20 Ton Hydraulic Cylinder

Twenty tonnes is 196.1 kN; at 160 bar that takes 12,258 mm² of piston, a 124.9 mm bore. Ø125 mm produces 196.3 kN, but seal friction, hose losses or a relief valve set slightly low take more than the 0.1 % it has in hand, and the cylinder stalls just short.

A third route keeps the compact Ø125 mm: order the 250 bar option and set the relief valve to about 176 bar, which gives the 22 t with pressure in hand.

The US-ton rows tell a different story: 20 US tons are 18.14 t, so at 160 bar Ø125 mm already carries a 10 % reserve. If a request says “20 ton” without a unit, ask which ton. 210 bar is for reference; our rating is 160 bar, or 250 bar as an option. All bores: hydraulic cylinder sizes.

Two combinations pull more than 20 t at their rated pressure: Ø160 / Ø90 mm at 160 bar and Ø125 / Ø70 mm at 250 bar. With the Ø100 mm rod the Ø160 cylinder pulls 196.0 kN, a fraction under the 196.1 kN of 20 t. Take the thicker rods only when buckling calls for them.

Q = A × v sizes the pump. The 250 bar route needs 39 % less flow for the same speed, so pump, valves and pipes shrink — but the power barely changes, because power is force times speed and both cylinders deliver 31.3–32.8 t. Standard strokes are 100–500 mm; piston speed is limited to 0.5 m/s.

Here the layout is press-like: front flange (FFM), rod end pinned to a guided slide, mounting factor 0.7. Free length = stroke + an assumed 250 mm from flange face to rod pin; Euler load F_k = π² × E × I / (0.7 × L)², divided by 3.5 as is common practice.

Guidance is what makes this work. The same Ø160 / Ø90 mm cylinder at 2,000 mm with a free, unguided rod end (factor 2) may push only 9.6 t — less than half the load. Guide first, then choose the rod; see long stroke hydraulic cylinders.

A 700 bar cylinder reaches 20 t with about Ø59.7 mm, under half the diameter of the industrial Ø125 mm. The pressure is the catch: every hose, fitting, valve and gauge must be rated for 700 bar, while machine circuits are built from industrial components rated far lower.

Portable pressing or lifting: the jack. A press brake or bending machine: the industrial cylinder.

Tell us the force (and which ton), pressure, stroke, mountings and guidance. A press-brake cylinder might be FDH-160-300-FFM-NS-HR: Ø160 mm, 300 mm stroke, front flange, NBR seals, hardened and chromed rod, plus the rod diameter. See FDH type and tie-rod cylinders.