I have a 74 highboy with ram assist steering... Well the ram leaks like a stuck pig (shocker huh?)... Are they rebuildable?? If so does anyone have a clue where to get a kit or seals or anything for that matter... Thanks for any info...

 

Rams are so cheap that it's almost as easy and cheap to replace the unit. I've seen rams for as little as $35 from Northern Tool. Or, you could go to your local Parker fittings dealer and see if they can get seals for your particular ram.

Sean

 

Zinga, search for a member called FordPickup460. He had a leaky ram and tried to get the seals replaced. He couldn't find ANYONE who had these seals. He ended up replacing the ram with an OEM unit and it cost some bucks. If you PM him about it he can provide more details. I have always wondered if you could just swap in a generic hydro ram but I can't say for sure. You'd need the same stroke and bore for it to react the same.

 

I'm about to add hyd assist to my truck, and have found that about an 8" stroke, 2" bore generic hydraulic ram should work perfectly on my application.

Sean

 

the small one ton thomas school buses use the same ram ,bob

 

Sean, go to a 1.5" bore if you can. It will make the steering more responsive. 2" bore tends to be a little bit slow in responding plus you need a bigger resevoir for the extra fluid. West Texas Offroad (Redneck Ram) who sells the kits offers a 1.5" or 1.75" bore. I'm running 1.5x8 and it works perfect.

 

I need to jump in here . My ram on a 74 has the same leaking seal problem . Found a company in Portland, Oregon who sells complete rebuilds for 300 bucks , but this leads me to another question . there is about a 1 inch travel lag time from when the pitman arm pushes on the control cycliner rod before there is any turning response . is it possible that air is getting sucked in to the system from the leaking ram seal .
Jack