Hunter Tire Machine - Air Over Hydraulic issues

lilevo · Sep 3, 2019

So I picked up an air over hydraulic tire machine that was working relatively ok and I tinkered with it and made it not working :rolleyes5:

It has two low pressure/slow hydraulic arms to break the bead on a tire.

Fluid was low and probably original so I decided to drain it and refill with fresh. Filled to spec, 10oz, up to the sight glass in the reservoir. I manually extended the cylinder arms to fill with fluid and get the air out by cracking the lines at the cylinders.

Problem now is that neither cylinder extends at all when the air is hooked up and button is pressed. There are micro air lines running to each cylinder that keep them compressed. Remove the air line and the cylinder extends out to full.

The pump was working fine, still is working fine by switch actuation. I just don't know where there could be air or how to get it out or what I might be missing.

I think the issue is somewhere near the pump/oil reservoir since neither cylinder extends at all with the pump running and everything was working correctly before I started draining fluid out.

Thoughts?

dkmc · Sep 3, 2019

I do have a thought. This is a Machining forum.

CALL Hunter, the people that built the tire machine.

lilevo · Sep 3, 2019

This forum was the only search result online for air over hydraulic systems and questions with some similar posts and answers. This also appeared to be a reputable and authoritative site. Had I not found other previous threads about air over hydraulic I never would have posted.

The system is general in design, it's not specific to hunter so I was hoping for some outside opinions like, "hey check for a bleed hole on the pump" or "did you try xyz?" since my brain is going in circles with it.

dkmc · Sep 3, 2019

So you'd rather have a bunch of machinists that might dabble in hydraulics take some guesses on your problem.
Or call the people that built the machine and ask them what the problem could be.

My thought is, save some time and guess work with a phone call.

Hunter Engineering
11250 Hunter Drive
Bridgeton, MO 63044
+1(314) 731-0000

Hodge · Sep 3, 2019

You could put OT(off topic) in your title line. This falls within forum guidelines and is considered acceptable. It would not be the first time someone asked a question beyond the confines of machining.

By all means call the manufacturer's number as well, It's possible they can/ will be helpful.

memphisjed · Sep 4, 2019

guessing there is air in hydraulic lines. when you put new fluid in air pockets came thru. If there is a way to manually move cylinders without air a few cycles each the air should find its way out. Make sure the air into main reservoir does not have a straw that goes into fluid, seems to be a joke some manufactures play on people too. Exhaust valves and silencers are the second thing I would suspect. The silencers fill with bits, rust, water, oil, lint from socks you lost a year ago. pull those and reverse flush out with simple green and air.

DDoug · Sep 4, 2019

dkmc said:
So you'd rather have a bunch of machinists that might dabble in hydraulics take some guesses on your problem.
Or call the people that built the machine and ask them what the problem could be.

My thought is, save some time and guess work with a phone call.

Hunter Engineering
11250 Hunter Drive
Bridgeton, MO 63044
+1(314) 731-0000

Yup ^^^
I called them up, spoke with an older gent, sent me the book on my tire-a-matic
(found nowhere online).Also walked me thru the desing and fixing them.

DDoug · Sep 4, 2019

lilevo said:
This forum was the only search result online for air over hydraulic systems and questions with some similar posts and answers. This also appeared to be a reputable and authoritative site. Had I not found other previous threads about air over hydraulic I never would have posted.

The system is general in design, it's not specific to hunter so I was hoping for some outside opinions like, "hey check for a bleed hole on the pump" or "did you try xyz?" since my brain is going in circles with it.

This explains your lack of "Context".... :nutter:

cg285 · Sep 4, 2019

digger doug said:
Yup ^^^
I called them up, spoke with an older gent, sent me the book on my tire-a-matic
(found nowhere online).Also walked me thru the desing and fixing them.

that's not been my long time experience with hunter. they have always sent a rep by who informs me that buying a new piece of equipment is the only option.

dkmc · Sep 4, 2019

cg285 said:
that's not been my long time experience with hunter. they have always sent a rep by who informs me that buying a new piece of equipment is the only option.

So lets see here......the SALES guy wants you to believe that there is no repair option, just buy a NEW machine.
And lets see, isn't the sales guy they one that makes his living off of selling new machines?
Wow, that's a surprise......NOT.

Next time there's a problem, try going around the sales people, and contact engineering or whatever other 'tech' department
they have at their facility.
Common sense rules!

cg285 · Sep 4, 2019

dkmc said:
So lets see here......the SALES guy wants you to believe that there is no repair option, just buy a NEW machine.
And lets see, isn't the sales guy they one that makes his living off of selling new machines?
Wow, that's a surprise......NOT.

Next time there's a problem, try going around the sales people, and contact engineering or whatever other 'tech' department
they have at their facility.
Common sense rules!

let me rephrase that. in my case rep and repairman are one in the same

dkmc · Sep 4, 2019

He gets his commission either way.

dalmatiangirl61 · Sep 4, 2019

Friend bought an older Hunter machine a few months back, it needed multiple parts, she did not seem to have much difficulty getting tech support and ordering the parts. Not much help for the OP, I was just a spectator, look at valve setup just off pressure tank, I remember those plastic internal parts were in pieces.

cg285 · Sep 4, 2019

dkmc said:
He gets his commission either way.

he didn't get either the last time - a few months ago. took an 18k machine (when new) to the dump. was told no parts avail and no one had the tools to calibrate if they had the parts. i don't believe the latter

didn't get either the time before when i was told it was unfixable. a tv repairman fixed it for $80

dkmc · Sep 4, 2019

cg285 said:
he didn't get either the last time - a few months ago. took an 18k machine (when new) to the dump. was told no parts avail and no one had the tools to calibrate if they had the parts. i don't believe the latter

didn't get either the time before when i was told it was unfixable. a tv repairman fixed it for $80

Well, then I guess the OP needs to be asking his questions on the TV repair forum.

Scruffy887 · Sep 4, 2019

Hunter makes nice machines. I bought one off fleabay and called the local Hunter rep to check it out. Said good machine, would you like to buy some parts? Cash for a discount? Bought a few Duck heads and gave him some advice where to buy air fittings that Hunter was soaking him for. Your machine looks to be a 3500? Mine is a TC 3250 series. I have a Ranger leverless machine now, lot easier on my back and all other parts.

9100 · Sep 6, 2019

I once built a machine that had an air over oil setup for feeding parts. Periodically it would refuse to make full travel. It was from bubbles in the oil and the cure was to drop a hose in the oil can and manually cycle the cylinder, the oil with bubbles would go out into the can and rise to the top and the cylinder would pull clear oil back in.

Bill

john.k · Sep 8, 2019

Ive always found the air /hydraulic pumps to be troublesome.....first there is an air system with generally plastic valves,then the hyd pump has little ball valves to stick .......even when its pumping OK,there isnt enough volume to flush air from the system back into the tank.............simple cure.....fit a small gear pump driven by a 2hp elekky motor..........IMHO,the attraction of air pumps to manufacturers,is you dont have lekky codes to comply with,and its also near impossible to overpressure them,as the air cylinder stalls .

mattthemuppet · Sep 10, 2019

dkmc said:
Well, then I guess the OP needs to be asking his questions on the TV repair forum.

who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?

dkmc · Sep 10, 2019

mattthemuppet said:
who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?

Great snappy comeback. Except you're about 6 days late and your cornflakes are all soggy now.
Now go play in traffic junior.

Hunter Tire Machine - Air Over Hydraulic issues

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