Expand the cylinder so the shaft is fully extended, using a hydraulic pump.
Weld a 3.5" piece of 1.5" DOM roundstock inside of the tubing at the end of the shaft
Take care that the top of the shaft doesn't get hot; there is a rubber seal between that and the cylinder that will melt and cause leaking if you're not careful. If it starts getting warm, dunk the shaft in water to cool it down.
Step #4: Tack the Lower Press Foot to the Cylinder
Stand the cylinder up vertically and prop it up using some sort stand so it is as close to square vertically as possible. Another option is to support it using some sort of rope.
Place the tubing at the end of the shaft inside of the hole in the lower press foot.
Insure the cylinder is square to the plate in all directions. See video.
Since there is a lip on the cylinder, its hard to tell if it's square unless you use two squares, one on the lip and against the other one which rests on the table.
Tack the lower press foot from all accessible dimensions.
Insure the cylinder is still square with it, if not, remove the tacks and fix it.
Weld the nut in the corner of the lower press plate, as shown. This should be on the opposite side of the ports of the cylinder, flush with the press foot, and as near to the corner as you can get it. It can even hang off a bit.
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