How big of cylinder do I need?

[LD1]

3" probably is overkill for a rake, But wouldnt be if it were a blade

 

[scootr]

Been a while. Life got in the way. I finally got the cylinder mounts tacked in place today and the cylinder exercised stop to stop to verify the placement. The rake turns a little more than 45* each way with a 12 inch throw. The 3" cylinder looks big.
But when the rake is hitting this and that (rocks) I'll be glad the cylinder taking the hit is oversized.
Next challenge - hoses...
Pics later

 

[scootr]

Alright! Went to the hydraulic shop in town. They made up two 3.8 hoses with a 90º connection at the cylinder and the quick connect push pull Kubota fittings on the tractor end. Nice to have a one stop shop. I was planning on getting the hoses and driving over to the stealership for the quick connects. Anyway - welded everything up and plumbed it. It tested good so I put the sunshield on and called it good.
I've gotten good advice her so far so
One more Q for those who know about hydraulic cylinders. Should I weld a stop on the turntable to prevent maxing the cylinder each way or is a hard stop going to be just as hard or worse on the cylinder? Thank you in advance!

I'm ready to get out there and rake some rocks

 

[MtnViewRanch]

For your application, I would just let the cylinder bottom out each direction.
That's how all the hydraulic rear blades are, there are no external stops.

 

[orezok]

Wow. A 3” cylinder is about 7 sq in. At 2000 psi that’s 14,000 lbs of push. Hope you don’t destroy something.

 

[scootr]

Wow. A 3” cylinder is about 7 sq in. At 2000 psi that’s 14,000 lbs of push. Hope you don’t destroy something.

Thanks for the heads up. I will be careful.

 

[mikester]

I'd buy a cylinder based on what's on sale and has the required stroke length.The OP said rake not blade, I think 3" is probably overkill for the application and 1-1/2 would probably suffice. Think weakest link in the chain. My 84" king rake isn't what I'd consider heavy duty and only uses a 1" pin for the angles.

 

[repete]

Wow. A 3” cylinder is about 7 sq in. At 2000 psi that’s 14,000 lbs of push. Hope you don’t destroy something.

Or a pull of roughly 10,000 Lb.

 

[Vigo327]

The excess force should not be an issue as long as you dont try to rotate it while it is snagged on something.

The cylinder will probably now be the last thing to break on that rake, at least as far as impact damage!

 

[scootr]

The excess force should not be an issue as long as you dont try to rotate it while it is snagged on something.

The cylinder will probably now be the last thing to break on that rake, at least as far as impact damage!

That's what I was thinking. Originally I thought about a 1.5 or a 2" but when I posted people here said no - go 2.5 or 3"... so in looking for the length and throw needed vs the cost. This cylinder checked all the boxes without shipping from China direct. Anyway. It's done & ready for testing so I'm happy. Planning on beefing up the main support now with the 3pt pins on it to ensure it won't bend.
Maybe some day I can get back to the gauge wheel addition to the rake.