Hydraulic Cylinder & Pump Sets
A hydraulic pump and cylinder work as a pair, and buying them as a matched set takes the guesswork out of building a high-pressure rig. Instead of speccing a ram, a pump, and a hose separately and hoping the fittings line up, these BVA Hydraulics sets ship all three sized to work together out of one box. Each combines a single-acting spring-return cylinder with a two-speed aluminum hand pump, a 10,000 psi hose, and the coupler that connects them. Configurations run from a 10-ton, 2-inch-stroke kit up to a 50-ton low-profile combo, priced roughly from the low $1,300s to just under $1,900. Pick the set by the load and the clearance you have, and the rest of the system is already decided.
Hydraulic Cylinder & Pump Sets Buying Guide
What comes in a set, and why buy it that way. Each set is three matched parts plus a coupler: a single-acting cylinder, a two-speed aluminum hand pump, and a 10,000 psi hose (BVA's CS3814, a quarter-inch line about 6 feet long). Single acting means the pump pushes oil to extend the plunger and a built-in spring retracts it when you release pressure, so there is no return line to plumb. The value of the set is that the pump's oil capacity, the cylinder's displacement, and the hose fitting are already matched, so you are not left with a big ram fed by a pump that runs dry mid-stroke. Buying the pieces individually from the hydraulic cylinders and power units collections makes sense when you are extending a rig you already own; a set makes sense when you are starting from zero and want one part number to order.
Reading the configuration name. Every option here is spelled out as tonnage, stroke, cylinder type, and pump, so "10 Ton 6" Stroke Cylinder P1000" is a 10-ton ram with 6 inches of travel fed by a P1000 pump. Tonnage is the first cut: rate the cylinder above the heaviest real load with margin, never at it. Stroke is how far the plunger travels, and a cylinder that runs out of stroke mid-lift leaves you cribbing and resetting, so measure the lift before you pick. The 10-ton sets come in 2, 6, and 10 inch strokes, then step up to 25, 30, and 50 tons for heavier work.
The pump: P1000 versus P350. Two hand pumps show up in these sets, and both are two-speed aluminum units rated to 10,000 psi. The P1000 carries about 61 cubic inches of usable oil; the P350 holds about 21. More oil means fewer refills and enough displacement to fill a longer-stroke or higher-tonnage cylinder without stopping, which is why the P1000 pairs with the general and low-profile combos while the smaller P350 comes with the flat-body and hollow-cylinder kits. Two-speed means the pump moves oil fast under light load, then shifts to a low-volume high-force mode as pressure climbs, so you are not grinding the handle from the first stroke. If you outgrow hand pumping, the power units collection carries air, electric, and gasoline pumps that drive the same cylinders.
Cylinder shapes: general, low profile, flat body, hollow. The cylinder in the set decides where it fits. General cylinders give the most stroke for straight lifting and pressing. The low-profile cylinders (the 30 and 50 ton, 2-inch-stroke combos) collapse short for confined spaces, with a rod wiper that seals out grit and a return spring for quick retraction, the choice when a machine sits close to a wall or beam. The flat-body kit is a low-height option for shallow clearance, and the hollow-plunger set, with an unthreaded 12-ton cylinder, lets a rod or tensioning stud pass through the center for pulling and hold-down work a solid ram cannot do. Match the shape to the gap you have to work in, and confirm the collapsed height clears before you order. For how these feed into a full shop system, see the Hydraulic Equipment hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Three matched parts and the coupler to connect them: a single-acting spring-return cylinder, a two-speed aluminum hand pump (a P1000 or a P350), and a 10,000 psi hydraulic hose about 6 feet long. Because the pump's oil capacity, the cylinder, and the hose fitting are sized together, the set works out of the box without separate speccing.
Both are two-speed aluminum hand pumps rated to 10,000 psi; the difference is reservoir size. The P1000 holds about 61 cubic inches of usable oil and drives the general and low-profile cylinders, while the P350 holds about 21 cubic inches and comes with the flat-body and hollow-cylinder kits. More usable oil means fewer pump refills on longer strokes.
Single acting. The pump pushes oil to extend the plunger, and a built-in spring retracts it when you release pressure, so there is no return hose to plumb. That keeps the set simple. If you need a powered return or a controlled pull, look at the double-acting models in the hydraulic cylinders collection instead.
Start with tonnage, and rate the cylinder above your heaviest real load with margin, not at it. Then match stroke to how far you actually need to lift, and pick the cylinder shape to your clearance: low profile for tight spaces, flat body for shallow height, hollow for pulling and tensioning. The pump is already matched to the cylinder in each set, so once the cylinder is right the rest follows.
Yes. Every set is built to the 10,000 psi standard, so the cylinder runs off any BVA pump at that rating. If hand pumping gets slow, an air, electric, or gasoline power unit from the power units collection drives the same cylinder faster, and the hose and coupler carry over.