Ark FEL cylinder stroke

[kyhorse 1]

I have asked this question in a couple other threads but that's not fair, is it? Both my main lift cyinders are leaking. The left very badly (oil pouring out) and it has been rebuilt, so I assume I need a new one. Someone else told me Tractor Supply has them but they have several different stroke lengths. My tractor is 225 miles away so I can't go measure it to even see what model the FEL is (500 or 550), but I can post a picture soon as I figure out how! The cylinder is 2" diameter and 23" long. TS has such a cylinder with 16" stroke, and that has to be close. Does anybody know for sure what the original is? I realize I can change both, and that would work because I don't much care how high the bucket will go, but why not get as close as I can? :hide:

[wallfish 18,630]

I'll measure mine in the morning

[wallfish 18,630]

My lift cylinders have a 14" stroke

[kyhorse 1]

No kidding? I am stunned. If anything, I would have suspected it was more than 16" rather than less. So I guess I can call tomorrow and order those cylinders, and pick them up this weekend on my way to Ky. :WRS:

[wallfish 18,630]

Thought the same thing until I measured them, just never really paid any attention to it.

[shorts 182]

you need to make sure that both cylinders are identical, rod and piston diameters and length overall as well as stroke also mounting pin hole size to prevent the cylinders to rack or bind the lift arms.

[kyhorse 1]

Well to be safe I was going to change them both. The right one has only the tiniest leak but I assume if the cylinders are not matched it would eventually bend a little or otherwise cause a leak. Down there I originally got new seals for $25, so even at that cheap rate the difference in new seals (for the right side) versus new cylinder is about $100. No choice on the left- it's shot. Smart thing to do is change both. There is a big shop here in St. Louis that will rebuild any cylinder, but for these little ones it's not worth the trouble to haul them around and take time off from work, etc.. Unfortunately it is still raining like hell down in Ky so I still will not be able to plant anything, but at least now I can get that disc out of my yard if I wait until Monday for the lawn to dry a little!

Thanks for the info!!!!!

Now...about that screeching sound coming from the front hydro pump....

[kyhorse 1]

Sorry shorts, now I see what you mean- make sure new cylinders match old. Well, I don't see much choice but to change them out, even if I have to drill new holes or substitute pins or whatever. I think I did find some cylinders that look like the originals on line somewhere but who knows whether I could find them again. But it's good advice and I will take it. If I find them I will post cause I can already tell they are not common. Thanks.

[shorts 182]

check surpluscenter, they have a pretty good selection of hydraulic stuff at reasonable cost. to size your cylinders measure from mount to mount for retracted length, measure from cyl mount on the subframe to the boom pivot for the required stroke :hide:

[kyhorse 1]

Uh..... I get the retracted measurement, but the other...Is this always going to be the same as the max length the rod can travel? Or is it just the industry standard for making the measurement? Obviously I know nothing about this but I assume the stroke is the full travel length of the rod and has to be enough to lift the boom to whatever height you need. Are both methods going to give me the same value or am I misunderstanding the term "stroke"?

Can't thank you guys enough.

[Nick 13]

My loader cylinders came from www.surpluscenter.com and if you look around they have some real good deals.

I'm really surprised the Ark cylinder stroke is that short. Just looked to be sure and I used 1.5 X 15.5 cylinders on the small Ranger loader.

[kyhorse 1]

I think we have established a 16"stroke for my cylinders. Wallfish has 14" but his loader does not look like mine (can't figure out how to post a picture, but mine does not have that top bar in th rear) so I assume that is the difference between Ark 500 and 550, even though I do not know which I have. I have also learned that Ark was absorbed by another company- their web site does not show any parts so I may call tomorrow. The big obstacle at this point is that my attachments are via a pinhole in the rod, with no clevis or whachamacallit ring. Otherwise any of several cylinders would work. Just FYI, I do not weld, so don't get any ideas! So maybe we are back to a professional rebuild? Either way, I will be measuring every dimension and probably pulling off at least the worst one this weekend for whatever fate it may meet!

Thanks for the info.

[shorts 182]

stroke is the extension length or the amount of travel in or out, or the difference between retracted and extended lengths.

maximun lift height is determined by the stroke of the cylinder if it is less than the distance between the cyl mount and the arm pivot point on the subframe upright. it's a geometric relationship, the arm cannot go past vertical without bending the cylinder :hide:

[kyhorse 1]

Long story but basically I could not get the darn thing running well enough to lift the loader so I could make measurements. Funny, it ran last time! Took all weekend to fix the issues but now it will not even crank. That's surely just the battery connection cause it happens all the time but I ran out of time. However, I did determine that the loader is an Ark 510. Does that change anything about the stroke?

Thanks as well for the PMs with very useful details others might not be interested in. Barring any more info, I am looking at the 1.5" 16" stroke from surpluscenter. The retracted length looks OK as does the width of the mount. I have 1" rods now, so I know I have at least that much space to work with. They are strong enough for my self-imposed 350 lb limit.

[kyhorse 1]

I doubt anybody cares at this point but allow me to close out this particular thread. Got her running this weekend after a comedy of errors and some hand-holding by forum members- only took about 40 hours of stumbling about on all my free weekends for the past 2 months. The retracted length was 30.5" with the bucket sitting flat on the floor, and extended 47" with bucket as high as it will go. Not sure if I had it maxed out or not, but that matches the 16" stroke we have determined, and the bucket was pretty darn high. The rods are about 1" and the pins are 1/2". Just FYI the cylinder is 2" by about 23". So now we all know what the main lift cylinders are like on an Ark 510. My mission now is 1) determine whether to buy new replacements that are black and I think do not have the ports in the original place; or rebuild locally and 2) how to get the darn thing to move! Been sitting in the garage with the hydo disengaged (valve opened) all this time, and now running like a top but won't engage! Yes, I did remember to close the valve before even trying. But that's a new thread!

Meanwhile, I bought a quad so I could actually get some work done!

Thanks for all the help!!! :woohoo:

[shorts 182]

so when do you want me to come and relieve you of your problem? :woohoo:

[kyhorse 1]

Boy, after the kind of week I've had, bluffs are called- such as "come and get it!!!" . Not only is the horse hobbled, as I write, my truck will also not start! And the land I bought the dang WH to work in the first place might get sold! (I just have 20 acres of it, but there's much more a buddy owns and may lose, but I can't afford to buy.)

I would hate to sell (at the price I could get, anyway) the old girl when she was not running! Hopefully all I need to do is add a quart of SAE 30 and let the thing purge air for awhile and THEN I can sell it!

On top of that, these "new" cylinder measurements push the replacements into a different price range, even at surplus center. Well, actually, the ones with a 47" extended length would proably not fit in the mounts anyway, and have 1" pins, too. So maybe a rebuild is my only choice?