-house allows us to provide a complete hydraulic cylinder solution without sending different parts of the job to multiple suppliers.

Skid Steer and Compact Track Loader Brands

Iron Ax repairs hydraulic cylinders used on many skid steer and compact track loader brands and equipment configurations. Availability of parts, dimensions, and original specifications varies by machine, but we can evaluate cylinders from Bobcat, Caterpillar, John Deere, Case, New Holland, Kubota, Takeuchi, JCB, Gehl, Manitou, Mustang, ASV, Volvo, Wacker Neuson, and other manufacturers.

Brand names are used only to describe equipment applications. Iron Ax is an independent hydraulic cylinder repair and manufacturing company.

What to Bring or Tell Us

Repair, Rebuild, or Manufacture New?

Not every skid steer cylinder should be handled the same way. Some cylinders only need repacking. Others require a rod, barrel, gland, piston, mount, clevis, pin, bushing, or other component to be repaired or replaced. In cases involving severe damage, unavailable parts, an obsolete cylinder, or a long OEM lead time, manufacturing a replacement may be the more practical solution.

Bring the problem to Iron Ax. We can inspect the cylinder, explain what we find, and help determine the most practical repair or replacement approach.