I wonder if it is OK to remove a ram when the keel is 50% down

My Cradle will not allow the full extension of the keel on the hard

I can access the ram bolt and I know the "article on Ram anodes" says to have the keel lowered.

But what would happen if it isnt, will all the hydralic fluid fluid pout out etc


The Anode was changed earlier this year


Regards

Barry Tiernan

As long as the keel is supported I think it should be ok. The procedure in the maintenance articles section includes plugging/capping the hydraulic connections, so if you do that you shouldn't lose too much fluid.

---

Hello Barry
The ram is a single action device, oil should only be below the piston, although anything passing the piston should be taken care of by the drain at the top which returns it to the reservoir.
If the piston is not fully extended there will be oil in the cylinder which can be drained into a container if you break the joint and allow the ram to extend as you remove it . Horrible job, much neglected on many boats.

Jan
325/32
Blue Moon

As said, the keel doesn't have to be right down, just far enough to see the patch covering the bolt holding the ram. You're fortunate to have a cradle; I had to coincide my work on the keel with the availability of a travel hoist - lift me up to take out the keel bolt, put me down (on the keel later), replace the ram, lift me up again until I can see the bolt hole, leave me hanging while I put the bold back - no time pressure then!
The article on removing the ram is excellent - especially making sure all the pins and split pins are tied on, and all tools (spanners, screwdrivers, etc) are tied on too!
An additional tool I found useful was the bent wire coat hanger - see later ...
A couple of thoughts.
https://www.silmid.com/l...t-225gm-was-dtd900-6065/  but I have to admit that the old bolt came unscrewed (relatively) easily.
http://www.denso.net/densotape/index.htm  extensively.
3) As said earlier, wire brush the ram casing to remove old rust (take care round the stainless steel piston, then apply several coats of Hammerite. My ram supplier recommended Denso products, apparently the Isle of Wight ferries use them extensively on their hydraulics, so I smeared Denso grease over the ram, then wound round Denso tape, but not over over the anode. At some stage, someone had wound Denso tape around the anode, which was in excellent condition, but it probably doesn't help it do its function.
4) Fitting the ram back, I lowered it back on a halyard, but first had to use the bent coat hanger to scrape out lumps of rust from the old ram and dried mud from many years of silt before the bottom eye would relocate. Then the copper guard, the Denso mastic, followed by a skim of Isopon.

Good luck!

---

Re the ram bolt, I used to use Isopon to cover it over, in fact Parker's used this when the boat was new but recently I have simply been squirting in a load of silicon sealant. It is very easy to dig out in a lump with a screwdriver when you want to get at the bolt.

Hi Barry,

I have a cradle which only allows the keel to drop 3/4 the way down - but this is enough to disconnect the bolt and hoist out on a halyard. I plug the hydraulic line with an adapted plastic wine bottle cork. Key when you withdraw the ram is not to let it move position when you lay the Ram down to work on it! Otherwise, it's a real problem to refit!

Similar to above, I wire brush and apply hammerite paint. A key place to inspect is where the ram cap (which I think is cast iron) meets the stainless steel ram. In the grove, between the two, there can be build up of flakes of rust and the harder rust can damage the shiny surface of the ram.

Generally speaking, I maintain the Ram every two years and only replace the anode collar then. (I have a mud berth and it's normally covered in a thin layer of mud silt anyway, so I'm not sure how effective it is!)

Reassembling, the hard bit, I generally cover the bolt hole in clear silicon sealant. Seems to work well.

Best of luck,

Stuart

Pegasus
325/37