When hydraulic cylinders fail on material handling equipment, work often comes to a screeching halt. That type of failure can be catastrophic, even when short-lived, and directly impacts the equipment OEM’s reputation, if not warranty.

“When a material handling machine goes down in the field, the total cost of the resulting equipment downtime and disruption to other operations may be quite serious,” says John Vilven, president of Malavac, Inc. (Fresno, CA).

Malavac, Inc. is the manufacturer of Liftmaster Bin Dumper - an innovative hydraulic forklift solution for dumping bin contents such as fruits and vegetables. Available in a range of sizes, these bin dumpers attach to the lifts on popular forklift models, enabling the equipment operator to raise and lower the bin and spill the bin contents forward and out at a 135 degree angle.

“Although attached to forklifts, this is a heavy-duty application,” explains Vilven. “The dumping action of the Liftmaster depends on two bin holding cylinders plus two cylinders that handle the dumping action. It is critical to us that we use hydraulic cylinders of high quality and durability so that our end users can avoid downtime and service costs.”

The Liftmaster Bin Dumpers manufactured by Malavac are designed to handle a variety of bin sizes, including those with a carrying capacity of up to 5,000 lbs, which are required by users such as produce packing houses.

For that reason Malavac uses custom, welded hydraulic cylinders manufactured by Turning Point Industries (Atwater, CA) for both its bin holding and dumping cylinders.

“These cylinders provide the accuracy and durability to meet the rigorous requirements of dumping equipment,” says Turning Point’s president, Kevin Benz. “Typically that and other material handling equipment is subject to a fair amount of abuse. The welded hydraulic cylinders should perform well for several years before any service, such as seal replacement, is required.”

Benz also points out that material handling OEMs are not only concerned about equipment reliability, but also that any operating problems or service delays would reflect very negatively on the equipment manufacturer.

On average, the welded cylinders that Turning Point helps its customers specify will stand up to 10 or more years of rigorous operation.

“Most of the material handling applications for which we provide cylinders are very robust,” Benz adds. “The tie rod type of cylinders are considered light-duty, and not up to rugged applications. Only a custom welded hydraulic cylinder will hold up under heavy-duty stresses.”

Benz adds that in addition to durability the basic advantages of custom-welded hydraulic cylinders include precise tolerances, very fine internal finishing and the ability to perform with consistent accuracy. They are also serviceable, so his firm has a hydraulic seal service kit available to OEMs and dealers.

In addition to material handling equipment, robust applications for Turning Point’s custom welded hydraulic cylinders include agriculture, construction, food processing, waste management, mining, road building and paving.

For more information, contact Turning Point Industries, 3650 Thunderbird Avenue, Atwater, CA 95301; Phone 209/725-7780; Fax: 209/725-7790; Email tpointind@yahoo.com