As we have seen, hydraulic cylinders vary widely in size and type, depending on your application and the force required.

Basic single acting cylinders can be purchased from as little as £30 per unit and double acting cylinders from £50-£800 per unit, but this doesn’t include installation, design or integration with other components.

When purchasing components only, the following four factors will affect the price you pay per unit.

1) Size

The side of the hydraulic cylinder will affect its price, with larger and more powerful components costing more than smaller ones. Bespoke cylinders will cost more than standard units, to reflect the additional design and fabrication time required on custom builds.

2) Batch size

Suppliers can usually offer better prices per unit on large batches than small orders. This is a matter of economy of scale. A small batch frequently take as much input to set up and configure as a larger batch, so the costs per unit are correspondingly higher. However, a reputable hydraulics company will always be able to cater for small orders as well as large. Discounted rates may be available for repeat orders, regardless of the batch size.

3) Delivery speed

Your required turnaround time will affect the total cost of your order. The more notice you can give a supplier, the better placed they will be to fulfil your order at a low-cost. Short turnaround and priority orders sometimes require the reallocation of resources, leading to higher costs. At Ranger Caradoc, our extensive manufacturing facility allows us to fulfil many of our orders in less than 14 days, while keeping our costs low.

4) Challenging working environment

Robust or specialist cylinders designed to work in extreme environments may cost more on account of the engineering challenges they pose. Hydraulic cylinders for hot or dirty environments require specialist tooling and tough materials, as well as rigorous testing. This adds to the expense of production. Also, specialist components are often manufactured in smaller volumes than standard ones, which also affects cost. This rule isn’t strictly the case with Ranger Caradoc. We accept that all engineering environments have their challenges. Our approach is not to provide a particular product as the solution to your problem, but to first understand your requirements and design the appropriate response, in the most cost-effective way possible.

Purchasing from Ranger Caradoc

At Ranger Caradoc, we stock a huge range of hydraulic cylinders suitable for all industrial sectors. These include standard size single and double acting cylinders - both welded and tie rod models – as well as two, three and four stage pin-mounted telescopic cylinders. There are plenty of variants available, with different configurations of feet, flanges, trunnions, clevis and swivel bearing mountings.

If you can’t find what you need from our catalogue, we can manufacture you custom-designed cylinders of up to 200 mm bore and 3,500 mm stroke.

All our products are available in large quantities for single and repeat orders, at great prices and short lead times.

Of course, we are not simply a parts seller. This is only one aspect of what we do. Our real strength lies in our design and technical expertise, coming into your business to understand your specific engineering requirements, and suggesting a bespoke solution from all available options. In the next section of our e-book we will explain our way of working and why you should consider Ranger Caradoc for all your hydraulic system requirements.