You should not rule out the possibility of failure when placing an order for new hydraulic equipment for your startup construction business. The reason is that about a quarter of all mechanical equipment failures are design related. Add this to the mechanical mode of operation of hydraulic equipment, and you have a plethora of issues that can go wrong. That said, there are ways you can minimise hydraulic cylinder failures. Examining unique factors that directly affect the performance of a hydraulic cylinder is one way of preventing premature failure of hydraulic equipment. Read on to find out more.

Cylinder Stroke -- Do you need a hydraulic cylinder with a short stroke or long stroke? It is vital to understand this because stroke-length determines the need for extra support. For instance, if you want to install a hydraulic cylinder on a dump truck, you need a long-stroke design to allow the rod to extend entirely and enable the dump to empty its contents completely. However, the long-stroke cylinder is susceptible to buckling under heavy loads. Extra support or an oversize rod is required to prevent bending. On the other hand, if the cylinder will go in a ute-crane, a short-stroke design will do. The short-stroke cylinder does not require additional support; therefore, it works well under loads.

Mounting Method -- The mounting method relative to a hydraulic cylinder's application plays a significant role in the equipment's service life. Use the wrong mounting method, and you will start counting your losses. As a general rule, you need a mounting arrangement that doesn't interfere with the hydraulic cylinder's centerline. For most hydraulic cylinder applications, flange mounting is the most preferred. The reason for that is, during operation, the weight is transferred along the cylinder's centerline which eliminates the possibility of misalignment as well as the need for extra support. There are other methods of mounting such as lug-mounts, tie-rod mounts and clevis mounts; however, the mounting techniques all require additional support to prevent misalignment.

Cylinder Speed -- The speed of operation of a hydraulic cylinder or the rate at which the hydraulic fluid flows in and out of the cylinder determines the port size. You need to be very specific with this information because the wrong port size will cause pressure issues. For a fast moving cylinder, the hoses and ports need a significant diameter to allow free movement of hydraulic fluid. It prevents the build-up of pressure and consequent damage of the cylinder. Conversely, fluid flow in slow-moving hydraulic cylinders is slow. As such, the plumbing and ports can have a narrow diameter, and the cylinder will still operate optimally.

Reach out to professionals who offer hydraulic cylinder repair to learn more or if yours has suffered damaged.

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