Question on re-sealing a hydraulic cylinder.

I'm putting fresh seals in one of the lift cylinders on the mower(single action cylinders with the rod end vented) and was surprised that there wasn't a seal between the piston head and the rod to stop any leakage around the threads of the rod.  It did appear that there was some red colored material at the bottom of the threads and I'm wondering if I should put on some type of sealant (permatex or something similar) when I reinstall the head back on the rod?  I have the service manual and it just says to replace the seals as required, nothing about any sealant.

 

Thanks in advance, Josh.

Question on re-sealing a hydraulic cylinder.