Cylinders are designed to provide linear force and motion to a guided load. The path which the guided load travels must not impose a significant eccentric load on the rod or the piston rod bearing, or the bearing surfaces will be damaged and fluid leakage and reduced bearing life will result.
The maximum thrust force which a cylinder should provide is limited by its rod diameter and overall length. In long stroke cylinders, care should be taken to ensure that the piston rod is capable of handling the thrust forces generated in the application and that the cylinder is adequately supported. Note also that a head mounting style will provide greater column strength than a cap end mounting due to the smaller distance between mounting points.