ram tips................
seals only wear excessivly if the oil is dirty or dirt is able to ebter the ram.
a small magnet in your tank will help a bit although a lot of modern pumps are alloy in the main.
changing the oil regularly will help.
in practise the main culprit in our use is road dirt getting in the rod then being drawn into the ram body. This dirt is controlled by the gland seal around the rod, usually a lip seal that can be easily replaced. Chrome rods make a big difference as it is harder for dirt to stick to them and as non chromed ones [most US rams!] will corrode in our road conditions [not quite the same as Cali!!] and so draw dirt in faster. I sometimes put a short length of bicycle inner tube on the end of a ram to try and reduce the dirt ingress. if you park for an extended period always drop your ride so the rod length is inside the ram.
the pressure seals wear through dirty oil
OR through side loads on the ram [not mounted correctly]
OR because the rams are displacment type which only have gland seals that have to do both jobs and no piston seals [and piston which helps to maintain a straight travel of the rod].
pics will follow.......................
