When charged with the notorious "beating your head against a wall", and at the very least unpleasant, task of choosing a cylinder supplier -- one can quickly become disenchanted with all of the industry hype and mumbo jumbo.

From the mammoth sized companies, in which you can get lost and slip through the cracks, to the miniature sized companies that don't offer competitive quality or the same kinds of guarantees as the "big guys" -- the options seem pretty limited.

Most cylinders are fixed at one point along their length. Although there is guidance and best practices associated with all of the mounting types --our thoughts go back to the times we have seen side lug cylinders used incorrectly – in one case; to the extent that the tube to cap joint was ruined.

Many eager professionals looking for a cylinder solution fall susceptible to beginning their search prior to considering all that goes into applying the right cylinder for their application. Good news, you don’t have to be that person! A simple example is as follows:

An individual sends in an order for the following cylinder:

• 6” HH Series, 3” Rod, 50” Stroke, FHF Mount, Style 2 Rod End, Port pos. 1 & 5, Non-Cushioned.

The cylinder is made and shipped in 3 days, to the delight of the customer and thanks to the Gold Program (go ahead, check it out), since it was a job that they had to get going in a hurry. The customer installs the cylinder and a few weeks later the cylinder starts to have leaking issues at the rod. They call up very upset that the cylinder is leaking and want it fixed quickly under warranty. We ask about the application to see if we can find out more to help solve their pain as to why the cylinder has failed so quickly.

There was a time, almost a generation ago, when the HH range of cylinders used an array of (normally) four metallic rings as the piston seal. Their function was much along the lines of the ones used in a car engine to this day.

These rings were inert to more or less anything the world threw at them. Heat was an easy task, aggressive fluids no problem and the working surface was so hard that the tube was more likely to wear over time than the seals were to lose their size.

While we at Sheffer don't provide hydraulic power units, these are invariably used in a majority of hydraulic applications to drive our cylinders. By looking at the system as a whole, in many cases hydraulics can provide a more cost effective solution especially when long-term energy costs are considered.

Many of our distributors can provide complete solutions and technical assistance regarding power units and a comprehensive hydraulic solution incorporating Sheffer cylinders.

When one considers the large number and the regularity of quotation requests and inquiries that Sheffer receives, it can be seen that there are many users of hydraulic cylinders that have applications requiring stainless steel construction. Typically, these requests and inquiries address N.F.P.A. hydraulic cylinders with stainless steel construction and (in referencing the N.F.P.A.) it appears that some users are under the assumption that stainless steel hydraulic cylinders will have the same pressure ratings and dimensional interchangeability as Sheffer’s conventional product lines, in particular “HH” and “MH” Series.

It doesn’t matter where you come from, or what you call them, the arrangement of components, which hopefully bring a cylinder to a graceful stop at the end of its stroke is a useful bit of kit – provided it works right first time and every time!

Sheffer calls them cushions – but it’s surprising what names other people have developed for exactly the same thing. The range of names may well be cultural or more likely regional; whatever the reason, if somebody mentions a gag, or a choke, or any other word of a similar nature, it’s probably worth asking if they are talking about a cushion.

The process of choosing the right hydraulic cylinder for your specific application may seem routine or even repetitive at times, but it's important to maintain a fresh outlook in beginning this process and to always remember to consider several basic components.