The following is an interesting article about a problem that has a great potential for damaging equipment that utilizes dual hydraulic cylinders that must act together.

Problem:
A dump truck owner noticed that his truck bed wasn't raising evenly. One cylinder was not extending as far as the other, placing a lopsided load on the truck. He inspected the cylinders and other components for leaks and damage, but no problems were found. Because the lopsided bed was becoming a safety hazard, the owner removed it from the service and replaced the cylinder that was not fully extending. Over time, though, the problem, reoccurred.

Solution:
Add check valves to the flow divider circuit.
Flow dividers donít operate at 100 percent efficiency, regardless of manufacturer. In this application, the divider was operating at 98% efficiency. This meant that only one cylinder was extending fully. The other was extending to 98 percent of its total stroke, an acceptable amount in most applications. But because the cylinder strokes were never equalized, the second cylinder extended less and less with each subsequent actuation.
The system needed a way to equalize the cylinder strokes after each actuation. The Gresen distributor recommended installing check valves in the cylinder return lines. This allowed the cylinders to bottom out on the return stroke, equalizing the system and curing the problem.

We can order and install the proper parts for your equipment that will prevent potential damage.