MF and Snapper 1655/1855 3 points cylinder

[MacWorld]

If your 3 points hydraulic cylinder is leaking don't make the same mistake I did, the cylinder seems fully welded but it's not! I had the weld beads removed on a lathe to remove the rod end but the other end is simply pressed in place with a o-ring to seal it in the cylinder.

You only have to push on the rod with a press until the plug gets out! The plug is held in place by the pin that holds the cylinder on the tractor's frame that's all.

On this picture the 2 first are rear cylinders, mine is the second one, I guessed by the number of seals. The 3rd cylinder is the mid lift. All the parts can be disassembled and the cylinder and the rod end are the only welded parts and shown as a single part.

 

[DMAX]

This is also the same as the mid and rear lift cylinders for the MF14 & 16 models. I had one of mine apart because it was leaking. I was surprised to find the plug cracked right where the fitting threaded in and that’s where my leak was coming from. Fortunately a friend is an old machinist and was able to make a new piece. I figured while it was apart I’d take it to a hydraulic shop to see what it would cost to have some new cylinders made. If I remember correctly it was somewhere around $800 - no thanks!