Hiring and Maintaining Heavy Construction Equipment

Hydraulic power systems are essential in construction applications for lifting or pulling your construction materials. The key to effective performance of your hydraulic power equipment is choosing the correct hydraulic cylinders. Since these cylinders are of various types and designs, finding the right one may not be easy. Some factors will come in handy to help you narrow down your options. For this reason, here are some of the key things you should look for when selecting hydraulic cylinders for your hydraulic construction equipment.

The Load Capacity of the Hydraulic Cylinder

The mass of the load you intend to move should be the first item on your checklist. Hydraulic systems are designed to lift or pull loads up to a certain weight. For this reason, look at the mass of your load and identify whether you are moving it horizontally or vertically. For instance, if you are vertically moving a load whose mass is a tonne, then the force of the cylinder you require should be slightly above one tonne. However, if you are moving the load horizontally, you want a cylinder whose force is relatively more than one tonne. This is because unlike moving the load vertically, pulling it horizontally means you will need more force to overcome the friction on the ground. The rule of thumb when selecting the force of a hydraulic cylinder is to always go for a higher force than that of your load to allow for the margin of error.

The Environmental Conditions at Your Construction Site

Knowing the environmental conditions at your construction site will help you choose the correct finishes, materials, and seals for your hydraulic cylinder. For instance, if you are working in a coastal region, you will want to choose materials that will resist corrosion from the salty water conditions. For this reason, you should consider choosing stainless-steel hydraulic cylinders.

The Mounting Method

Hydraulic cylinders come in a wide range of mounts. Two of the major mounting methods are straight-line mounts and pivoted mounts. Your choice of mount may be determined by the direction in which you want to move your load. For instance, if you are moving your materials through an arc-like motion, consider hydraulic cylinders with pivoted mounts. These types of mounts will absorb force on the centreline of your hydraulic cylinder and allow it to change alignment in a single plane. On the other hand, if you are only moving your construction materials in a straight or linear direction, choose straight-line mounts.