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.