Mine are going on 4+ years with no leaks with a simple o-ring replacement. The shaft on one of my rams was extremely scorn because the snap ring came loose and gouged it pretty bad. I had to remove a lot material. Bottom line, if I can get mine to seal up, anyone should be able to do the same.

Removing the cylinders is not that hard if you rotate it out of its cradle while prying. It's harder to describe than it actually is. Although it sounds like there is some variation in the cradle spacing based on what Jim said.