[Mr.G]

Isn't small and hydraulics an oxymoron.

I work in a plant that has a lot of machinery with hydraulic to build engines, and every thing is big. Most hydraulic cylinders are rated for at least 3000 psi and up. In order to hold 3000 psi the cylinder wall has to be thick.

You are also working with a fluid that is not as safe as air. If the system developed a leak, (and yes they do - i think hydraulics and leak are next to each other in the dictionary) and the leak was in the form of a stream of fluid it can easily at 3000 psi get under the skin and be fatal. Not only that, with fluid spraying everywhere it can easily get in your eyes. We have systems with 10's of thousands of gallons of hydraulic fluid and pump that don't stop or run out of fluid. In the past few years we have had people make a mistake and had thousands of gallons on the floor and a soaked employee(there is no hiding that one - it like a terrorist making a bomb and having it exploding). Most of the time people think they shut everything down and they shut off the wrong part and then they try to remove a valve.