Construction
Components and Hydraulics from One Supplier
Hydroforce makes hydraulic cylinders, motors and pumps, machined shafts and gears, die-cast housings, sintered parts and carbide inserts for excavators, loaders, tippers, road machines and drilling rigs.
Why Construction Machinery Wears Parts Differently
When an excavator bucket hits rock, the shock goes through the stick and bucket cylinders into the pins and bushings, and further along the boom into the slew drive. With a hydraulic breaker fitted there is vibration as well: thousands of blows an hour, all passed into the mounting cylinder.
The second problem is dirt. Concrete dust, sand and drilling slurry settle on the extended rod and are dragged back past the wiper on the return stroke. On a telescopic tipping cylinder the rod carries this grit over five metres of stroke, and when the truck tips on a slope it is under side load as well. In winter the seals are stiff on a cold start, before the first lift.
Most of these machines are rented and the operator changes from week to week, so nobody warms the hydraulics up before work starts. If a cylinder fails while a crane and a concrete delivery are waiting, the site loses at least a day, and the schedule usually has no reserve for that.
By Type of Equipment
Built for Every Machine on the Site
Excavators
boom, stick and bucket cylinders under shock load, slew reducer gears, track drive motors and pin bushings.
Wheel loaders
lift, tilt and steering cylinders in dust and repeated shock.
Dump trucks and tipping bodies
telescopic tipping cylinders with long stroke and high side load.
Road milling and paving machines
milling drum drives, levelling cylinders, carbide milling tips.
Drilling rigs (horizontal directional drilling)
drill feed cylinders, rotary drives and carbide bit inserts in abrasive slurry.
Demolition attachments (hydraulic breakers)
tool bushings, mounting cylinders and pins, all of them under constant vibration.
What We Make for Construction
Six Technologies for Construction OEMs and Rebuilders
Hydraulic Cylinders
Bore 20–1000 mm, working pressure up to 500 bar, stroke up to 6 000 mm; single-acting, double-acting and telescopic designs. The rod is induction hardened, then hard chrome plated at 25–50 µm (60–80 µm for heavy lifting) and ground after plating to Ra ≤ 0.2 µm. Each cylinder is tested at 1.5× working pressure before it leaves.
Typical parts
- Boom, stick and bucket cylinders for excavators
- Lift, tilt and steering cylinders for wheel loaders
- Telescopic tipping cylinders for dump trucks and trailers
- Feed and levelling cylinders for rigs and road machines
Hydraulic Motors and Pumps
Gear, planetary, axial-piston and radial-piston motors from 0.25 to 8000 cc/rev, rated to 450 bar. They are made to interchange with common equipment platforms. Each motor goes through a functional and pressure test. We also refurbish motors that are already in service.
Typical applications
- Track and wheel drive motors for excavators and loaders
- Slew drive motors for excavators and cranes
- Milling drum drives and rotary drives for drilling rigs
Machining and Gears
Shafts, pins, bushings and housings are CNC machined, with IT6–IT7 fits where the drawing calls for them. Gears for slew reducers and travel drives are cut and ground to ISO 1328; case hardening is done when specified. We handle parts up to 2 m in diameter and 16 m long.
Typical parts
- Slew reducer and travel drive gears, pinion shafts and splines
- Boom and bucket pins, hardened bushings
- Cylinder bodies, glands and mounting brackets
Aluminium Die Casting
Aluminium die-cast housings save weight on a boom or in a cab. Parts come out of the die at ±0.1–0.3 mm with Ra 1.6–6.3 µm, so most surfaces need no machining. Minimum wall thickness is 0.5–1.5 mm.
Typical applications
- Pump, valve and gearbox housings
- Controller and sensor enclosures
- Brackets and covers for mounted equipment
Powder Metallurgy and MIM
When a gear or a lever is needed in thousands, sintering is cheaper than machining it from bar. Compaction pressure up to 800 MPa, density up to 97%, tolerance ±0.05 mm as sintered and ±0.02 mm for MIM parts.
Typical applications
- Sintered gears and sprockets for pump and reducer drives
- Structural PM parts: levers, latches, small pistons
- MIM components for controls and couplings
Cemented Carbides
A steel edge does not last long in rock or reinforced concrete. Tungsten carbide (WC-Co) at 1 400–2 000 HV, graded to ISO 513, keeps its edge many times longer. We sinter the carbide in-house and grind it to ±0.01 mm. For the heaviest impact loads we use grade K40.
