HW actuators

**mattsdragons** · 8th February 2012, 19:32

I'm trying to figure out a way to get the lifting scoop back on smidsy but don't know a actuator strong enough and powerful enough to use to power it? what would anyone recommend? or any other alternative

**harry hills** · 8th February 2012, 19:52

electic carjack?

**PJ-27** · 8th February 2012, 20:14

I know on Robot Wars the actuators from hospital beds were popular.

**jonny** · 8th February 2012, 20:17

commercial actuator are too flimsy for hw use, especially with smidsy as the lifter is on the front most commercial actuator will break when 100kg drives into it.

imo best thing to do would be to put in a small 20oz co2 bottle, tev reg, small 5/2 24v valve and a small pneumatic ram. that option would cost around, Â£100 cheaper than a new commercial actuator and a whole load better. you can put flow reducers on your valve then you can have your lifter fast as you like.

**jonny** · 8th February 2012, 20:24

alternatively you could get some m25 rod or soemthing and a powerful motor and make your own actuator :P

**mattsdragons** · 8th February 2012, 20:51

thats another option aswell, could potentially go pneumatic, but I don't know how heavy or effective that would be when all i need to do is lift

**jonny** · 8th February 2012, 21:11

all it would do is lift. wouldn't be too heavy, probably bout the same as an actuator.

**widow_twanky** · 8th February 2012, 23:14

Originally Posted by jonny

commercial actuator are too flimsy for hw use, especially with smidsy as the lifter is on the front most commercial actuator will break when 100kg drives into it.

imo best thing to do would be to put in a small 20oz co2 bottle, tev reg, small 5/2 24v valve and a small pneumatic ram. that option would cost around, Â£100 cheaper than a new commercial actuator and a whole load better. you can put flow reducers on your valve then you can have your lifter fast as you like.

I have a 63mm bore lp ram in the garage, if I remember to put it in you can have it at Barnsley if you're there.

I did think about going the whole hog and putting a nice big full pressure flipper on the top of it. You'd have to put a lot of HDPE into it in place of the Hardox but it is very doable. The only reason we never developed it was cos of disturbed and the need to put the motors on the other side of the bulkheads (but that's been done hasn't it?