A Copperbelt operator brought us six hydraulic ram cylinders pulled from underground load-haul-dump machines after repeated seal failures were causing unplanned downtime. Two units had visible barrel scoring from contaminated fluid, and all six were past due for a full teardown.
What we did
- Stripped each cylinder to the barrel, rod, and gland, and inspected every wear surface against OEM tolerance.
- Re-honed two scored barrels and skimmed and hard-chromed the rods that had lost their surface finish.
- Replaced all seals, wipers, and wear bands with equivalents matched to the original spec, sourced through our rolling-stock parts supply line.
- Reassembled, pressure-tested each unit to 1.5x working pressure, and cycle-tested before release.
Outcome
All six cylinders were returned within the two-week window agreed at handover, ahead of the fleet's scheduled maintenance slot. None of the rebuilt units have returned for seal-related failure in the twelve months since.
Project details
Client: Copperbelt mining operation (name withheld)
Date: March 2026
Service area: Mining, Hydraulics