Steve Burton | June 30th, 2017
This hydraulic application presents an example of creative problem-solving at Cross Company. What is shown here is a stand-alone self-contained truck cab tilting hydraulic unit. All that is required is 12VDC battery power and ground. This system can also be applied to almost any lift/hold/lower applications that fit the capabilities of this system.
This unit is designed to be mounted fully exposed to the elements, including salt air. This solution is based on a marine duty tilt/trim hydraulic motor/pump (water and corrosion resistant) with integral independent bidirectional reliefs and pilot operated check valves. We have customized it to meet the specific application requirements of “power up/gravity down” operation.
This solution includes an integrated high-density plastic Rittal control box with a 3-position momentary toggle switch that is fully booted and sealed. All fasteners associated with this unit are stainless steel.

The custom hydraulic manifold is mounted using all O-ring face seal type hydraulic fittings. The single solenoid lowering valve has a Deutsche style electrical connection, screw-type manual override, and a filter screen on the flow through gallery of the valve for contamination protection. There are three possible pressure port connections on the manifold for plumbing convenience. As mentioned above, the solenoid valve has a screw-type manual override. This allows for very controlled lowering speed if the manual override option has to be used.
Additional Options For This System
- Can be set-up as a bi-rotational/bi-directional system with no manifold/solenoid required.
- Can be configured with larger reservoirs.
- A flow control can be properly sized and installed in the pressure port to control lowering speed as required.
- Mounting flanges or brackets can be customized or the customer can use the stock mounting holes on the back of the base unit.