Custom Hydraulic Cylinders

Custom hydraulic cylinders built to your drawing, your sample or just your application data. When a catalogue cylinder does not fit the space, the load or the environment, Fenitsa engineers and manufactures one that does — from a single prototype to repeat series production.

Every design is checked for force, rod buckling and mounting loads before you approve the drawing, and every cylinder is pressure tested before shipment.

Custom tie-rod hydraulic cylinder by Fenitsa

What We Can Customise

Component-by-component options for a custom-built hydraulic cylinder.

Custom hydraulic cylinder options
ComponentOptions
Bore and strokeAny bore in our production range; strokes to suit the machine, including long strokes with stop tubes
Piston rodOversized rods against buckling, special rod-end threads and forms; hard-chrome-plated Ck45 as standard
MountingClevis, spherical bearing, rod eye, front/rear flange, trunnion at any position, foot, threaded or welded-on brackets
PortsPosition, size and thread type (BSP, metric or to your specification), extra bleed ports
Body designTie-rod, welded or bolted heads, compact short-body designs
SealsSeal packages for standard (−20/+80 °C) or high-temperature (up to +200 °C) service and for your hydraulic fluid
CushioningAdjustable end-of-stroke cushioning at one or both ends
Special functionsDouble rod, tandem, adjustable stroke, hydraulic blocks mounted on the cylinder
FinishIndustrial or marine paint systems, customer colour, protected rod ends for shipping

Custom or Standard? A Quick Rule

A standard cylinder is the right choice when the bore, stroke and mountings fit your machine as they are — it is faster to deliver and easier to replace. Go custom when the installation space is fixed, the mounting geometry is unusual, the environment is hot, wet or abrasive, or when you need extra functions such as a double rod or built-in valves.

In practice many projects end up in between: a catalogue FDH, KHS or THS cylinder with a special stroke, rod end or port position. Tell us what has to change and we will keep everything else standard to control cost and lead time.

What to Send With Your Enquiry

The more of this we have, the faster and more accurate the quotation.

  • Force and pressureRequired push and pull force, or the load, plus the working pressure of your power unit.
  • Bore, rod and strokeOr the closed and open lengths the cylinder must fit between.
  • Mounting at both endsType, pin diameters, flange dimensions or a sketch of the connection points.
  • Speed and duty cycleCycles per hour or per day, and extension and retraction speed.
  • EnvironmentTemperature range, outdoor use, water, dust, chemicals, hydraulic fluid type.
  • QuantityPrototype, annual volume and expected repeat orders.
  • Drawings or samplesPDF, DWG or STEP files, photos, or the existing cylinder itself.

Our Custom Engineering Process

Five steps from enquiry to series production.

  1. 1

    Requirement review

    An engineer reviews your data and asks for anything that is missing before the design starts.

  2. 2

    Design and calculation

    Force, speed, rod buckling and mounting loads are calculated; seals and materials are selected for your conditions.

  3. 3

    Drawing approval

    You receive a dimensioned drawing and quotation. Nothing is produced until you approve it.

  4. 4

    Prototype or first article

    For new designs we build and test a first unit so you can check fit and function on the machine.

  5. 5

    Series production

    Approved designs go into repeat production with the same drawing, test procedure and documentation.

Replacing a Cylinder Without a Drawing

How to measure an existing cylinder so we can rebuild it.

Measurements for reverse engineering
MeasureHow
Closed lengthPin centre to pin centre (or mounting face to rod end) with the rod fully retracted
StrokeExtend fully and subtract the closed length, or read it from the old nameplate
Bore and rodRod diameter with a calliper; bore from the tube outside diameter and wall, or from the head
MountingsPin diameters, clevis gap, eye width, flange bolt pattern and thickness
PortsThread type and size, and their position relative to the ends
Working pressureFrom the machine’s relief valve setting or hydraulic diagram

Add photos from the side and both ends with a tape measure in view. With that information we can prepare a drawing for your approval, even when the original cylinder is badly worn.

Design Checks on Every Custom Cylinder

What our engineers verify before a drawing is released.

  • Force and pressure margin

    Push and pull force at your working pressure, with a margin for friction, pressure drop and dynamic load.

  • Rod buckling

    Euler buckling for the real mounting case and fully extended length; the most common reason a long cylinder fails early.

  • Mounting and pin loads

    Stress in clevis pins, trunnions and flange bolts, including side loads caused by misalignment.

  • Port size and oil velocity

    Ports sized so the flow needed for your speed does not create excessive pressure loss or heat.

  • Cushioning energy

    End-of-stroke cushioning matched to moving mass and speed, protecting heads and the machine frame.

  • Seals and fluid

    Seal compound checked against temperature, speed and hydraulic fluid type.

What Drives the Price of a Custom Cylinder

  • Size and strokeBore, rod diameter and length set the amount of tube, bar and machining time.
  • How far from standardA modified catalogue cylinder costs less than an all-new design with new heads and mountings.
  • Mountings and extrasTrunnions, spherical bearings, double rods, cushioning and mounted blocks add parts and machining.
  • Seals and finishHigh-temperature seal packages and special paint systems cost more than the standard package.
  • Quantity and repeatabilityTooling and programming are shared across the batch, so repeat orders are cheaper per unit.

Typical Custom Cylinder Projects

Examples of the kind of cylinders we are asked to engineer.

  • Replacement for an obsolete cylinder

    Reverse-engineered from a worn sample when the original machine builder no longer supplies spares.

  • Long-stroke cylinder with stop tube

    For gates, lifting platforms and conveyors where a thin rod would buckle over the stroke.

  • Double-rod synchronised cylinder

    Equal area on both sides for equal speed and force in both directions.

  • Compact welded cylinder

    Shortest possible closed length for mobile machines with limited mounting space.

  • High-temperature cylinder

    High-temperature seal package (up to +200 °C) for presses and machines near heat sources.

  • Cylinder with mounted block

    A hydraulic block mounted directly on the cylinder to remove hoses and leak points.

Custom Hydraulic Cylinders – FAQ

What makes a hydraulic cylinder "custom"?

Any change to the catalogue design: a non-standard bore or stroke, special mounting geometry, ports in a different position, integrated valves or sensors, special seals for temperature or fluid, or different materials and coatings. Many custom cylinders are 80 % standard parts with one or two engineered changes.

Can you copy an existing cylinder from a sample?

Yes. Send the cylinder or a set of photos with key dimensions (closed length, stroke, bore, rod, pin diameters, port threads). We measure it, produce a drawing for your approval and build the replacement — useful when the original supplier no longer exists.

Is there a minimum order quantity?

No fixed minimum. Single prototypes and one-off replacement cylinders are quoted as well as series orders; the unit price falls as the quantity and repeatability increase.

Which pressures and sizes can be customised?

Our standard series are rated 160 bar working / 240 bar test with a 250 bar option, bores Ø40–Ø200 mm and strokes up to 5,000 mm. Requirements outside this envelope are reviewed case by case by our engineering team.

How do you make sure a long cylinder will not buckle?

Every custom design is checked with the Euler buckling method for its real mounting style and stroke. If the margin is too low we increase the rod diameter, add a stop tube or change the mounting.

Do I get a drawing before production?

Yes. Production only starts after you approve our dimensioned drawing, which then becomes the reference for every repeat order.

Send Your Drawing

Upload your drawing or describe the application and we will come back with a technical proposal and quotation.

Send Drawing / Request Quote