Patent ID: 8695479

Claim:
A pneumatic cylinder comprising: a cylinder body comprising an inlet port, the cylinder body adapted for connection to a rail car structure; a non-pressure head connected to an end of the cylinder body; a hollow piston rod having an open end and a closed end, at least a portion of the hollow piston rod disposed within the non-pressure head; a piston head associated with the hollow piston rod and defining the closed end of the hollow piston rod, the piston head being disposed within the cylinder body and displaceable relative to the cylinder body; and a push rod comprising a socket end and a coupler end, the socket end seated within the hollow piston rod to permit arcuate movement of the push rod within the hollow piston rod; and wherein the non-pressure head comprises a hollow piston rod guide bearing and a hollow piston rod seal axially positioned adjacent one another, the hollow piston rod guide bearing and the hollow piston rod seal each slidably engaging the hollow piston rod preventing physical contact between the hollow piston rod and the non-pressure head and accommodating non-axial, side loads; wherein the piston head has a piston seal and a pair of piston guide bearings disposed on opposing sides of the piston seal, respectively, the piston guide bearings and the piston seal each slidably engage the cylinder body; wherein an annular open space is defined between the push rod and the hollow piston rod from the closed end to the open end to permit the arcuate movement of the push rod within the hollow piston rod; and wherein the piston head, the hollow piston rod, and the push rod are returned to an original position solely by the weight of the rail car structure to which the cylinder body is attached.