Typical applications
- Carbide tips for road milling and scarifying drums
- DTH and roller cone inserts, dome buttons for rock drilling
- Wear tiles and bushings for tunnelling and demolition tools
Cost Logic
Where the Budget Goes, and How We Keep the Price Down
A construction cylinder has to compete on price with a catalogue part. So we spend on the things that decide service life on site and keep the price down where it does not affect it.
| We invest in | How we keep the price down |
|---|---|
| Solid forged rod ends with no weld at the eye; other welds to certified procedures (MIG, TIG, laser) | One setup for a batch of the same cylinder for fleet and OEM volumes |
| Induction-hardened rod, chrome plated and ground after plating | Standard mounting types where the machine allows: clevis, flange, trunnion |
| Honed E355 tube, double-lip wipers and seals rated for side load and dust | Sensors and options only where the machine uses them |
| 100% pressure and leak test on every unit | Seal kits by serial number, so a worn cylinder is resealed and goes back to work |
Aftermarket
Replacement and Repair
Many enquiries come in as a worn cylinder in a crate, without a drawing, while the machine stands idle. We measure the bore, rod, stroke and mounting geometry on the sample and quote either a rebuild or a new cylinder in the same envelope. If the failure was a cracked weld at the rod eye, we suggest a solid forged rod end instead.
Repair shops that rebuild cylinders themselves can order rods and tubes separately. Every cylinder is delivered with a seal kit, and further kits can be ordered by serial number. When the same part fails across a fleet every year, it makes sense to order the whole batch before the season starts. The unit price is lower and the parts are on the shelf when the machines go out.
By drawing
By worn sample
Batches timed to season
Seal kits in stock
Documentation
Standards and Documentation
Components are delivered with material certificates, dimensional records and test protocols, referenced to the standards your design office works to.
| Standard | What it covers |
|---|---|
| ISO 6020 / ISO 6022 | Mounting dimensions for hydraulic cylinders, 160 bar and 250 bar series |
| ISO 4413 | Safety requirements for hydraulic systems and components |
| ISO 10100 | Acceptance tests for hydraulic cylinders |
| EN 10204 3.1 | Material certificate with traceable test results, on request |
| ISO 1328 / DIN 3960 | Accuracy classes for gear tooth geometry |
| EN 1706 | Chemical composition and mechanical properties of cast aluminium alloys |
| ISO 5755 / ISO 22068 | Specification for sintered PM and MIM materials |
| ISO 513 | Classification of cemented carbide grades |
EN 474 applies to the complete earth-moving machine and is the OEM's responsibility. What we supply is the component documentation needed to fit our part into a machine built to that standard.
Our quality system is certified to ISO 9001:2015. More on inspection stages and equipment: Quality.
Quality
Quality Control
Every order goes through three inspection stages. Incoming material is checked against its certificate, with spectrochemical analysis when the grade matters. During machining, parts are measured with Renishaw probes and on a Zeiss Contura CMM with an error under 3 µm. Before packing, dimensions, function and surface are checked at final acceptance.
For a cylinder this means a pressure test at 1.5× working pressure, a leak check at every seal, a full stroke test with no stick-slip, and chrome thickness measured with a gauge. Gears are measured for profile, lead and runout against their ISO 1328 grade. Third-party inspection can be arranged on request.
More detail: Quality.
From Hydroforce
From Our Workshop
Custom Hydraulic Cylinders to Drawing, from One Unit
bore 20–1000 mm, up to 500 bar, stroke to 6 000 mm, with two worked examples at 350 and 160 bar.
Read more → Case StudyHeavy-Duty 350 bar Cylinder with a Solid Forged Piston Rod
Ø110/60 × 807 mm, clevis both ends, and why a forged rod eye outlasts a welded one.
Read more → ManufacturingPiston Rods: Machining, Grinding and Hard Chrome
turning, induction hardening, plating and grinding to Ra ≤ 0.1 µm, rods up to 16 m.
Read more →Procurement FAQ
FAQ
What is the minimum order quantity?
A single cylinder is fine, with the same certificates and tests as a series batch. For motors and gears, tell us the quantity and we will quote. Die-cast and sintered parts need tooling, so they only make sense in volume. Send us the part and the quantity and we will tell you whether it is worth it.
Can you rebuild a cylinder from a worn sample without a drawing?
Yes. Ship us the cylinder, or send photos together with the bore, rod, stroke and pin dimensions. We take the geometry from the sample and send a quote before any metal is cut.
What is the lead time for a fleet batch?
Batches of standard-size mobile cylinders typically ship 6–8 weeks after drawing approval, depending on material and batch size. If you order before the season, we reserve the production slot for you.
Do you deliver across the EU?
Yes, from our own floor to OEMs, rental fleets and repair shops across the EU.
Related capabilities:
Get a Quote
Send us a drawing, a specification or a photo of the worn part with its measurements. We will quote the cylinder, motor, gear or carbide insert you need. Every part is made to tolerance and tested before dispatch.